One other thing I do every day is to keep a pain journal. Log each day what ever activity increases my pain, or if I have to sit during doing the dishes or whatever. Actually use a calander. If and when I am up for review, I will use this to prove what is occuring. It may not be neat, but it is all there. I also bring this with me to all doctors appointments. They Log in your records that you are keeping track of your medical issues, pain, progress, or setbacks. Can't answer that one question you have, because I really don't know about the language they use either. Ask a SS Lawyer, or assistant that specializes in these issues. I don't like the worry either, but I do have a rep. who helps me through any issues I have with SS. I would be sunk too, if I lost my coverage. I had no health insurance to begin with. That journal goes on for years, and I keep the old calanders. ginnie

bobby do you have a copy of the short form they sent you the last time? i have a guide that explains some of the codes they have on that form in relation to priorities of reviews.

i have respiratory and neurological injuries from wtc. i would be starting my 28th year.

Echoes, sorry to hear that.
WTC was a tough and awful place to be working at. There were people from my dept who went up there to work, so i heard a lot of stories.


I will try to find that review letter that you asked about. Do you think the wording on this last letter means i will get a full review in 2013 or could i just get the 6 question ocr form again.

Also you said i should go to an orthopedist, but isnt that the same as my orthopedic surgeon? I was looking in phone book today and basically orthopedists do surgery like my doctor does and i really dont want to go to another doctor. So am kind of confused.
Also isnt going to physical rehab a good example of on going treatment for my neck and back, just like taking meds?

thanks again
Bobby

p.s. another firefighter friend of mine recently got the 6 question form and got the letter back saying, no need for review everythings good. He asked me about the codes but i didnt know, can you tell me what his mean.

0101hg58m002116 notafp x3 bpcdrnot pc1 r120724 pam 0026010635631215588114304282175

i cant tell from all of those numbers together, you have to go line by line....here is the information that SSA uses. on scanline 2 field 4 the lower the number the better.

I cant say as to wether you will get a full review or not, i have no idea.
physical therapy is treatment which is good, but its not a doctor in the specialty for the medical condition that you have. you can see an orthopedist once a year without getting operated on. i have seen 3 orthopedists for numerous cervical, thoracic and lumbar herniations but have never been under the knife. if you dont want to see another doctor thats up to you, but since yours wont see you, you are taking a gamble for future reviews by not seeing a doctor in that specialty. getting an mri once every number of years to document further deterioration is a good idea also.


Scanline” data
The scannable mailer includes barcoded information as well as three lines of scannable data on the front of the mailer, immediately below the telephone number and claim number. These scanlines contain substantial information:

Scanline 1 –
Field 1 – Social Security Number under which the mailer is being controlled

Field 2 – Beneficiary Identification Code (BIC) (Title II), or

Individual Recipient Identification code (ID) (Title XVI)

Field 3 – Year of beneficiary's birth

Field 4 – Year of most recent prior CDR

Field 5 – Primary and Secondary Diagnosis Codes


Scanline 2 –
Field 1 – Medical Diary Reason/Type

Field 2 – Concurrent Entitlement information

Field 3 – Profile Type (High, Medium, or Low)

Field 4 – Profiling SCORE (9999 is highest)

Field 5 – Report Period covered by the mailer

Field 6 – Scanning Form Identification Code (SFIC) (describes if it is a first or second request mailer, whether it is Title II, concurrent, or Title XVI-only, and whether the beneficiary prefers a non-English language notice).

Field 7 – Servicing Processing Center

Field 8 – Servicing State Agency/DDS code

Field 9 – Servicing Field Office (FO) Code


Scanline 3 –
Field 1 – Servicing FO City Name

Field 2 – Servicing FO State

Field 3 – Servicing FO ZIP CODE

Echoes, thanks for info.

Guess am gonna have to call my ortho up and get a checkup, even if his PA checks me over and sends me for updated xrays and catscans.

I really would have thought going to PT to get neck and back worked on would show that you are trying things to get treated for the condition you have.

So since my review is in december 2013, should i probably wait until say june or july of 2013 to go see ortho? So its closer to december and have fresher records?


So the wording in that last letter doesnt mean that it will be for sure a full medical review, it could just be the easy form again in december. Would that be correct thinking?

Thanks again for the continued help, just trying to get this stuff off my mind, so i dont spend the next 12 months just worrying and being depressed about this stuff.

Bobby

I found the letter they sent me in 2010

social security number/ a-/1962/2004/72400000

3/---/m/0126/022008/1/7/v25/115/

city, / state/ 14304


anything good or bad with those numbers?

you are a medium profile and a vey low profile score (which is good) and the 3 refers to medical improvement possible which is a three year schedule for review. what state are you in? they must not be as backed up as other states to keep sending yours on schedule. some states are way behind.

There are orthopedic surgeons who evaluate your need for surgery if indicated, do surgery, follow you for the post op and send you on your (hopefully !) merry way. There are orthopedics who may do some surgery, but manage people who don't need surgery like some sports injuries and chronic conditions.

Neurosurgeons evaluate your need for surgery, do surgery if indicated, follow you for the post op and send you on your (hopefully !) merry way. Most neurologists that I know of DON'T do surgery. They evaluate and follow people with neurological conditions. Disc issues with pain is an orthopedic AND a neurological issue.

Because of my dx's, making my 'managing doc' a neurologist is a no-brainer. Some of my issues could be managed by an orthopedist, but more should be managed by a neurologist. A neuro could work well for you too specifically because HE doesn't operate, so you might not feel that you have to decline that option each time. He would also be expert in evaluating any new neurological symptoms you might develope because of the mess in your spine.

I don't think you should see a physical therapist INSTEAD OF a doctor. I think you should see a physical therapist if a doctor recommends it.

There are other therapies out there too.....like chiro, accupuncture, message, exercise/yoga, TEN's, nerve blocks, trigger point injections that COULD help you manage your pain. A doctor who works more with the physical aspects of the body might have a better sense of what might help you.

You might continue to make it through your CDR's with no issues if you just keep doing what you're doing. If it were me, I would want to give the SSA what they are looking for. I would feel more comfortable being regularly evaluated by an expert in the fields of each of my disabling conditions......and following their recommended plan of care.

It would show you were getting treatment.

It wouldn't show that you were getting doctor recommended treatment and it wouldn't give you documentation from a physician explaining WHY you are still disabled.

Having ONLY additional documentation from a PT could potentially be 'bad' for your review. A PT's documention has to be specific about meeting treatment goals. It would include info like you could lift x amount of weight, y times....and had a certain ROM when you started and, hopefully, an improved ROM at the completion of therapy. Even though having some (slight) functional improvement doesn't prove that you are not still totally disabled, I would be concerned about submitting documention showing any improvement if I didn't also have documention from a specialist physician explaining how I still was disabled.

Please don't take that as advice NOT to see a PT. If ANY improvement minimizes your pain A BIT or helps your functioning, that IS a plus and you should do it.....just don't be suprised that the SSA wants to check that if you are improving, you are also still disabled. It's reasonable for the SSA to ask that.

Echoes, thank you for that information, makes me feel a little better.
I live in New York. Yeah i cant believe that i get the review every 3 years like clock work, with the letter even coming before it hits the 3 year mark,lollllll. I thought ss was back logged, but i guess not when it comes to my case, lolllllll.

Finz, also thanks for your info. Last time i saw my ortho in 2010, i felt guilty for not getting another surgery done, but i just want to hold off as long as possible because, i know the other discs will then get weakened, like a chain reaction. I think i might take up your idea of seeing a neurologist, in fact my psychiatrist is part of a, basically a one stop shop for all of these things. They have doctors that cover a lot of things under one roof.


I have a great ortho doctor, in fact he was the doctor that saved the buffalo bills player life on the field. Dr cappuccino

He has already written down total disabilty on reports, but you never know when ss contacts them thru the years what they will write down on the reports, since you are no longer making them money.

Talking to the doctors about your ss case is always akward feeling and i have hard time even mentioning it. Its just another worry with this stuff.

I tell you, i have probably aged an extra 15 years because of the stress from just ss alone.


I appreciate everybody answering my continued questions

Bobby

two excellant posts from finz. i agree with her about a neurologist also. excellant recomendation.

i live in NY also.