Fw: EDU: Social Security - Tips on filling out the Disability forms (Part 3)

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To: stillsdisease

Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 8:28:04 AM

Subject: EDU: Social Security - Tips on filling out the

Disability forms (Part 3)

SOCIAL SECURITY TIPS

Hi guys, with all the Social Security and disability talk lately, I thought

maybe some pointers on what I did might help. I will warn you in advance, this

is long and detailed…. Just like your claim will be. I was approved first go

round and seem to have the mind for fighting Legal battles. My Cobra attorney

wants to hire me as her research assistant because she says I have a good legal

mind. So, if I ever get better enough to hold down a job I will know where to

look. LOL

BASIC RULES:

Overwhelm them with evidence. (1-doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, labs,

clinics, etc 2- copies of all your labs 3- copies of all your journal pages, 4-

Internet pages about your illnesses 5 – Group emails from you complaining or

asking for information, help. Include your introductory story.

Make or keep a copy of everything they send you and you send them. (in the

future, they WILL ask for the same information over and over. If you copied

every thing, you can re-read what you wrote and send it again without all the

stress of trying to think clearly through the fever, meds and pain. )

Be insanely graphic and specific (If you didn’t live in your skin and were a

total stranger to yourself, if you read what you wrote… would YOU think you

were

sick or struggling?)

List absolutely everything you can think of that can be documented medically

(Gather Facts) (List health issues you have faced since birth and still face. Be

sure to list things like trouble sleeping, hands go numb, headaches, blurred

vision, difficulty with your eyes in light, skin rashes, etc. This disability

claim IS NOT JUST about your Stills Disease although that is what put you over

the edge.)

Be able to PROVE your claim (Supporting Arguments) (Letters from family,

friends, co-workers, Lab results, Names of Doctors sought for treatment, Over

the counter remedies tried, etc. Don’t forget that if you ask for letters from

people who know you, you don’t have to include ones you don’t like just

because

you got them. Ask for the letters to state your basic personality (kind, hard

working, honest, dependable, etc) before becoming ill, how long this person has

known or observed you, changes they now see in you or your work ethics since

becoming ill.)

Provide illness documentation (Research Information) (The more you provide

about each of your ailments, the better off you are. Don’t expect a claims

adjuster to be a brilliant medically savvy person. Think back to when you got

each of your diagnosis’s from however many doctors it took to get diagnosed.

Obviously, if it took more than one doctor to diagnose you, the other doctors

didn’t know what was wrong and they are medically savvy. Think about the first

time that you heard the words Stills Disease. Did you know what that meant, even

though you lived with it daily? What answers did you want about your diagnosis?

Believe me, the people in charge of approving or denying your disability claim

want the same answers / information you did so give it to them. I mailed 300

pages of supporting information along with my initial SS filing forms. Sometimes

I think I got approved just so the person with my file didn’t have to wade

through everything. LOL)

If you want, you can stop here. I am going over the form page by page now and

letting you know what information they ARE going to ask you for so if you

haven’t requested the original paperwork, you can get started pulling

information together. Trust me on this, they DON'T give you enough time to

gather it all by the deadline, especially if you are sick. Don’t worry, if you

have already filed, you can always ADD more information as needed later.

Okay, here goes. The nitty gritty of Social Security standard procedure. Go to

www.SSA.gov/ mystatement or call to request your social security

statement that will give you your work history income and the amount you are

entitled to receive monthly.

Gather Facts for forms

Begin a journal. Page one – list absolutely everything that is bothering you

at that moment. Start with your hair on your head and end with your toenails. Be

serious and complete. Here is mine for today. Example: Head – hair falling

out,

dry scalp, headache, blurred vision, stuffy nose, cheeks hurt, jaw pain, tooth

pain, sore throat, stiff neck and burning pain on right and left side of my

neck. Body – deep ache in my rib cage (I know it’s costo chondritis but my

job

here is to just list where it hurts, not identify what it is), asthma, heart

racing / flip flopping, stomach pain, IBS, right ovary hurts, entire spine pain,

back muscles stiff, shoulder joints hurt. Fever. Limbs – both elbow and wrists

hurt. Right arm swollen, fingers stiff and painful, joint between pointer and

middle finger very painful. Both hands regularly go numb, right hand every time

I bend my elbow. Hip thigh sockets ache, knees stiff and painful, ankles

unsteady and painful, right side of my foot

very tender, Feet tingle when I walk. 2 middle toes on right foot regularly

numb. (okay, I think I am done with my list for this morning but it helps to

document pain level for each one , too. 1 – 10 scale. Also rate how you are

handling these health issues emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually,

etc. I made up my own list of 1 – 10 that I will include in another email.

It’s

silly but it helps me scale things when I can’t figure it out.)

Reread your list. Is there anything missing that you usually have? I don’t

have a migraine listed or the patches on my skin that are dying and itching. I

forgot the normal itchy dry skin and fatigue. I have them so much I don’t even

notice to jot them down any more. Add things like " bronchitis every 2 months,

food, drug, environment allergies / sensitivities, etc.

List all the ailments/ diseases / syndromes / illnesses you have or regularly

have. Define them in accurate laymans terms and give the prognosis. I won’t do

them all but here are a couple of mine. Don’t forget a SINGLE medical issue.

When you start reading, you’ll get the idea. I have a sense of humor that

helps

me get through tough times so I let ii show. I figured it would prove I am sick

and am trying to cope with it the best I can but it’s too overwhelming. I was

not denied so who knows if it helped or not? List any vitals you take like your

BP, Pulse, Temp, Glucose levels, etc.

Fibromyalgia: This disorder affects the muscles in your whole body. They are

stiff, sore, painful, burning. There are 18 specific " hot spots " and of course,

I have all 18. You only need 5 to have the disease. I take Bextra 20 mg 2 times

a day with some success. Grape seed extract is also very good for this. It loves

heat (hot packs, bath, sun heat, etc) and exercise helps with pain and stiffness

but exercise makes my fever go up and stay up for 3 weeks after 30 minutes of

gentle workout. =(

Krukenburg Spindle Syndrome: This is a very RARE form of Pigmentation

Glaucoma. The fluids in my eyes (both of them, must keep it fair, you know) are

washing away the color in my eyes. The fragmented particles form an hourglass

shape over the eye, eventually blocking all vision. It causes blindness. There

is no cure.

Migraines: Self explanatory. Guess I needed this malady to round out the total

health picture. Caused by food allergies (of course avoided if possible),

chemical sensitivities, toxicity with medications, illness, whatever. Don't need

a reason, just a headache will do.

Necrobiosis Lipoidica: Another RARE illness affecting the skin. (Why not? I

have something for everything else) Necrosis means " death " . With this illness,

the lipid part of your skin dies. There is no cure. There is not a solid

foundation for knowing what causes the disease, but they do know that it affects

more women than men, legs most frequently, and 20% of people with the illness

are diabetics. Surgery is not recommended.

Neuropathy: No, not meaning you don't get nervous anymore, this means I am

losing feeling in my hands, feet, and other parts. No cure.

Supporting Life Information

Here is a list of things they will ask for so have them handy. Your name and

any previously used names. Your social security number. Date of birth. USA

citizen? Date you became unable to work. (make this as far back as you can, they

will determine an eligibility date from records but won’t look back any

farther

than you tell them.) Have you filed for SS before? Have you or do you intend to

file for workman’s comp, public disability, or black lung benefits? Are you

entitled to or do you expect to become entitled to a pension, annuity based in

whole or in part on work after 1956 not covered by SS? Marital status. When /

where married, Spouse birth date and SS #. Previous marriages. Date, where, when

divorced and where records of that court order are kept. Children, names, birth

dates, social security numbers.

Now that you have a clear and depressing picture of what you really face on a

daily basis, call the local chapter of the Social Security office. Do a phone

interview. Answer her questions and you will have fresh in your mind what to

tell him/her since you just made your list. Keep a journal or calendar of

events. You will need it from time to time. The phone interviewer will decide if

you qualify to even apply. S/he will send you confirmation that you applied by

phone and that paperwork is on the way. Keep a folder of all the papers you send

and receive. Keep them in order with most recent on top (so you don’t have to

wade though it all for the most recent)

The page you will receive will be a receipt for your claim. It will tell you

who to contact for questions before notice of award and after, the date you

applied and so on. It will give you the time frame they expect to need to

complete the application. Usually 4 – 6 months or 180 days. Soon you will be

getting forms to fill out. They have a return deadline so get prepared while you

are waiting.

APPLICATION

WORK ACTIVITY REPORT - EMPLOYEE

They will want you to provide medical evidence from any hospital, physician,

clinic, pharmacy, agency or organization that can document your health. You must

agree to notify SS if you get better or have changes for the better or worse; if

you work, if you receive any other disability benefits from any other program

(black lung, workers comp, etc); or if you go to jail or are convicted of a

crime that requires confinement in a public institution. They will want your

work history, type of jobs done, dates of employment for each employer.

You will be asked to verify your identification, your living arrangements,

resources like the vehicle, make, model and year, owner, value and necessity of

use. They will want your checking / savings account information such as banking

institution, current value, income (Unemployment benefits, spouse’s income ,

child or spousal support, etc)and sources and information on eligibility for

other benefits like food stamps and welfare. They will check public records so

be accurate and honest.

On your income, the really yucky part is verifying income. You have to list

gross income for the past year. Start hunting for those pay stubs because it HAS

to be divided by MONTH. Maybe your employer can help, or any agency you get

money from. They also want to know if you got any special payments from your

employer in addition to regular pay. (tips, bonuses, sick or disability pay,

vacation pay, meals, room or rent, transportation, use of a car or vehicle,

child care, etc) If yes, what were they? What month and year? Amount?

Then you are asked to list your impairment work related expenses. This is any

medically necessary stuff needed so you can work. You must list only things

bought with your own earnings for things or services related to your illness for

which you were not get paid back. (Medicines or co-pays, bandages, braces,

wheelchair, artificial limbs, Braille equipment, special phone or computer

equipment, modifications to home (wider doorways, roll in shower, ramps,

wheelchair lift) or modifications to your car (chair lift) or personal

attendant.

DISABILITY REPORT ADULT

Section 1: Name, SS #, Phone number, names of friends or relatives that can

verify your health.

Section 2: What illness, injuries or conditions limit ability to work? Do they

cause pain? When did they begin? When did they affect your work? How? Did you

have to stop working?

Section 3: List ALL jobs you have had in the past 15 years. What did you do,

for how long, how many hours did you walk / stand/ sit/ climb/ stoop/ kneel/

crouch/ crawl/ handle, grab or grasp big objects/ write, type or handle small

objects? How heavy, how frequently?

Section 4: INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS

They ask you to list medical facilities where you have been treated for the

illness the affects your ability to work. LIST ALL YOUR ILLNESSES because they

play into each other for an overall health picture. Maybe Stills is your main

issue but a migraine makes you miss work and so does bronchitis, pneumonia,

hospital stays, etc. List ALL doctors you have seen for illnesses you currently

have, even if you saw them in different states 15 years ago. It proves you have

suffered with this ailment a long time. List all insurance companies, doctors,

specialists, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, rehab centers, etc. Helpful

resource: www.anywho.com Here you can type in the name or phone number of the

individual you are looking for and get the address or phone number.

This ends the initial application.

NEXT:

I received another huge packet of information with a deadline for return. I

had to provide Information about my Work. I got a letter of recommendation from

employer. Have it state that you are a good worker but your health gets in your

way. A lot of employers prefer you write your own so they don’t have to think

about it. They can proof read it and make changes. Then you give them a

corrected copy, they sign and you are good to go. MAKE COPIES, KEEP THE

ORIGINAL. Even though they don’t ask you for this, DO IT. It only adds to your

proof that you struggle to work. They will want you to detail what you do. Be

very detailed. IF you say you sit all day in front of a computer but don’t say

you can’t think or that it hurts to type or sit, they may think you can do a

sales job or something where you don’t sit all day. I wrote: I have a high

mental stress job and despite sitting most of the day, I am extremely fatigued.

After 2 hours, I am so exhausted and in pain that I must go

home. I can’t finish my currently 4 hour shift. Some days my fever is so high

I

don’t even make it to work. I used to work 40 – 90 hours a week. Now it

takes me

5 days to work 10 hours a week and I am in bed the whole time I am at home

trying to make it another day. THINK TO YOURSELF: If I were a total stranger

reading this, would I think this person has a health problem? If not, work on

providing more details.

AND THEN, we have the wonderful CLAIMANT PAIN QUESTIONAIRE (Be insanely

specific and dramatic but truthful)

a. PAIN: What type, where, when, how long, how often. What causes pain? Makes

it worse? Makes it better?

What medication do you take? (make sure you list ALL medications you have

taken but failed. This creates a clearer picture). How much? How often? Side

effects? (List all side effects from every drug you are or have taken, even the

ones not for this specific illness. If you took it to make you feel better…

EVER… then list it if you had side effects. List all medicine you take

occasionally, even Tylenol) Are you getting treatment for pain? Who, when,

where, phone number and address, etc.

B. MOBILITY: How long does it take to get tired? What can you do and not do,

Do you walk? How far? Groom? Clean house? Etc.

CLAIMANT FATIGUE QUESTIONAIRE (Be insanely specific and dramatic but truthful)

When and how often do you get tired or need to rest? Blah blah blah. A lot of

the same questions at the other pain questionnaire. Restate what you already

said to the same question on the other form. Sometimes they are trying to trick

you to see if you say something different for the same question on a different

form. Be consistent.

Along with these forms came a form for a person who knows my health to fill

out. I chose my spouse but was shocked with his answers. He loves me and is

desperately worried about my health. He is quite the detail person when it comes

to stuff he is interested in but he needed lots of help on this form. He got

tired of the answers and just put whatever sounded right. When I read him the

answers and told him to pretend he was reading about an unknown person as he

heard the answers, he realized he was not specific enough. For instance, on the

question How often does he/she do the following: Visit friends or relatives? He

answered " daily " with no clarifying information. It made me look like I can do a

lot of running around so I made him clarify this with an added statement. His

choice was to say: " Friends and family phone her or come over to visit her

because she is too sick with her fever, fatigue, pain to go visit them.

Frequently she is too sick to even say hello when they

call. " Ok, now we have a clear picture. Sick person getting checked in on, not

sick person gadding about. Do the form with a friend or family member. Read it

as if you were reading of a total stranger as a total stranger. What is the

person reading this form going to see? On the question " Does this person’s

friends visit her? They have only yes and no options. He chose yes and clarified

with " if she is up to visiting with them " Be sure to add clarifiers to provide a

clear picture on yes and no answers even if they only want " yes " or " no " as

answers. If they don’t give you the option you like as in the fatigue question

where they allow you to get tired after 1, 2, 3, etc. hours, I wrote in 15

minutes and circled that. Make your own if you need to. You don’t have to fit

their mold.

Supporting Arguments

Letters from friends, family, employers, fellow work mates, doctors, nurses,

and so forth. Get a list of medications taken for the past 5 years from your

pharmacy. Get a payment history from hospital and doctors you have seen to

verify how often you have been there. Attach this information to the appropriate

place on the forms you are filling out. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE COPIES SO YOU HAVE

ONE FOR YOUR OWN RECORDS. Make a list of all drugs you have taken, why you

stopped them, what you currently take, dose, prescribing doctor, pharmacy,

script number and why you take it. It’s a good idea to keep this list with you

at all times in case of emergency and to have for new hospitals, doctors ,

clinics to copy so you don’t have to write it all out. List on your meds form

all meds you are allergic to, what reaction you had, or why you can’t take it.

If you PREMED, add that here to. Good idea to complain at each doctor visit and

tell them you want it in your notes how you feel. To be

on the safe side, type up questions and complaints for each visit and hand it

to the nurse. It becomes part of your legal medical records. When SS calls for

records (or anyone else either) they will get how you feel in your own graphic,

very specific words. How great it that?

Research Information

Stills Brochure, Information on each of your illnesses that lists how it is

disabling. Don’t forget, you CAN get disability for Fibromyalgia alone if you

are in enough pain. Most Stills patients also have Fibro so don’t forget to

list

that in your illnesses if you can get a doctor to document. Articles from Dr

Cush as found on the www.stillsdisease. org web site. DON " T assume the brochure

can hold all the information they will need. The more you provide about your

illnesses and the less they have to research, the faster you get approved. I

provided an Internet printout of each of my illnesses. I made sure to find a web

site link that spoke about how disabling this illness, syndrome, disease is to

it’s patients.

THE DISABILITY ANALYST LETTER

To verify that your 37 or so doctors know what they are taking about,

sometimes they will send you to see their own specialist. Take all your

supporting arguments and research information to him too. Just hand it to him

and tell him that you wanted him to have this supporting information. He may not

take the supporting arguments but make sure he gets the research articles on

stills and other illnesses you have. Tell him it is research articles, not to

cloud his / her clear and unbiased judgment but to help him understand your rare

illness so s/he can make an informed and educated decision. My analyst was

reluctant to take the supporting arguments but gratefully accepted the research

information.

Within 30 days of my analyst appointment, I had been approved. =) You can be

too. Happy " dead-lining " paperwork and here’s to successful claims. Just has a

side thought, SS locally will help you fill out forms as needed but they

definitely WON " T help you find or confirm supporting information and will try to

get you to shorten you answers because they have case file deadlines weighing

heavily on their shoulders. Don’t count on your attorney to do it all for you

either. You live in your skin, not your attorney. He can only fight with the

facts you provide him with. Make sure he gets copies of all your ailments and

how they affect the normal person. Highlight the parts that apply to you on the

printed out sheets. Makes it easier on them to find what you want them to see.

My suggestion if you need help is to contact the most detailed person you know

to ask for assistance. If the lawyer takes 25% of your total back pay when you

get approved, promise to pay a bit to your

" helper " when you get approved if you can.

Really hoping this information can help all of you out there fighting this SS

battle.

Smiles, Caroline

(Beautiful Southern Oregon, USA)

We may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our

sails.

May you have enough happiness to make you kind, enough trials to make you

strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

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