Psyc Eval for SSI SSDI Monday
 

I have a psyc eval on Monday for SS. Along with my other ailments I am also Bi-Polar with PTSD and anxiety. I am a little apprehensive about it since I don't trust psychologists/psychiatrists. I am hoping I can relay to him that this has been a problem since I was very young but I wasn't diagnosed until I was 35. I was in therapy at 13 and sent to a hospital at 14. No one figured it out! I didn't even have therapy at the hospital. After that I was in foster homes because I told them if they sent me home I'd run. I did see a psychiatrist when I was about 17 or so, but I never felt like I could tell them exactly what dysfunction had gone on in our home and didn't even have a clue that I had been molested by my Grandfather. I have been in therapy on and off throughout the years, but since I have physically been unable to work off my manic phases I have had to confront all of my demons. This makes life a lot harder on me these days. I just hope he will see my agony.

Try to look and act as bad as you can....they will use ANY reason to deny you. I wish I'd known how unethical the SSA was when I had my evaluation over two years ago. I would have acted practically psychotic and not have bathed. SSI is a different world...it's a huge game you have to play to get help. It isn't an ethical game, either. Anything they can use against you to deny you for as long as they feel like it, they will. I wish someone had told me this long ago.

You can be truly disabled but if you don't look it, act it, have records saying you can't work, then they won't believe you are. Thing is, many disabled people are intelligent, socially skilled, and neat and clean in appearance but that seems to work against anyone trying to get SSI. Everything just has to look and sound the worst it can without it seeming fake. If you're like most people and are honest and ethical, looking and acting your worst might be difficult but that is where the SSA "gets" ya....it's almost like honesty and decency is used against people who really are disabled and really need SSI.

I disagree.

"Acting" as bad as you can is called malingering and a good psychiatrist is trained to look for it. You don't want to be labeled as a faker.

Deciding to game the SSI system could also be called committing fraud.

Of course SSA is going to look at all the evidence and then consider which pieces support your allegation that you are disabled and which pieces do not. It is not like a drive through where you make your order and then pick up your check at the window. Not everyone who files is truly disabled and they should be denied.

Do liars and cheats and thieves get away with their lies, cheating and thievery sometimes? Sure. Does it happen often? Not when SSA is diligent about reading the evidence and questioning the inconsistencies.

Can't have it both ways; paying only the truly disabled and denying the not truly disabled without applying the same policies and procedures to both.

For the original poster, I hope you do get the therapy and medication you need regardless of the outcome of the disability claim.

Be honest & truthful when answering questions & telling your story.

Make sure all records have been copied, sent and received by any person that is supposed to have then for your case/claim.

SSDI approval
 

When you are approved for SSDI , how do you know what specific issue garnered approval if you have several in your medical record. I know the cumulative issue are considered but some alone would not be a total disability.

Just want to wish u the best on Monday
 

I'm so sorry for everything you have been through. It hurts my heart to read your words.

I hope the process goes well for u....I've filed for disability and was turned down initially for small fiber neuropathy....I'm in the reconsideration stage in GA and expecting to hear any day now.

The only thing I can say is that my advocate told me that if we have to go to the hearing stage to be truthful but to not wear any makeup and to wear my oldest clothes.

Good luck on Monday and please let us know how it goes for you.

Debi from Georgia :hug:

Hi Gruvingal
 

When I had my evaluation, I looked him right in the eye and answered the truth. I was down, angry, hurt, going from one surgery to the next. I was glad to have the opportunity to tell the psych just what happened to me. It was a relief more than anything. The process can be a very long time in coming, so look at it as an opportunity. Don't be afraid to tell the truth. I think that gets you in the right direction. ginnie

they send you a decision in writing in which the administrative law judge explains the reasons for their decision.

Hi Jinja
 

In my case there were four separate medical conditions, that taken as the whole did disable me. Mostly it was my cervical spine, and degenerative joint disease. ginnie

SSI SSDI Psyc Eval
 

Well, I went to the evaluation. It only lasted about an hour. I expected more although we did talk about some very serious things in my past. I'm tired now.

An hour is reasonable. He/she will have gone over record in private as well. There are SS docs that spend 5 minutes with patients, those are the ones that are worrisome.

All I know is that in my and some others' experiences, SSA is not an ethical organization. Yet they hold monetary power over the disabled who seek help from them. Such power, when not exercised fairly or ethically, can and does affect vulnerable disabled people in unimaginably devastating ways....just read the thousands of stories online, including this site. Having been denied repeatedly by SSA for the help I desperately need, I am living that life now.

Under those kinds of circumstances, I say fight for your monetary help in any way you can. It is not lying if you are truly disabled, which I believe the majority of us on here are. If you are already an honest, ethical, modest, humble person who was raised to always look your best, act your best, never bother or trouble anyone, or God forbid show others your problems, that is deeply ingrained in you and can be a hindrance when it comes to getting help from an agency such as SSA (at least, that is, in mental disability cases such as mine).

I say fight however you are able to, to get what you need. SSA will not do it for you. They are not going to see through some people's neat, clean, hey-I'm-just-fine, smiling appearance, because they do not want to. I wish I knew this before I began the process over two years ago.

I went back and reread your other threads before attempting to respond to this. I'm sorry that you have had such difficulties over the years , but instead of being dishonest and encouraging others to be dishonest, it would be a better use of energy to read about the SSI/SSDI process, so that you can more effectively advocate for yourself. Start with the Stickies and the links in the Stickies. If you feel you need more hands on help than would normally be provided by an attorney, than seek out a nonprofit agency that specializes in SSI/SSDI approval.

Hi Kitty
 

I tend to agree with you. There are others however, whos' experiences have been different, and turned out OK. People in positions of power, somehow get a bit carried away with it. ginnie:grouphug:

For those that are very skilled at deception, perhaps her advice could work for some, but SS has several ways to catch them--which I won't post about to make it easy for those engaging in such behavior. My guess is that it will backfire for most that attempt it, and once you've been caught it will be difficult to ever overcome the stigma attached to exaggerating one's disability--previous SSDI/SSDI case files are including with subsequent applications.

Hi Lit Love
 

I believe in telling 100% the truth, I have said this before, and let the chips fall where they may. Lying does no one any good. I agree with you on that one. Ever go to a Medicaid office? I was treated very nasty, and most of those folks behind their screens, seem to be quite curt with everyone. I also didn't like the one doc. who did my screening. Small, dark office, not clean, and he didn't have much empathy. When you are sick and hurting, those kinds of people are the last kind you want to deal with. This is where I find objection.
These folks have power over you and I find they use it. If compassion ruled, those of us that hurt, would do better, both physically and mentally.
Put into that mix, "some" families who abandon, and you get a patient that is in a very depressed state. Thank God for NT.....
I think that is why you are here too Lit Love...to offer help and encouragement, even when circumstances are not the best. Have a good rest of the night. ginnie:grouphug::hug:

My experience is that why should you give them any more ammo then they already possess to shoot you down by exaggerating your claim. Frankly, you could have mother Theresa presenting your case and it will make no difference if you get any of the slimebags I was treated too in my previous hearings, you can tell immediately by how they question you and about what! In front of ** it was glaringly obvious that his mind had been made up long before I stood before him, and his condescending, sneering, and arrogant questioning reflected that posture to perfection.

They know that pretty much nobody will be evaluating their behavior, and you will have absolutely zero chance of prevailing in front of them. Such bias can be fueled to extravagant levels if you are then caught in an overt bit of embellishment. ** to say that "all of my doctors" were lying on my behalf!

You will not be changing such scumbags minds by lying to them....

Hi Direwolf
 

Doctors have nothing to gain by lying. So that scum that said the doctors lied for you are just that scum, dirt balls, and a few other choice words. It is hard enough to be sick or hurting, without having to run into those types of people. I hope since then, someone has shown you some compassion direwolf. I hear it is your post, how angry and sad you are. Been there a time or two myself. I know this site, gave me tools, information, hope, caring, friendship, prayers, and also a kick in my butt to keep on keeping on. I will be here any time to talk to. I may not have had the same experiences as you have had, but I have had some bad apples in and around my case. My lawyers rep. kept me on an even keel, and made my frantic emotions more settled. I was lucky in that respect. Do you have a friend in your life to help ease your way through some of this muck? Even one person can make all the difference. ginnie:hug:

I have been reading this thread since it started a few days ago, and not knowing what to think about some of these comments. I do know this, we have a system in place that does work, does it have it's problems, sure just as any program can have, better than most, and not as good as others. However what Ginnie said is true, know what the SYSTEM REQUIRES in order to qualify for benefits. To truly believe that the people that administer this program would wake up on any given day and look at there schedule and say I'm going to screw any one of you over today is mind boggling.
I have spent allot of time reading rules and what SS requires. To be sure there are allot of hoops too jump thru, however if you are truly disabled, your medical records, treatment programs, and filling out the paper work correctly is all any of us can do to start. SS does not care if we are broke, homeless, losing our home, or someone stole your dog, that's not there job. There job is to look at what is presented to them and make a judgement off from what other professionals have told them. There are way to many people that are committing fraud when it comes to SSDI, all these people are doing is their jobs.

Direwolf, you probably should change your pronoun and use the term "I would call you clueless" rather than include the rest of us in your conclusion. Personally, I think Cameron1958 makes sense.

I am not going to comment on whether or not you were evaluated fairly or correctly (not having any details beyond whatever you post). Claims are approved every day of the week as well as denied. There are people in the world who try to get money for nothing as well as people in the world who can no longer hold jobs.

I think the appeal process takes too long but that would take more staff. If the DDS and field offices and the payment center had more staff, work could be done more quickly and/or with tremendous attention to detail. The pressures of volumes of work doesn't lend itself to long and exacting parsing of the details.

Making a disability decision is sometimes more of an art than a science. There is sequential evaluation that must be followed, but there may not be a numerical method of determining when someone has a marked, moderate or mild impairment.

Having a problem does not equate to being disabled. The SSA staff has no personal stake in whether or not your claim is approved or denied. Their pay is the same. If anyone wanted to push work through without true evaluation, approving everyone would be easier since then no one would appeal the approvals. Less work overall to just say yes to everyone.

I would also observe that people who post on sites like these are almost always those who are denied because those who are approved with smooth sailing don't go looking for sites like these. So IMO, in this kind of forum there will be statistically many more unhappy people looking for answers. So it is not representative of claimants as a whole.

You can disagree of course and it would be based on your own observations. Like the rest of us.

Plenty of doctors have been caught committing fraud to obtain SSI/SSDI benefits for their patients, often in partnership with attorneys. It does happen. Here's one of the largest examples: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3791910.html

*admin edit*

I also think that experiences such as Direwolf's are not at all that rare and people would do well to listen to him.

Otherwise, whoever reads this...fight hard for your case....do whatever you have to do to win it....because God knows SSA won't fight for you to get the monetary help you need and deserve. I know because I've been there, and I'm still there. You can bet I'll be fighting for mine....

I am just going to mention here that we do have guidelines and request members refrain from profanity, as well as making disparaging remarks ("flames") against other members, or name specific professionals in ways that could be construed as libelous.
It is ok to disagree...but please do so respectfully and in accordance with our guidelines

I have had to edit a few posts, and hope the discussion can continue constructively. Thanks.

i disagree with this statement. it has been my experience here that most people who post here are in the process of or considering filing for ssdi or ssi and have questions about the process or concerns on where they are in the process. they outnumber the number of people who are posting because they were denied, and need information to appeal or just support.

I agree
 

I personally would be truthful you really dont want a false diagnosis it wont do you any favours.I also have had issues wiv my sons shrinks etc as i am sure he should have a diagnosid of mild autism alongside his firm ocd/tourettes diagnosis but i will just keep giving them proof till they listen to me:) He has alot of traits to which they agree with but cos he lacking one trait they wont back down yet.He also has alot of sensory probs.So getting bk to the point be honest be firm and give them evidence good luck sweety:) peace

You're both right. ELA: those that most posters ask questions or respond to others with support for a relatively short period of time. Janke: those that have had a long struggle with approval tend to post here for a longer period of time and post more frequently.

It took me several years to get a Fully Favorable decision (even though I came very close in the first 6 months before being denied in QR.) Why? Well, SS made some blunders, I wasn't adequately prepared before I filed, and having WC involved REALLY made it difficult for SS to determine if I was credible or not.

I spend time here trying to help other's avoid some of the errors I made and to help them utilize what worked positively for me, as well.

Just bumping the original post to get back to the concerns of this member.
:cool:

*admin edit*
Yes, ** saw right through me yes he did, so bright a bulb was he that he had it all figured out, how I and my retinue of physicians had it in for SSA. Sherlock Holmes was a bump on the log compared to that genius, why he intuited that the Orthopedic surgeon, neurologist, radiologist, and the most respected internal medicine provider in my community had all conspired to rip off SSA solely to benefit me!

All of them filled out lengthy RFC's, which he then discarded in favor of the SSA hack, a cretin who has not so much as even lain eyes upon me! ** and many other ALJ's routinely play politics with lives, what do I mean by that you ask? I mean that they giggle to themselves as they plan out the day ahead of them!

That is until a real court takes notice of them, thats when things begin to equalize....:rolleyes:

**

I wasn't responding to your post, I was responding to Ginnie's comment that, "Doctor's have nothing to gain by lying." That broad statement just isn't true. Some lie for financial gain. Some tell their patients to fill out their own RFCs and they'll sign it because they're overburdened with paperwork. Etc.

Are their ALJ's that have high denial rates? YES. (I've said this already.) But that is not the norm.

Your situation in all likelihood is not applicable to the OP's. Heck, you're excited to get remanded back to an ALJ yourself.

**

Yes?
 

I didn't really think there were that many doctors willing to commit fraud. I thought most of them are legitimate and would do the correct thing....I guess I tend to think the best of folks. I think most doctors are good at heart. Just like the majority of people really are good. We hear these days more about the negative stuff. ginnie:grouphug:

It's pretty standard for docs working for WC in particular and insurance companies in general to say whatever they need to, to deny patients treatment, meds and benefits.

In the case of primary care and specialists some are corrupt and are on the take (there was a massive case in Los Angeles a few years back and the doctors were only caught because they were so lazy they used the same report for hundreds of patients seeking SSI benefits for children), but some of them are just overwhelmed and believe their patients are deserving of SSI/SSDI and are trying to help them out by saying whatever they think is necessary. My impression is that SS likes as much physical evidence as possible because they just don't trust doctors the way they used to. That's why I stress that Functional Capacity Testing is a good backup to have with a RFC form. ;)

I am bumping the original post one more time to get this thread back on topic.

If members want to start another *polite* discussion about SS fraud etc, please do so.... but it really is not fair to the author of this thread to have taken the discussion so off topic with continuous needs for moderator intervention.

I would never lie to get SS and would not expect a Dr. or anyone else to lie for me. I have had mental health issues since I was very young. My health issues I obviously can't lie about and they have all been documented. I just want to get approved so I can get on with my life instead of being in limbo.

Good morning gruvingal....how are you ?
 

Hey there....just checking on you......please let us know how you're doing and what's going on with your SS.

It's a beautiful day in GA but very cold :)

All my paperwork has been turned in for the reconsideration and my ss contact says they have all they need...that was about 2 weeks ago.....I have no idea if I will get approved or denied. If denied the next stage in GA is a hearing.

Debi from Georgia