What stage in the process am I at?
 

One week ago I mailed in the Pain and Daily Activities Questionnaire, Function Report and Work History Report. Is the the stage in the process that SS will make a decision whether I am eligible under the listed guidelines or not. If this is where I'm at how long can I expect to wait on the decision. Many Thanks Guys.
Don

Quieckest way to check is to call them. The claims status number is 1-800-772-1213

I called them this morning. I was denied once, filed an appeal, had to fill out a book of info and return it, and today I am told it is pending and they have until jan 15 to either approve or deny. In the mean time I have already contacted a lawyer about an ALJ hearing so if this gets denied we can get the ball rolling on that. Good luck!

Yes, this is the point where you will be told that you do or do not meet the SS definition of disability. The decision may or may not be based on one of the listed guidelines.

Which of the listed guidelines to you think indicates you are disable? Just curious.

Be Patient
 

You could be looking at 5 months. And unless you are a slam dunk case you WILL be denied and wait another 5 months to probably be denied again. Then the REAL wait to go before the ALJ comes in. I won however it ook a total of 3 1/2 years of waiting. Be prepared financially as it takes a toll on you and your family.

I'm at 4+ yrs waiting haven't been able to work since 2005... denied at initial application.. denied at reconsideration... denied at the ALJ... it's a big mess...

I have full body RSD, Bipolar, Severe Depression, Severe Anxiety, PTSD, and Constant suicidal thoughts...

I wish you a speedy, positive outcome...but be prepared for a long fight.. it really does take quite a toll on a person... and needs strong family support.

:hug:
Abbie

Thank you for your response guys. Looks like it may be awhile.

If you only recently received these forms, then you are at the beginning of the process. Your adjuducator only just recently received your case. You should make sure to save the name and phone number of your Claims
Adjudicator. I work for SS in NJ, and I get calls from my claimants all the time.... Of course, some adjudicators are nicer than others, but I have always gone that extra mile for my claimants. Despite what you might have heard or read, we do NOT deny everyone on their first application. It is true, however, that if your case is not a slam dunk (using a term I read here), the older you are, the better your chances. 50 years old plus is good, and 55 plus is even better.

Good luck!

[QUOTE=Abasaki;600673]I'm at 4+ yrs waiting haven't been able to work since 2005... denied at initial application.. denied at reconsideration... denied at the ALJ... it's a big mess...

I have full body RSD, Bipolar, Severe Depression, Severe Anxiety, PTSD, and Constant suicidal thoughts...


Abasaki - I am so sorry for your troubles I can only say I wish you the best. I wanted t pass along something that I learned in my process and prior to my getting a positive outcome. At one point in my surgeries I had an accidental overdose involving pain meds and sleeping pills. I didnt mean to, I didnt want to and have never mentioned suicide to any physician. Certainly thought it but not enough to really push the issue with a doc. Over the course of my initials denials I was sent to three SS shrinks. All of them grilled me intensely about the overdose. Prior to my hearing with the ALJ my attorney also grilled me on it and said if questioned about say as little as possible.

At the hearing the judge did, in fact, grill me about the overdose. I simply stated it was a major mistake and said nothing more. Later, my attorney told me that people who have contemplated suicide or attempted it hadly ever get approved. She didnt go into detail, but touched on a couple things like the costs of treatments for suicidal patients, possible death benefits that may have to be paid out, etc. I know its unfair, but it seems that this may be just how it is. I suppose in your case its too far gone to take that part out of the equation given its probably already in your records, but if possible you may want to ty dropping that part of your case. I am NO expert just passing this along as something I learned from personal experience.

This is not something ANY SS person will tell you. It was only through my lawyer (30+ years of SS exp) I learned this. Thats and how I was grilled about it. Good luck dear...:hug:

[QUOTE=Achilles927;619315]The reason no SSA person will tell you this is because it is not part of any SSA policy. So if Achilles' attorney "knows" this, it is based on her experiences with the handful of ALJ's she may have dealt with in her long career, their personal biases and the type of clients she takes on and her anecdotal observations. Doubtful she has conducted any serious research study.

It is also illogical. Now this may sound crass and I hope no one takes this to mean that I encourage suicide, but paying lifetime SSDI benefits to the disabled person would cost much much more than paying out only death benefits, in most cases. The lump sum death benefit is a paltry $255; minor children can be paid in both life cases and death cases. The monthly amount to children may be higher in death cases, but that is because the worker isn't getting paid. So EVEN IF SSA or an ALJ made payment decisions based on the cost of paying the claim over a lifetime (which is nowhere in the regulations either), paying a living claimant costs more than paying any survivor benefits almost all the time.

Also, there is already a provision in place for limiting the amount of psychiatric treatment covered by Medicare or Medicaid. For suicide patients, cancer patients, patients with chronic illnesses that lead to depressed states, or anyone who seeks psychiatric care. So, an ALJ is not going to deny a suicidal claimant because of the cost of care. What is the cost of dialysis? Or transplants? or cancer and hospice? A heck of a lot more than psychiatric. And those claims are approved almost immediately. So it is illogical to state that an ALJ is going to deny any claim on the basis of the cost of care. Just doesn't make sense.

This attorney may be reflecting her personal bias or biases that she has observed in her small circle (albeit many years) of SSA experience. A suicide attempt is not in and of itself a disabling condition. The underlying psychiatric problem could be and the suicide attempt is a symptom of that problem. But there has to be more symptoms and lack of response to treatment.

I had a suicidal attempt back in November of 2007. It was noted during my hearing and I believe it actually helped my claim. As I won mainly for these issues. Not sure how it can hurt but maybe I was a rare case in winning.