Hi Wheeler,

I hope all goes smoothly for you and your husband. The link for the disability secrets has a huge wealth of information and I am sure you will find all kinds of tips there. It also explains things in plain language. Please keep us posted. Wishing you the best.

Hi Wheeler,

You sound very organized and that will be a huge asset in filing the claim. That will also cut out a lot of time in the paperwork. I did not in anyway want to frighten you when I said it "can" be time-consuming and extensive.

Janke is correct that it can be a quick process, especially if you are organized and prepared before you begin the paperwork. Janke is extremely helpful on SSDI matters and I would defer to Janke on anything related to disability.

I took exception with Janke on that matter only because it took me a long time to complete the initial application. But then again, it takes me a long time to do anything so my experience is directly related to my being slow in getting things done.

Please keep us informed as you go along with your hurdles. I am so sorry about your husband's condition. That must be very difficult on both of you.

Usually the company that is paying the long term disability that requires you to apply for social security disability provides representation for you. Allsup is used by many. I would contact the company that is requiring your husband to file for ssdi and inquire as to representation.

I agree. My LTD company is providing representation. They assisted in completing and filing the claim, obtaining medical records, etc.

"One final thing Janke you are right, it is not necessary for me to worry about which listing applies to my husband and that is what scared me the most. I was probably overanalyzing the list of conditions and no where did it list dementia. I am confident that the neuropsych testing shows and states that exact thing".



Although it is true that you do not need a listed impairment to be found disabled, I just wanted to point out that dementia is evaluated under listing 12.02.

Wheeler, if you hire an attorney on your own, they have an incentive to stall the process since they are only paid out of backpay, whereas your LTD company can pay the representative directly, thus eliminating the incentive to stall. So, if you are going to get the service free via LTD, I'd recommend you accept the help. Otherwise, I'd recommend you start the process on your own. (Most attorneys won't even speak to you this early in the process, anyway.)

At 60, and with documentation of severe dementia, it is unlikely he'll have a lengthy or difficult time receiving a Fully Favorable decision. He may not see an increase in monetary benefits due to offset, but receiving Medicare is significant. (You should start researching supplement plans as well.)

What you describe about hiring an attorney is precisely what happened to me. I started with someone recommended by Voc Rehab and the TBI rehab program I was in. He did NOTHING and failed to pass on to SSA what they needed.

By the time I got the second denial (and by the way, he said I was not to contact SSA directly once I hired him), I was beyond the point of providing those records to SSA.

So I fired him and hired an attorney. Oh she took the prize. Did nothing other than advise SSA she was then representing me. I called my local SSA office in tears. By this point I was at the hearing level and with my only source of means (401k) nearly depleted. A month away from having nothing to live on and no means to get meds let alone medical care.

My local SSA office referred me to my congressman. At that point, less than three weeks after I took that step, I had a favorable disability determination WITHOUT having to go to a hearing.

I would quantify this though, I have along the way encountered people who had much better experiences than I.

My SO has a pending disability claim. I helped him get it started. He wanted to jump in feet first and hire a rep. Instead, he filed first online on his own. I did the Adult Function Questionaire - Third party. Detailed at that and to this day he has no idea what I wrote on it.

He's already been to the two appointments SSA scheduled for him. Now we wait for a decision. This is under three months thus far.

We decided it was best he initially apply without an attorney. However, should he be denied, probably at that point he will need one. The VA is not very good about releasing records, and that is where his records are.

All that being said, everyone's situation is different. As for myself, I had not a clue about how to file for disability, was going through a LOT of new medical issues and really needed someone who knew the process.

There are situations where the applicant clearly can't advocate for themselves and doesn't have family that is able and/or willing. (Not the OP's situation, IMO.)In those cases, I recommend either finding a nonprofit group to help or a non-attorney representative that is willing to step in early on in the process. And, there certainly are even some attorneys that are helpful from the beginning--but that is not the norm. Anyone that already has significant backpay accrued and is anticipating an ALJ hearing should hire the best attorney or service they can find, IMO.

Your experience is fairly typical unfortunately...and why I think it's bad advice that everyone needs an attorney from the start.

Dear Wheeler,

Let me first say that I do not know anything about workman's comp, long term disability, or any of the like. That being said, I will still offer an opinion that may be totally invalid.

It seems to me that if someone, (the long term disability company), will save money if you (your husband) receives SSDI, they would have a financial stake in helping you. Just my opinion. I would seek their assistance if needed. They are the ones that stand to benefit from what I understand from your post.

YES IT WILL!

You are now ahead of the game. I did the exact same thing. I also did research at my local library regarding SSDI in my state (backlogs, what to expect, etc.).
Completing all the paperwork was not overwhelming in my case because when I was in the rat race, it was one of my job duties.
I also did not hire an attorney until my ALJ hearing. Basically, since I did all the work, all the atty had to do was to complete some forms from the State plus show up for the hearing. At that time, I did not feel that was worth $5600. So after I received my final approval letter................
I wrote a letter to SSD w/backup documentation to prove the above. Apparently, they agreed w/me. I only had to pay my atty, OOP expenses which was a little over $250.



GOOD LUCK!