Originally Posted by Laga77 (Post 841159)

I applied back in Sept. Today, I went to pay some bills from my online banking account and there was a deposit from SS. Went to the check status page on the SS site and all it says is a decision has been made and I will be notified by mail. I have severe DDD in both my lumbar and cervical spine along with severe arthritis in my right elbow. These along with a knee, hip, and Achiles tendon replacement all from thirty years of doing concrete work. I need at lease a three level fusion in my lower back but I am waiting to go as long as I can before the surgery because they can`t guarantee it will work. Last Fri I got approved for my disability pension from the carpenters union so it has been a good week for me. Maybe now I can get some sleep without having to worry about money, and just worry about the surgery.

Originally Posted by Laga77 (Post 841159)

I applied back in Sept. Today, I went to pay some bills from my online banking account and there was a deposit from SS. Went to the check status page on the SS site and all it says is a decision has been made and I will be notified by mail. I have severe DDD in both my lumbar and cervical spine along with severe arthritis in my right elbow. These along with a knee, hip, and Achiles tendon replacement all from thirty years of doing concrete work. I need at lease a three level fusion in my lower back but I am waiting to go as long as I can before the surgery because they can`t guarantee it will work. Last Fri I got approved for my disability pension from the carpenters union so it has been a good week for me. Maybe now I can get some sleep without having to worry about money, and just worry about the surgery.

Originally Posted by oldcarp (Post 859567)

I DO NOT want to sound like an addict that abuses drugs. I just am extremely scared of taking anything that could result in a false positive test. I have heard of this happening to people. I have been drug tested for the last 20 years ( no positive results) and it would be nice to know that someone is no longer monitoring my personal life anymore for the next 20 years

Originally Posted by LIT LOVE (Post 862998)

If you require pain medication from a doc, they can require drug testing. I wasn't required to submit for testing for many years, and then local requirements from some agency/or agencies, changed that. In theory, I've always been paranoid to try prescribed medical marijuana, since it might be legal in CA, but not federally. Can SSDI benefits be terminated due a drug charge if caught? I'm not sure, but I tend to be very cautious.

Originally Posted by oldcarp (Post 863217)

SSD does not do drug testing. The only ones that drug test are pain management Doctors Only if you are on narcotic medication. A new trend of non-narcotic pain relievers are coming out because people are getting tired of the DEA monitoring their lives and the pharmaceutical companies are seeing big potential profits from this

Originally Posted by Laga77 (Post 841159)

I applied back in Sept. Today, I went to pay some bills from my online banking account and there was a deposit from SS. Went to the check status page on the SS site and all it says is a decision has been made and I will be notified by mail. I have severe DDD in both my lumbar and cervical spine along with severe arthritis in my right elbow. These along with a knee, hip, and Achiles tendon replacement all from thirty years of doing concrete work. I need at lease a three level fusion in my lower back but I am waiting to go as long as I can before the surgery because they can`t guarantee it will work. Last Fri I got approved for my disability pension from the carpenters union so it has been a good week for me. Maybe now I can get some sleep without having to worry about money, and just worry about the surgery.

Originally Posted by jana (Post 864076)

oldcarp, maybe I can help? I "think" the TOTAL amount you can receive is 80% of your regular salary. That is -- your SSDI AND your carpenters pension amounts added TOGETHER cannot EXCEED 80%. I cannot find the documentation right now -- will look and post the link -- or maybe someone else has it handy. :)