I just got a denial notice from SS. They said that based on my age my education and exerience i can perform light duty. light duty meaning lifting of 20 pounds( i can't do that)walking and standing. Which i can't do in a eight hour day. I mean waht does it take to show these people that what im saying is real?? They claiim that medical evidence shows that i just hve pain and stiffness. With the amount of notes my dr has on my case this is what they believe?? I feel like they are looking at me as if i am a liar. So I called my attorney and we are going to schdule a hearing. Did anyone ever have this problem??

I got the same denial letter 3 times. When i started applying i was 20... and had stopped going to school because of the rsd. was told because of my age and because i'm not blind. It took me going infront of the judge to be granted ssd/ssi. I got it 3 years after i started the process. But they did give me back pay for the 3 years, from my original injury date that set off the rsd. hang in there, its a rough battle... but you can do it!

haha crying helps! at least it did with my judge, he asked me to describe my life pre rsd and how it is now/then when i was infront of him, and half way through my 2nd sentance i started balling... then the hearing was over, and he said off the record i won.

I was a lucky one-got my SSD in 3 weeks ON MY OWN. However, a friend of mine in my Support Group just got approved after a 2 year fight and attorney-guess how?-She called our Senator,wrote letter to him and sent pictures-and in about 1 month got approved with no hearing!!!!!
So write to your Senators,Congressmen etc. . We need to get RSD as an automatic!!. BTW- SS told her the same thing she could do light duty-What a joke
Fondly-Carol

i got the same response. Said i can do light duty work basically. my attorney was upset.. He is sending appeal.. I agree that rsd should be automatic..How much work can we actually do.. I cant sweep, do dishes. cook a meal.. hardly dress myself let alone do a job barely. its hard to work.. cant work more than 20 hours a week.. I try but it hurts so damn much..

My best advice is pretend you don't have an attorney and read everything you can as if you were going to represent yourself.

Social Security considers you Healthy until you prove you're Disabled. That is the reality.

People do lie, don't take it personally. Pain disorders are subjective. RSD is rare.

Thanks so much everyone for your response. I contacted my Lawyer and i have an appt to appeal this. I pray and hope i get through..I have prove on my medical records but it looks like they never got those notes..I am going to contact my dr about that and make sure its done..after all its his fault for all this mess as well asw my job.

I know someone that works for SS disability office - she is one who makes decisions on who gets it and who does not.

I am getting my stuff together now to file.

She told me to get all my records myself, send them in with the application, as well as statements from my old co-workers saying that they helped me with many tasks, statements from friends, etc. Also a diary of a month of how RSD affects my everyday life - such as that I only shower when I absolutely must because of pain... and cannot stand to take baths, so....that is not good for going to a job every day.

People here have told me to go ahead and file, that SS will get the records. Well, the Dr. can put off sending them, etc... just like you found out. So, I am going to follow the advice of the woman who makes the decisions and see how I do. I talked to a lawyer, got more advice, but of course he won't officially "see" me unless I get denied. But, he did answer all my questions over the phone.

I hope you get yours with your appeal.

I have noticed more people seem to get it without lawyers. I think too some states are easier to get it in then others. Ky. is easier then Co. in my opinion.
Don't ask me why but it just seems that way to me from what I have seen in people fighting for it.

I got turned down so many times I don't remember due to the lawyer living on the golf course. Bill got his within 5 months in Ky. without a lawyer. I live in Colorado and it seems harder here.

I would pull everything together myself. Call your Drs. and ask for copies of your records, pick them up, make copies for yourself, take them to the SS people, call and check on how it's going all of the time.

Once my papers were sent to another state by mistake. I also had a Drs. appt. sat up one day and turned down the next. One SS office didn't know that another one had sat this appt. up for me.

I also have a friend that finally got hers and it has took her over 8 months to get her back pay due to SS office mixups and she still hasn't gotten it all.

I have another friend that has an SCS in him and just got turned down for the umpteenthed time. They say he is able to do light work and has the knowledge to do certain jobs.

It's like tossing a coin up in the air and not knowing which side is going to show.

Ada

Try (haha....not easy, I know) not to be discouraged. It was a 3 year battle for me.

My RSD developed after TOS....burning pain to the left side of cervical thoracic junction, can't turn my head to the left, any movement can aggravate it. SSA's brilliant advice was that I could be a school bus monitor.

Doh ! I can't even drive the kids down to the bus stop most days. Grrrrr