Guest guest Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 Dear List Members, It's occurred to me since Medicare was brought up that it might be helpful to put together a document that gives new members an introduction to getting SSD or whatever disability might be called in other nations. It would be helpful to me if you would share your experiences. What I'm looking for is: -- Diagnosis accepted -- approved on 1st application? -- Did you have to appeal? --- Did you get an attorney? -- Did you win on appeal? -- Time it took from time of application to receiving your first payment. -- Did you have your application backdated and was that accepted? -- All other hints, comments, etc. welcome. Thanks. I'll compile all this info into some stats and a guide to applying for SSD (or other program). Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 Hi Cathrine, I am stuck in this position not knowing where to turn my hubby went to the site where you check to see if you are intitled to ssd and because i have not worked in this country i am not intitled to it.What a mess,I asked him if he thought it would be better for me to go back to uk and he quoted his wedding vows to me in sickness and in health.Makes me just wan't to cry all the time I feel so guilty for ending up in this mess.I am even having trouble now walking because the rash is back on the soles of my feet.I don't know what to do anymore. now i am sitting crying my eyes out sorry . Ros Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 ** I think you should find a human services resource center/advocacycenter and have someone look fully into the possibilities for you. where would i find such a place i have hardly been out the door since i came to this country and i have no idea how to go about anything i feel like i am cracking up there is not much fight left in me.I won't do anything silly so don't worry. I am a bit scared to take the asnicum album as when i took it the other night i ended up in bed within an hour with stomache cramps so bad i thought i was going to die it took 2 hours for it to calm down. this is what i ate that day granola with goat milk a banana,chicken with ceasar salad. The reason i don't qualify for ssd is i have never paid in to ss. I am not sure about ssi because we own our own home and car. Roz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 Dear Roz, You said: <<I am stuck in this position not knowing where to turn my hubby went to the site where you check to see if you are intitled to ssd and because i have not worked in this country i am not intitled to it.What a mess,I asked him if he thought it would be better for me to go back to uk and he quoted his wedding vows to me in sickness and in health.Makes me just wan't to cry all the time I feel so guilty for ending up in this mess.I am even having trouble now walking because the rash is back on the soles of my feet.I don't know what to do anymore. now i am sitting crying my eyes out sorry >> ** I think you should find a human services resource center/advocacy center and have someone look fully into the possibilities for you. As far as the rash on your feet, Arsenicum Album 30C (homeopathic remedy). Try 2 pellets under your tongue. Wait a couple of hours and inform me of all changes. You may need to go up to a 200C dose. Take it easy, Roz. Things are going to work out. Tell me why you can't get SSD or SSI. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 Just so you know, I am totally stressed out reading about SSD/SSI stories. I had forgotten what a god-awful horror it was going through the process myself. I think at one time I told the contact person at SSA that the whole organization was comprised of a bunch of fascist pigs trying to kill off the disabled!! -- Diagnosis accepted I first applied when I needed shoulder surgery in order to work as a pastry chef. I don't remember if that was 96 or 97. I couldn't use my right arm at all, but I was denied. I wasn't approved until Jan 1999 (more about that later) with the dx of PTSD and later I got the dx of post-traumatic brain disorder (from taking Paxil) but I had already been approved by then. -- approved on 1st application? Are you kidding??? I was denied both the first and second times. -- Did you have to appeal? I requested a hearing, which was sheduled in January 99, at least 18 months since my first application. --- Did you get an attorney? Yes, I did. He got nearly $3,000 of my back benefits as compensation. -- Did you win on appeal? The judge declared me disabled in the hearing. Although they sure argued far and wide about all the wonderful jobs I could perform with only the use of one arm (by now I had had surgery -- just three weeks before -- and was in 60 hours of rehab a week -- when was I supposed to work??), like being a security camera watcher, or a solderer. -- Time it took from time of application to receiving your first payment. Nearly three years. Declared disabled 1/99; it took until AUGUST of that year for the judge to issue her decision. I did not start getting benefits until 2000, the lump sum back payment and then the monthly benefit. But I had originally applied in 96 or 97. -- Did you have your application backdated and was that accepted? I don't understand the question, but I don't think it applies to me. But then how would I know if I didn't understand it (duh!) -- All other hints, comments, etc. welcome. This ordeal nearly killed me. I found the process humiliating and demeaning. The SSD decision was 28 pages long. It went to great lenghts to prove how, even though I couldn't use my arm to work, I was not disabled (citing going to my daughter's wedding in 96 as one reason). It wasn't until I took Paxil that the claim went through and I was declared disabled as of February 98, which was 6 weeks after my last hit of Paxhell. At that point in time, I coudln't even get dressed or function at all. In Dec 98 I had complete shoulder reconstruction, and was in rehab for 9 solid months, but it was my experience with Paxhell that got me through the process. The year that I had to wait for benefits to start nearly put us on the streets. I don't think one day went by during that time where I didn't sob my eyes out with worry (and paxil withdrawal!) Blind Reason a novel of espionage and pharmaceutical intrigue Think your antidepressant is safe? Think again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 My mother made application for me while I was in the hospital so I'm not sure of *all* the details but here goes: C Creel wrote: > Dear List Members, > > > It's occurred to me since Medicare was brought up that it might be > helpful to put together a document that gives new members an introduction to > getting SSD or whatever disability might be called in other nations. It > would be helpful to me if you would share your experiences. What I'm > looking for is: > > > -- Diagnosis accepted I had been moved to a third hospital after hanging myself while a patient in the first and while an out-patient in the second so I don't think there was any problem with the diagnosis of Major Depression. > > -- approved on 1st application? I believe so although I have heard that this is rare. They do pay retroactively to the date of application. > > -- Did you have to appeal? They tried to have me repay over $14,000 after two or three years and I appealed. Lots of stress and exacerbation of depression around this. I won with the help of the folks at the local Soc. Sec. office. Three years later I was kicked off of SSD for earning $1.40 over the monthly limit of 2000. It took me around ten months to get reinstated. > > --- Did you get an attorney? Not for any of my cases so far. I did call a public legal services agency once but I found out that I could do everythng myself and they would not be able to influence the outcome of my appeal. > > -- Did you win on appeal? The first case, yes. The second case, no. The local SSA folks had me reapply immediately. > > -- Time it took from time of application to receiving your first payment. about six months. I hear it takes much longer now. > > -- Did you have your application backdated and was that accepted? Yes I think my mother did this. > > -- All other hints, comments, etc. welcome. *Two social workers told my mother that I hadn't worked enough quarters to get SSD. The social worker in my third hospital said that this was hogwash, I had worked enough quarters and had my mother start the application process immediately. *When your local SSA case worker gives you a wrong answer to a question, write a civil letter to the office supervisor requesting another case worker to handle your case and explain why. (I found the correct answer on the ssa.gov site when I thought that the answer my case worker gave didn't sound right.) When taking and needing government handouts, one cannot afford to loose them because of SSA employee ignorance! *If you decide to try and work, be sure you are aware of how much you can earn each month. This figure changes year to year. *Here is the web site for SSD policy. Every question has it's answer here. You just have familiarize yourself with their twisted logic to find the answer to your question. An alternative is to call the 800 number and sit on hold for twenty minutes. You will figure out the best times of the month and of the week to call. When you call your local case worker write down your question and any follow up questions you can think of. The CW will call back when you aren't thinking about your issue and catch you off guard. http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf ****Never assume you will remember anything!! ****Keep careful paper records. Save every letter you receive from SSA and from Medicare, every pay check stub, every doctor's bill, every cancelled check or credit card bill that is medically related, etc. Set up files for this and write yourself a note describing where everything goes. Put this note in the front of the file drawer so you can eference it easily. When you receive a form letter asking you to submit copies of everything you don't want have to hunt for it. NEVER THROW ANYTHING OUT NO MATTER HOW OLD IT IS. YOUR CONTINUED SSD ELIGIBILITY WILL DEPEND ON DOCUMENTATION. ****Take notes when you call: write down the question, date/time of the call, the name of the case worker who returns your call, the answer, etc. ****Never assume you won't be asked to provide documentation. Eligibility is reviewed every so many years (the number of years is based on your individual case) and you **have to** be able to prove everything!! > > > > Thanks. I'll compile all this info into some stats and a guide to > applying for SSD (or other program). > > Regards, > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 think it proves what I said is true, that a mental claim will win over a physical one of almost any kind. Yep, with the PTSD dx the doc who filled out the paperwork (my treating doctor) said I was so traumatized from the whole experience of taking Paxil that I would never be in the workforce again! And the SSD decision had some verbage to the effect that I was of such an "advanced age" (I was 52 at the time) that I couldn't be trained for other work and wouldn't be up for a review for 7 years. That pretty much puts me in the hopeless category. THANK GOD!!! Oh, and the judge at my hearing? She was the consummate bitch! Her little voc rehab person with her great big bible of jobs started talking about me being a recording engineer, and I interrupted her and said, "No, I was a producer. They're two entirely different professions." And the judge looked at me and said, "Who asked YOU? Be quiet!" Which of course made me burst into heaving sobs to think some bureaucrat could talk to me like that!!! So glad that's over. Blind Reason a novel of espionage and pharmaceutical intrigue Think your antidepressant is safe? Think again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 I understand what it is as I most probably have it but did not realize that others recognize it and you can get on disability with it? Where was this term first used? Thanks It's usually used in conjunction with traumatic brain injuries and the cognitive/emotional wreckage that ensues. It's also sometimes referred to as post-concussive syndrome -- but it stems from some assault to the brain -- at the time the doctors could only point to a car accident in 93. However after that accident, I opened 5 restaurants, wrote a book, did several other massive projects that nobody with a brain injury could've done, but back in 97 there was no talk at all that Paxil could cause the equivalent of a closed head injury. Blind Reason a novel of espionage and pharmaceutical intrigue Think your antidepressant is safe? Think again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 --- In Withdrawal_and_Recovery , glitterari@a... wrote and later I got the dx of post-traumatic brain disorder > (from taking Paxil) but I had already been approved by then. I am not familiar with post-traumatic brain disorder. I understand what it is as I most probably have it but did not realize that others recognize it and you can get on disability with it? Where was this term first used? Thanks Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 > It wasn't until I took Paxil > that the claim went through and I was declared disabled as of February 98, which > was 6 weeks after my last hit of Paxhell. What a horror story, Glitter! I'm so sorry you went through that, but I am not surprised. SSA can be SO cruel. I think it proves what I said is true, that a mental claim will win over a physical one of almost any kind. Hugs, Melody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.