Re: Disability Appeal Process

[Guest guest]

Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary.  I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF.  Or not.  I don't know how long I've had it.  I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995.  Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999.  And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down.  I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year).  At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse.  I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can.OK -- sorry about the long intro.  Disability.  I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process.  It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing."  This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI.  In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing."  What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied.  Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied.  Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined.  In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do.  If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals.  This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you.From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable.  The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second.  Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test.  The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake).  These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF.  And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for.The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI.  Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge.  In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the  materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge.  The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case.  Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI.  That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply.  So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment.Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor.  But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case).  I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process.  He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case.  He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down.Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this.  But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English.Hope it all turns out well.  It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. DawsonMemphis, TN3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiencyA. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission:You don't have to qualify "on the listing" to receive SSDI.  This is where my lawyer really helped.  You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work.  Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability.  I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the listing," but in fact this isn't true.  If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away.  If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal.Sorry, and sorry about the confusion!  Good luck to you all, Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary.  I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF.  Or not.  I don't know how long I've had it.  I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995.  Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999.  And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down.  I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year).  At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse.  I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can.OK -- sorry about the long intro.  Disability.  I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process.  It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing."  This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI.  In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing."  What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied.  Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied.  Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined.  In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do.  If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals.  This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you.From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable.  The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second.  Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test.  The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake).  These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF.  And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for.The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI.  Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge.  In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the  materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge.  The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case.  Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI.  That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply.  So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment.Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor.  But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case).  I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process.  He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case.  He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down.Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this.  But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English.Hope it all turns out well.  It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. DawsonMemphis, TN3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiencyA. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

thanks for all your help & input on this - somethings just seem to end up more confusing then they should be - they should have an option to actually talk w/someone - explain your situation up front & go that route instead of all the crazy paperwork & people making decisions w/o even knowing a person or their circumstances.

Kim

Re: Disability Appeal Process

Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission:

You don't have to qualify "on the listing" to receive SSDI. This is where my lawyer really helped. You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work. Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability. I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the listing," but in fact this isn't true. If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away. If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal.

Sorry, and sorry about the confusion! Good luck to you all,

Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can.

OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you.

From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for.

The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment.

Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down.

Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English.

Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden.

Dawson

Memphis, TN

3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency

A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);

FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)

Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.

Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

Do you think any lawyer who does this type of work would be okay or would I need to expand to bigger cities like the Twin Cities in MN to find one to accomplish this for us??

Kim

Re: Disability Appeal Process

Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can.

OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you.

From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for.

The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment.

Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down.

Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English.

Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden.

Dawson

Memphis, TN

3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency

A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);

FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)

Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.

Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

Do you think any lawyer who does this type of work would be okay or would I need to expand to bigger cities like the Twin Cities in MN to find one to accomplish this for us?? KimKim,I think any lawyer who specializes in Social Security law would be fine.  I got a referral from another lawyer I know anyway.  Some lawyers are more experienced, and some are just easier to get along with, or whatever.  But if it's more convenient to see with a lawyer close to home, I don't think you could hurt yourself by at least calling one and seeing how well you click.Hope you find someone who can help.  The SSDI process is overwhelming, isn't it?

[Guest guest]

Find out where your appeal would be and get a lawyer from that city, I found one in the yellow pages that advertised he did disability work. PKim L Jelen wrote: Do you think any lawyer who does this type of work would be okay or would I need to expand to bigger cities like the Twin Cities in MN to find one to accomplish this for us?? Kim Re: Disability Appeal Process Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's

disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can. OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too

is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you. From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up

are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for. The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before

the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment. Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and

that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down. Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English. Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. Dawson Memphis, TN 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency A. Chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.); FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS) Can

anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal. Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

There are a lot of things in this world I don't know about, but I do know how to get disability a lot quicker. Write social security, include your full name , SS#, and reason why you applied...Give them the personal facts surrounding your claim...Tell them that you need it now and why....Trust me...you will get it a lot faster... BarbKim L Jelen wrote: thanks for all your help & input on this - somethings just seem to end up more confusing then they should be - they should have an option to actually talk w/someone - explain your situation up front & go that route instead of all the crazy paperwork & people making decisions w/o even knowing a person

or their circumstances. Kim Re: Disability Appeal Process Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission:

You don't have to qualify "on the listing" to receive SSDI. This is where my lawyer really helped. You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work. Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability. I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the listing," but in fact this isn't true. If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away. If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal. Sorry, and sorry about the confusion! Good luck to you all, Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can. OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where

you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you. From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for. The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a

lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have

to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment. Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down. Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government

requirements into plain English. Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. Dawson Memphis, TN 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see

3.00E.); FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS) Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal. Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

When I applied, I had documentation of medical test, doctors statements saying that I was unable to work and wrote a letter myself stating my limitations. They rejected it twice. When I finally hired a lawyer, the only thing he did different was to take a sworn statement from my doctor.

The judge at my hearing was so nasty. He acted like I was there to commit fraud against the government. Told me that I did not look sick, and that I seemed to be sitting with no problem, could I not get a job that would only require sitting. He could not see pain, confusion, fatigue,shortness of breath, and all the other invisible chronic illness signs. He was so rude. I wanted to just go away and cry.

I have been told that it is a good thing to contact your representatives, local and federal. Is there a way to find out how successful a lawyer has been with SSI cases? My lawyer was reccommended to me by a friend.

A couple of years after I had been approved, I was contacted by letter and told that I had to see a doctor that SSI had selected and take more tests to see if I was still sick. I was sent from a city to a small town, to a doc in a trailer who could barely speak the English language. The PFT test was a joke. I had done several by then and this place did not have a clue.

You know, we don't ask for charity......just the return on insurance that was paid all throughout our working years. Best of progress to you all!

Don't give up!

Joyce > > 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency> A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);> FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)> Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.> Thanks Kim> > > >

[Guest guest]

As A Senior are we intitled to disability when we get social security?I am PF and I just feel like someone out there knows. Lois Joiner / Barbara Soice wrote: There are a lot of things in this world I don't know about, but I do know how to get disability a lot quicker. Write social security, include your full name , SS#, and reason why you applied...Give them the personal facts surrounding your claim...Tell them that you need it now and why....Trust me...you will get it a lot faster... BarbKim L Jelen wrote: thanks for all your help & input on this - somethings just seem to end up more confusing then they should be - they should have an option to actually talk w/someone - explain your situation up front & go that route instead of all the crazy paperwork & people making decisions w/o even knowing a person or their circumstances. Kim Re: Disability Appeal Process Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission: You don't have to qualify "on the listing" to receive SSDI. This is where my lawyer really helped. You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work. Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability. I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the

listing," but in fact this isn't true. If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away. If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal. Sorry, and sorry about the confusion! Good luck to you all, Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going

slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can. OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is

automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you. From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where

"restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for. The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal

depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment. Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on

the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down. Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English. Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. Dawson Memphis, TN 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.); FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS) Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal. Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

LOIS JOINER I would like to send you to my web site for information www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/joiner we are to the legal profession as hmos are to the medical profession. go take the time to read and watch and then act. Dawson wrote: Do you think any lawyer who does this type of work would be okay or would I need to expand to bigger cities like the Twin Cities in MN to find one to accomplish this for us?? Kim Kim, I think any lawyer who specializes in Social Security law would be fine. I got a referral from another lawyer I know anyway. Some lawyers are more experienced, and some are just easier to get along with, or whatever. But if it's more convenient to

see with a lawyer close to home, I don't think you could hurt yourself by at least calling one and seeing how well you click. Hope you find someone who can help. The SSDI process is overwhelming, isn't it?

New Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big.

[Guest guest]

LOIS JOINER Iwould Like to help you with this information on my web site. We are to the legal profession as HMO"S areto the Medical profession. take 15 min. and look at the info there and then if you have any questions e-mail me. My web site is: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/joiner I will answer your questions or find someone who can. Kim L Jelen wrote: Do you think any lawyer who does this type of work would be okay or would I need to expand to bigger cities like the Twin Cities in MN to find one to accomplish

this for us?? Kim Re: Disability Appeal Process Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively

new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can. OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been

through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you. From my

understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for. The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need

one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment. Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down. Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English. Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling

process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. Dawson Memphis, TN 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.); FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS) Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal. Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

Hi Lois I am getting SSI disability and I am only 57. When I (If I) get to 65 it changes over to plane SSI and the check remains the same. You can not get both. PLois Joiner wrote: As A Senior are we intitled to disability when we get social security?I am PF and I just feel like someone out there knows. Lois Joiner / Barbara Soice wrote: There are a lot of things in this world I don't know about, but I do know how to get disability a lot

quicker. Write social security, include your full name , SS#, and reason why you applied...Give them the personal facts surrounding your claim...Tell them that you need it now and why....Trust me...you will get it a lot faster... BarbKim L Jelen wrote: thanks for all your help & input on this - somethings just seem to end up more confusing then they should be - they should have an option to actually talk w/someone - explain your situation up front & go that route instead of all the crazy paperwork & people making decisions w/o even knowing a person or their circumstances. Kim Re: Disability Appeal Process Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission: You don't have to qualify "on the listing"

to receive SSDI. This is where my lawyer really helped. You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work. Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability. I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the listing," but in fact this isn't true. If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away. If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal. Sorry, and sorry about the confusion! Good luck to you all, Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the

PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can. OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on

SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you. From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for. The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can,

even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually

retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment. Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down. Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English. Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. Dawson Memphis, TN 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.); FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS) Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal. Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

LOIS JOINER I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE CASE. THANKS wrote: Hi Lois I am getting SSI disability and I am only 57. When I (If I) get to 65 it changes over to plane SSI and the check remains the same. You can not get both. PLois Joiner wrote: As A Senior are we intitled to disability when we get social security?I am PF and I just feel like someone out there knows. Lois Joiner / Barbara Soice wrote: There are a lot of things in this world I don't know about, but I do know how to get disability a lot quicker. Write social security, include your full name , SS#, and reason why you applied...Give them the personal facts surrounding your claim...Tell them that you need it now and why....Trust me...you will get it a lot faster... BarbKim L Jelen wrote: thanks for all your help & input

on this - somethings just seem to end up more confusing then they should be - they should have an option to actually talk w/someone - explain your situation up front & go that route instead of all the crazy paperwork & people making decisions w/o even knowing a person or their circumstances. Kim Re: Disability Appeal Process Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission: You don't have to qualify "on the listing" to receive SSDI. This is where my lawyer really helped. You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work. Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability. I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the listing," but in fact this isn't true. If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away. If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal. Sorry, and sorry about the

confusion! Good luck to you all, Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big

problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can. OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and

hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you. From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from

PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for. The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion,

and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment. Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the

SSA employees who had turned me down. Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English. Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden. Dawson Memphis, TN 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.); FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS) Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal. Thanks Kim

[Guest guest]

,

Do you know? When my husband stops working and goes on SS, will I still get the same check amount that I now get...or do they put our checks together into one amount. This dissability check was based on my employment.

Joyce > > 3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency> A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);> FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)> Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.> Thanks Kim> > > >

[Guest guest]

boy you got that right.

Re: Disability Appeal Process

Do you think any lawyer who does this type of work would be okay or would I need to expand to bigger cities like the Twin Cities in MN to find one to accomplish this for us??

Kim

Kim,

I think any lawyer who specializes in Social Security law would be fine. I got a referral from another lawyer I know anyway. Some lawyers are more experienced, and some are just easier to get along with, or whatever. But if it's more convenient to see with a lawyer close to home, I don't think you could hurt yourself by at least calling one and seeing how well you click.

Hope you find someone who can help. The SSDI process is overwhelming, isn't it?

[Guest guest]

thanks for the input - we're debating about going that route & then we think, why not go w/lawyer. Some things would be nice if they just were simple & went you way.

Re: Disability Appeal Process

Sorry to make a very long answer even longer, but I just read through it and noticed a big omission:

You don't have to qualify "on the listing" to receive SSDI. This is where my lawyer really helped. You can qualify just because you have so much fatigue from the disease and the medications that you can't work. Or, you can qualify because you have several diseases, all of which roll together into one big disability. I seem to be saying that you have to meet "the listing," but in fact this isn't true. If you DO meet the listing, you qualify right away. If you DON'T meet it, they turn you down and you have to appeal.

Sorry, and sorry about the confusion! Good luck to you all,

Might as well introduce myself and try to answer this quandary. I'm new to the PF group, and relatively new to PF. Or not. I don't know how long I've had it. I began having pneumonia every few months in 1995. Had an empyema removed from my left lung in 1999. And ever since I've been showing more and more scarring in both pleura and lung on HRCTs, while my breathing test numbers have been going slowly down. I've got PF, possibly secondary to Crohn's disease (which I was diagnosed with in 1973, when I was a sophomore in college) or maybe Sjogren's Syndrome (which I was just diagnosed with last year). At any rate, the PF is the big problem -- calcifications, pleural plaques, atelectasis, honeycombing of the air spaces, I've got most all of the signs and symptoms, and (as mentioned) they are getting slowly worse. I hope to learn much from you good folks, and to help out when I can.

OK -- sorry about the long intro. Disability. I'm on SSDI, and have been through the process. It looks like what you have is a segment from "the listing." This is a big collection of symptoms and ailments that must be met to qualify a person for SSDI. In general, you have to be very, very sick to qualify "on the listing." What usually happens is that the first application is automatically denied. Then you can appeal, and this too is almost surely denied. Meanwhile the government can send you to doctors of its choosing to have you examined. In turn, you must produce the records from your own doctors and hospitals to try and prove that you are, in fact, incapable of doing the job you do. If the appeal is turned down, you have the right to go before a Special Law Judge (I think that's the title) who does nothing but review and rule on SSDI appeals. This is where you finally get to actually tell someone what is wrong with you.

From my understanding, PF is a "restrictive pulmonary disease," so I'm not sure that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease listing you have quoted is applicable. The FEV1, for instance, is the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second. Even with PF, a lot of PF patients can pass this test. The breathing tests where "restrictive" rather than "obstructive" pulmonary diseases show up are VLC (Vital Lung Capacity) and DLCO (Diffusing Lung Capacity as measured by CO, or carbon monoxide, intake). These are the numbers that dive when the lungs get all scarred from PF. And this is what the listing for restrictive lung diseases should look for.

The best advice I can give -- and I can't say it strongly enough -- is that if you think you are qualified to receive SSDI, get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI. Do it as soon in the process as you can, even though the SSA will tell you that you don't need one until and unless you go before a Special Law Judge. In fact, you are entitled to have a lawyer from the get-go, and an experienced one can help you tremendously in putting together the materials you need, filing them for you, making the appeals (if necessary), taking statements from your doctors (not legal depositions, just informal statements), and representing you before the judge. The lawyer's fee is set by the SSDI laws, so they aren't going to be any more expensive if you get one today than if you wait a year and work yourself into exhaustion, and you don't pay them anything if you don't win your case. Their fee comes out of the award that you will get if you are granted SSDI. That award can be large, because your benefits are backdated to the date on which you first apply. So, even though you have to wait six months before you begin receiving benefits, this is usually retroactive and comes to you in a lump sum payment.

Please bear in mind that I am NOT a lawyer and NOT a doctor. But I am on SSDI, and I've been through the process (it took 10 months in my case). I also thank my stars for the wonderful lawyer I hired at the very beginning of the process. He told me, on the front end, that he would not take cases that he could not win, and that he knew he would prevail in my case. He was right, even though I was turned down twice, and was accepted by the Special Law Judge, who went out of his way to reprimand the SSA employees who had turned me down.

Since you're appealing, you probably know much of this. But a lawyer can tell you for certain what sections of the Listing apply and how to translate the government requirements into plain English.

Hope it all turns out well. It's a grueling process, and to have to go through it when you're feeling crummy is even more of a burden.

Dawson

Memphis, TN

3.02 Chronic pulmonary insufficiency

A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to any cause, with the FEV1 equal to or less than the values specified in table I corresponding to the person's height without shoes. (In cases of marked spinal deformity, see 3.00E.);

FEV1 Equal to or less than (L,BTPS)

Can anyone help me understand this lingo from the Disability Website - working on our appeal.

Thanks Kim