Disability

[Guest guest]

, we applied for SS Disability for about a year ago. EVERYONE we

talked to said the Social Security Administration (SSA) NEVER approved the

initial application. But they did approve 's.

I can give you more specifics if you'd like but basically here's what I did:

I sat down with who was not in condition to apply on his own.

Basically, I did all the " work " . We did the application on-line. The system

is fairly easy to use. The application is lengthy, but it lets you save your

work from session to session. So would sit by me and I'd " interview "

him until he got tired. I think we spent about 2 weeks on the application

process. Then we waited a few weeks -- probably about 3.

Make sure you print and KEEP a paper copy of the application and all

documents you receive.

In California where we live the State processes the applications for the

SSA. We were assigned a case worker. She arranged for to see a doctor

whom they appointed. The visit involved filling out more paperwork (very

similar to the original application -- I don't know the purpose of this --

so see if you're consistent? I could see that the doctor had a copy of the

application. Then she interviewed us -- mostly the same questions -- and

then examined and drew blood.

I think the main thing they are looking for is a diagnosis (you have that),

symptoms, and an explanation of WHY the illness prevents the person from

working and doing daily tasks like chores and driving.

A few weeks later we got the note that had been approved.

Don't be discouraged if you're denied the first time There's a robust

appeals process. Prior to beginning the process I sat down and talked to

. He doesn't have a lot of patience with bureaucracies and forms and

such. I estimated what the benefit would be and showed him how much that

would help our finances. I got his agreement that this was important enough

for us to " jump through the hoops " even if it was annoying and intrusive.

You may be at the point where you need to talk to an HR specialist at your

husband's company about what their benefits are, how they are linked to the

SSD benefits and such. Before you reveal all to them, you can ask if they

can treat your husband's situation confidentially. I know for my own

company, I manage a good-size office and if one of my people wants to keep

their medical situation confidential, I cannot press them to tell me about

it.

Hope these ideas help. Let me know if you have other questions.

Dorothy

[Guest guest]

I've heard that MOST people get turned down for disability the first time.

and I were DETERMINED he would not be one of them.

is typical in that he dislikes and has no patience with bureacracy. I

work for a huge company so I'm well used to bureacracies. I may not like

them but I can work effectively within them. I sat him down before we

started, explained to him what disability would mean to our household and

got his buy-in to do whatever it took to get approved, no matter how

trivial, silly or intrusive.

We did the application on-line. I " interviewed " him and tweaked his answers

to fit their model. If he was verbose, I wrote concise, factual statement.

ly, I don't see how a seriously-ill person could have done this step

alone. The system lets you save the application and come back at a later

time which is really helpful. If got tired, or if I needed to go look

up dates or details of work history or medical treatments, I just signed off

and signed back on later. I can't exactly recall, but I think, working in

small chunks of time, it took about a week or 10 days to do the application.

Here's what I learned: Beyond the bare facts, they are more concerned about

the " How " than the " What " . So . . . don't just say, " I have cirrhosis " .

Provide symptoms and explain HOW they affect you - what you cannot do that

you formerly could - that prevents you from working AND doing other

day-to-day activities. So for Bob it might be something like, " My job

requires standing for two hours at a time. I suffer from fatigue, and can

only stand for 5 minutes before I need to sit down and rest. " They explain

all this in the application - to say what tasks you can and cannot perform,

how long you can do them, and why. PAY ATTENTION to this. I'm convinced this

was the reason we were successful with 's initial application. Typical

symptoms someone with cirrhosis might list include fatigue, mental problems,

symptoms of ascites, GI issues (e.g., diarrhea and/or constipation that

necessitate remaining close to a toilet), pain, lethargy, itching, etc.

Following the on-line application we were assigned to a State case worker

(the State of California administers the evaluations for the Federal

government) who arranged for a medical exam. Once that was over we heard

about two weeks later that was qualified. The benefits were calculated

from the date they got his initial application.

For sure, if your initial application is denied, appeal it. If you need

help, seek it out.

Hope you find this helpful.

Dorothy