social security disability
 

can anyone provide any info about the process and chances of getting social security disability due to having RSD. I can't work and no longer have my profession due to RSD...

there's a bunch of papers and records that u'll need to get to them. from tests done, procedures, medications, all the doctors and their contact info. you can either go down to the office and get them or they can mail them to u. they'll set up an interview which u can do in person or over the phone. i would always descibe "my typical day" as if i was having a bad flare. i was denied 3 times and had to go in front of a judge. i think it was so hard for me because i was/am so young. i would definately suggest getting a lawyer or at least consulting with one. they dont get paid unless u win. good luck.

Hey there. I can tell you about my experience. I applied last year when I was 26 for disability due to my Rsd. At the time, I had already been off work for one year and I had multiple dr reports backing up the Rsd diagnosis. I applied and I was shocked to find out that I had been approved 6 weeks later. I know I was very lucky, the only thing I could suggest would be to make sure your dr or multiple drs back up your diagnosis. Give soc sec all of their contact info. When you fill out the vocational packet, the big packet that asks you about your pain and activities, keep it short and simple by saying something like, " my pain limits me from doing xyz." My sister went to a soc sec attorney and that was his suggestion for her. Basically the only thing I knew that went right for me was having good dr documentation. They will ask for it from your drs, however, if you can start getting a copy of everything now, the more you can give soc sec, the quicker they will evaluate your case.

Much luck and I hope the process goes smoothly!

Shannon

My husband was approved last year on the first try also. (His age weighed in his favor) We filled out the application online. We spent a lot of time revising it and trying to word everything as concisely as possible. DON'T RUSH. If you PM me I can give more details. Basically what helps the most is how your pain limits your ability to move. Saying you have severe pain is not enough. Saying you can't walk for more than a block, sit for more than an hour, carry anything heavier than 1 lb, etc. helps.

They will ask for medical records from every doctor you've seen going back years. It is ok to collect those records yourself and send them directly. Much better than worrying about whether someone sent them for you. You will also need letters from your primary physicians treating your RSD, surgeons etc. stating that you're disabled and how you are limited.

That's all I can think of now. Good luck!

On this same subject, does anyone know how disability works for someone who got sick before they were ever able to work? My daughter Sarah was diagnosed with RSD when she was 13. Does a person need to pay into social security before they qualify for disability?

My daughter is my hero as well as the the bravest, sweetest person I know. Please know that I do not share the following in a boastful way ... just attempting to explain the situation:

Sarah will be graduating on schedule with her class this spring despite the fact that she has missed hundreds of days of high school. Fortunately she is extremely bright and is really good at teaching herself. To our surprise, she did so well on her ACT (scoring in the top 3% in the country), that she has received almost a full academic university scholarship. Now we have to hope and pray that she will be healthy enough to attend college.

Her high school has been wonderful in working with us, and we have been in contact with the college she plans to attend to make whatever special arrangements we possibly can to best ensure that she will be able to continue her education. Of one concern is the fact that she will have to carry at least 12 credit hours in order to remain on our family health insurance policy.

Please understand if I a rambling, as we spent the night in the emergency room with her, thus contributing to my fearful frame of mind. I must keep telling myself that God has seen her this far ... and as I continually tell her ... He most definitely has special plans for her.

I thank you so very much for listening to an exhausted, concerned mom. It is one of those days when I am feeling pretty overwhelmed.

God bless you all.

Love,
Jeanne

Oh Jeanne,
Congratulations on your daughter's success!! What a remarkable and inspirational story that is!! I know you are so very proud of her and you have every right to be. I pray that whatever sent you to the ER with her last night is resolved and that she is feeling better and that you are all getting some rest.

It IS so hard to give our children back to God to watch over when it is time. I can only imagine how doubly hard it must be for you with her being sick. I respect your courage, strength, and faith as well as Sarah's.

I'm sorry I do not have the answer to your question, I really just felt moved by your story and wanted to reach out to you. I trust that other members will be able to respond to your actual question. Best wishes to you and congratulations again!! Sarah is definitely going to leave her mark in the world one day!! We look forward to watching it happen!! Please keep in touch and take care!!!

Back in 1986 I took in my 3 cousins and raised them as my own. The oldest had mental disabilities. When he turned 18 I went down and applied for SSI for him since he would probably never work. In 3 months he was approved and started receiving SSI payments.

He just turned 40 and he has his own apartment, and a part time job at Carrow's restaurant. He still collects SSI because he doesnt earn over whatever amount it is that would cut him off of SSI.

You should give it a shot as she has nothing to lose by trying ;)

Thanks
 

Thanks MOM for your sweet response. I really am too much of a "fix it" kind of person, always wanting to make sure that those I love are taken care of. I do in fact know that God has it all covered and that I really need to just be still and rely and His promises.

Sarah is in bed trying to recover from a viral infection. Hopefully she will bounce back when it runs it course.

Take care!!

Love,
Jeanne

Thanks
 

Thank you Allen for your encouraging response. I really had no idea how it all works. Although it is something that we hope we never have to pursue, I realize that we need to be informed.

I have always found your posts to be very kind and supportive ... and this one only confirms that. Great job looking after your cousins.

Jeanne

Eileen,

You should check out the social security forum here. I found my doctor's reports of my pain and total disability (narrative style) just got me denied for 3 years. New docs making the functional assessment page sound dismal was what made the difference in my approval.


Jenno,

Your daughter can collect SSDI on your's or hubby's work history when she is over 22 if either of you are retired or disabled then....or when you do eventually retire. In the meantime, she could get SSI (for people with little or no income) who didn't work enough to get SSDI until one of her parent's retire. It's not a lot......I think about $600 per month. She might even be eligible to collect that now if your household income is low enough. You should check out the social security website at ssa.gov

Thanks!!!
 

Hi Finz,

Thank you very much for the information. I will print it out and hold onto it should we ever need to investigate this further.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Jeanne

Ssd
 

I am having a bad experience with this situation in my state of VA. I have a lawyer, but she does not know my disease so my next step is I have to get my hands tested to see if I can work with my hands. I have been waiting on a hearing DATE since August 27, 2008. I have already had carpel tunnel releases on both hands and one wrist I shattered and is full of screws and pins.:( I should use a cane around the house but it kills my hands. Since I am going to school online I have to prove I can't work with my hands, so what does that have to do that I can't drive across my mountain everyday, and when I went on FMLA I was already on a light duty job that I could not do:Scratch-Head: I went to my primary Dr. for new pain thinking I have RSD in my bones, he told me that I probably have fibromyalgia and to take that up with the pain center, I looked it up and that would explain a lot of my extra pain, I go there on the 8th of April. I have heard different stories from different states, but unless you have COPD in VA it takes a min. of two years, mine will be up in August but with a lawyer that knows nothing about my disease how can she efficiantly do a good job:rolleyes: Anyway this is a tender subject for me as I am pretty ****** off:Soapbox: My advice is find some people who have filed in your state because I have heard stories of "right away" and one lady I talked to in WA waited 10 years. Hope this helps:grin:
(new member)
tjbird

tjbird, couldn't you provide your lawyer with educational materials on RSD from well-known support groups like RSDS.org?

It's all about proper medical documentation
 

If you're in the process of either getting on or switching things over in regards to Social Security Disability, then be forewarned, it's all about how well your doctors are documenting your current health situation.

On an average, most people applying for SSD take anywhere from 1 year all the way up to 2. If the doctor has perfectly documented the severity of your health problems, it is possible to get SSD through in 90 days. I know, that's how long mine took when I applied.

RSD is a rather difficult disabilty to get rated on. Because there are so many different types and situations, Social Security knows that in many cases it's just a matter of time till things either get better or it goes away altogether. For people like you who are getting worse, then Social Security is needing the time-line showing that you're still loosing ground. If there is additional problems such as circulation or blood clots, then that will scoot things through faster. Good luck, and hang on because tomorrow will get better so long as you took care of today. Bob.

hi,
I am fairly new to this site - I received ssd 10/2008 - I had a w/c injury, had surgery on both elbows and woke after the second surgery not able to use entire rt arm/w/stiff fingers - I have not been able to use since 5/2008 - went on short term disability on my job into long term disability - I had w/c plus disability on my job so they did not want to pay the 60 % of my salary so they filed the paper work and insisted that i had to file ssd - by the time I filed, my rt hand had clawed - ss made an appt for me to see one of their md's after they received my medical records - I had a physical by them plus films and a few weeks later they approved me from the date of disability which was 4/2008 (first surgery - had to wait 5 mos as waiting period) even though I did not apply til 10/2008 so you get back pay from time of disability - I don't know if by my job filing paper work helped or not but my lawyer did not file for me - It was a blessing as I had no problems w/any of this, my job did not fight me or give me a hard time but acknowledged their part in my injury - hope this helps - by the way, I am from atlanta, not sure how different other states are-

Is this true "in many cases it's just a matter of time till things either get better or it goes away altogether"? I've heard of people getting better and in some total remission, however, I'm hesitant to say I've read anywhere the numbers are in the "many", quite the opposite. Am I wrong in this? I hope I am.
My wife has had RSD since 2002 and is crippled from the desease. Her broken right arm has been in a brace for 6 years and has spread into her legs and back. She's been denied SSDI for 3 years, attorneys and a Congressman on board and still rejections here in Virginia. This was not a WC case, no lawsuits etc., just a simple fall and broken wrist. She's a college grad with a 25 year continuous work history. :(

Very few people achieve remission. There are few I've known who had lidocaine infusions and it beat back the rsd enough that they're working again full time but not in remission. They are still taking pain meds and other meds just not as many. Keith Orsini at RSD Hope had a round of HBOT that beat back his pain but I don't know how he's doing now. He quit posting to the blog he began on his HBOT treatments. Don't know whether the effects stayed with him or went away and he ended up as bad as he was to begin with.

As to the SSDI, I can't believe she can't get it! That's utter BS! RSD is on the list of "approved" disabilities and has been for a few years now. I don't understand why she isn't being approved. It's not like she can still walk around freely and they can look at her and say, "Oh, she can still walk and move fine so therefore she can work." *rolls eyes* They would say that about me if I even qualified but since I don't it doesn't matter. I look quite "normal." lol I'll keep her and you in my thoughts that you get "justice" soon!!

Hugs,

Karen

I think it is because of a few reasons. One, my wife has not been in front of a judge yet. This is our goal to get a hearing in front of a judge, not a kid who is on auto pilot and rejects out of hand, this is how my wife's lawyer put it. Two, I think Virginia is one state that it is more difficult to receive because it is in a region loaded with folks trying to receive SSDI, mid atlantic issue. Three, I'm not sure what records these SS people are viewing. My fear is that these records are incomplete and harken back to those 4 years my wife worked everyday in severe pain until she was fired, because of a lack of treatment from her doctors at the time using four different insurance companies over those many years. It was her doctor's refusal to sign a two year disability paper that clinched her termination. It was only after she was fired from her job at a very large company and when I picked up insurance at my employment to cover her that she received immediate, good treatment overnight using different doctors. There is no doubt that this company wanted her gone. She worked for them nearly 15 years, she told them she was diagnosed with RSD and when she did they increased her work load both administratively and volunteered her to help move office equipment and or anything that would put her thru pain. Complaints to HR made things worse.
All the letters of rejection from SS state that they realize she has RSD but that should not stop her from working. So my hunch is something is in those records and most likely from bad doctors from the past. Her next appeal is going to be in front of a judge in the next year. Our lawyer has stated that she will receive those records for us to view several months before the hearing.

I too was lucky to recieve SS disability on my own and on 1st try. All of the advice above is valid esp in how you describe your pain limitations etc. I am also sure that my age was a factor-was 59 at time of filing. Get all of the help that you need in these forums-YOU deserve the S S !!

I sounds as if that may be the root of the problem Jimking. The wc docs were writing idiotic stuff in my records because wc told them to and if I had qualified for SSDI I think it would have prevented me from getting it too. You won't know until you read those records but I believe you are right in thinking there is something there.

Hugs,

Karen