OLDCARP, we do a LOT of speculating about Janke!! I suspect a current/retired SSA employee or a FREAKING GENIUS!! Whatever -- just glad to have the knowledge and advice!

I dunno -- there might be a FEW people in here who won on the first try -- but, WHY would you join a group IF you didn't have any problems getting approved?? The whole point of seeking a forum, IMHO, is to find out WHAT, if anything, you might be able to do DIFFERENTLY. So, I think that most of the people here "probably" are gonna be RECONSIDERATION (like me) or HEARING (ALJ) "winners".

I'm in the reconsideration catagory. My reconsideration was done in another state and took about 8 months for my award. Is that how it usually works?

Those that win on there 1st application at the 1st stage, sometimes make assumptions about why they were successful, that they think will relate to others, but just doesn't. The problem with a poor application (and this can include MANY different issues) is that you can't "unring a bell". That application will ALWAYS be part of your record. AND, if you do a thorough application in the beginning, the process can seem quite easy, whereas a bad initial application can turn into a battle that can take YEARS.

There are a few experts (or insiders) on the forum like Janke and left-handed.