Disability Benefits

[Guest guest]

,

I have dealt with applying and eventually getting Social Security

benefits (it took 4 1/2 years). Please email me privately if you you

like any information. I would be glad to help you in anyway I can with

your questions.

Angera

[Guest guest]

Alyssa,

My Disability Attorney told me after our hearing that the Social

Security people " can " , at any time, without notice, come to check on

you. However, evenif you have had some improvement due to surgery,

Pain Management, etc.all you'd have to do is get another letter or

deposition from your attending physician explaining that althrough you

have some improvement, you are still medically disabeled and unable to

return to any kind of meaningful, gainful employment.

The biggest hurdle when dealing with SSD is the fact that they don't

care WHAT YOU USED TO DO...all they want to determine is if you are

able to perform ANY type of work. For example, they did not take into

consideration the type of work that I had done for 27 years, that of a

Forensice Histotechnologist (doing autopsies!). All they want to

determine is if you can perform any task...e.g. can you hand out

tickets at a movie theater?...could you sweep floors? can you answer a

phone? can you type?..get my drift??! My attorney told me during my

very first appointment that the reason I was unable to get disability

was because " I was over-educated...I have a Masters in my field. WHen

he told me that I nearly screamed in frustration!! For 4+ years I had

tried to get the disability without a lawyer...BIG MISTAKE!! I

constantly got denied. Once I obtained legal assistance, it was a

breeze...sorta'!

At my very first appointment, my attny. reviewed all my medical

reports (prior to the appt. he had had me sign a blanket medical

release and he had obtained ALL my records, all the way back to my

original surgery in 1970 which was on micro-film! You know you're old

when your records are on micro-film!!ha!ha!) Anyway, the first he said

was, " Your only chance of getting disability is to get you in front of

a judge: we'll have to suffer through 4 denials before that can happen

but I WILL get you in front of a judge. " WIth that, he had me sign

paperwork requesting re-consideration for the 4 denials!! First

meeting! This attorney I hired has been doing ONLY disability cases

for 31 years...I was his very first case of Flatback and consequently

he relied on me to furnish him with as much background on the

condition as I could find. FOr the next 3 months I sat here at this

computer and did practically as much research as I had done for my

Masters!! At least once a week I went to his office with manilla

envelopes filled with all the info I could find on Flatback and

Chronic Pain Management. I actually learned more than I ever wanted to

know..especially from medical journals saying that with condition

there was very little chance that a patient would ever " fully recover "

and would have lifelong chronic pain...As depressing as that sounds,

that's what it took to get my disability.

When I finally " had my day in court " , I was a basket-case! At the

time I was still using a walker or a cane for balance (I was barely I

yr. post-revision) and my hands were sweating so bad that I kept

slipping on the walker! My hearing took 2 hours. My attny. and I were

questioned by not only the judge, but 3 people from different branches

of DIsability; an independent physician ( an Internal Medicine guy who

knew absolutly NOTING about Flatback or Chronic Pain!! He was a hoot!!

The questions he asked were so off the subject that it took all my

strength NOT to laugh out loud at him!!); and someone from the

Unemployment office. However, once my attny. put my pre and post-op x-

rays up on an x-ray board, and literally WHEELED my records in on a

cart (he told me ahead of time that " it's all in the presentation! " )

that pretty much sealed the case...especially for the judge I had. He

came down off his bench to view the x-rays close up, and with tears in

his eyes he turned to me and said " My dear woman, I applaud your

determination and strength. It is obscene that you have had to fight

so hard to get assistance. There is no need to continue this hearing

any longer. You will receive your notification of APPROVAL within 30

days. Case closed... and God bless you and your family. I hope you do

well with your life. " And with that, I crumbled into tears. As did my

husband and son. My attorney had tears in his eyes also but with a big

grin on his face, he gave me a big hug and said, " I told you I was

good! " Then we all went out to lunch to a VERY expensive restaurant at

the Inner Harbor...lunch was on me!!! (I live in land and my

hearing took place in Baltimore)

Whew!! once again I end up writing a long post! Sure hope y'all

don't mind my stories. I just get carried away I guess becaue I am so

passionate about dealing with Flatback and all that it encompasses.

But just a side note...I still continue to assist the attorney I had

with research work on spine disorders...for free of course. Since my

case in 2001 he has handled 17 more cases of Flatback..AND WON EVERY

SINGLE CASE!! I admire how hard he fights for his clients...for very

little money, too. Disabillity cases are not big money makers for

lawyers; that's why there are so few GOOD disability lawyers.

Hope this answers your question, Alyssa. Never give up...never give

in!!

All the best,

Beth

disability benefits

> Beth,

> Good to hear that you are doing so well. I recall well your

> struggle to get

> Social Security Disability benefits. Does Social Security require

> disability benefit recipients to report improvements in their

> health? If

> you have told them, what has been their response to how well you

> are doing?

> I can't even imagine riding a motorcycle or spending hours on my

> feet -

> that's just great! I doubt I'm alone in my interest in the

> reevaluationprocess in case I ever find myself seeking disability

> benefits in the

> future. Over the years I've had to make many career compromises to

> accommodate my spine. Thanks for any insight that you can

> provide. Alyssa

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ine,

In order to receive Disability Benefits, you must be UNABLE TO WORK and

have an illness expected to last 12 months or longer. And you must be

found 'disabled' by the Social Security Commissioner. CMT can fall

under a few categories in the " Listing of Impairments "

http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm

Under category 11 Peripheral Neuropathy is listed, but depending on the

extent to which people are affected, a person with CMT may also be

found disabled from other categories such as 1,2,3,4 and 9 for example.

This is why your medical history and records are crucial for your

evaluation.

~ Gretchen