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Originally Posted by LiveLoveandTrust
I've been having trouble for a few years. Mostly with pain and fatigue but it took awhile (and a lot of doctors) to finally figure out that I have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as well as a few other more minor diagnoses- scoliosis, depression, anxiety, TMJD, and IBS.
So I've been hopping from one specialist to the next, rounds of PT, surgery... and over the past few months it's gotten so bad that I can't return to work. I can't even stay awake all day or take care of my daughter without assistance throughout the day.
I was finally kicked in the pants and told that I need to just apply and stop waiting to get all the information and just start the process. So I did. And now I'm second guessing myself. There's no way I'm going to be granted SSDI without doctors backing me up (they change the subject when I bring it up), without a history of being with one doctor to treat my issues for awhile, and taking my age into consideration.
Of course, my life situation hasn't helped either. I was struggling to work full-time at the end of 2011 when my daughter was born prematurely and I had to move in with family. By the time I was ready to go back to work I could only work per diem (about 12 hours a week) then I had surgery for the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and now that I'm past the post-op period I'm not finding that I have the ability to go back to work at all. Things have just really progressed.
I'm not on medication. I'm breastfeeding and have a doctor who says that "I have everything I need inside of me to heal myself."
I'm just so frustrated. The doctor I had who would have helped me the most moved to another practice that my insurance doesn't cover. So now I don't even have a PCP. None of my specialists have seen me more than a handful of times and don't know me well enough to judge whether I'm lazy or truly need help.
Now I'm anxious because I'm wondering if I've screwed myself by applying and not waiting until I got to know my doctors better and had a team on board to support the process.
Any advice?
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There are pros and cons to filing as soon as possible and delaying filing.
Filing as soon as possible gets the process started, gets your case seen by a DDS analyst to evaluate, a consultative exam may be performed and a decision should be made in less than six months. However, lack of substantial medical evidence almost always leads to a denial. Having substantial evidence is helpful, but the evidence also has to show that the medical condition is severe.
For SSI, the application date determines entitlement date which determines first payment date. For SSDI, the entitlement date and payment date can be 12 months before application. So for an SSI claim, delaying is possible money lost.
Filing as soon as possible also puts you in the queue to see an ALJ a year or two later, especially if your prognosis is uncertain or your current evidence is weak. Time will pass and you will either get better or worse. You may also learn more about the process so you can get the medical evaluation to either prove or disprove your allegations about severity.
Waiting to file while preparing could mean that your case could be approved right away, but all the prep in the world doesn't lead to an approval if you are not disabled enough under SSA rules.