Re: Disability Nightmare

[Guest guest]

If your disability insurer is requiring an IME, then they are certainly giving your claim heightened scrutiny, and any information uncovered in their investigation could be used to terminate your disability claim. If I were being asked to submit to an IME, I would try to select the doctor myself (a doctor selected by the claimant is no less independent than one selected by the insurance company.) If they insist you go to an examiner of their choice, you should at least make certain that the doctor they have selected has substantial clinical experience treating people with HIV. Only a doctor with clinical experience would recognize that many of the functional impairments that we live with on a daily basis (diarrhea, fatigue, etc.) are consistant with HIV disease and the side effects of the medications we take. If they are in fact giving your claim a heigthened review, I would try to supplement the record with letters from your own doctor

explaining how your symptoms prevent you from working on a full time basis. Just because you function well most of the time does not mean that you could consistantly work 5 days a week, 8-10 hours a day, as most jobs demand. You might also provide a log of your symptoms to your doctor to be placed in the medical record, thus becoming part of your insurer's claim file. You could also have friends, former co-workers, or family members attest to how your impairment prevents you from working (eg.: "I went shopping with Bill, and he became exhausted after only one hour and had to return home to take a nap.") It is much better to get all of the information in the file before a decision is made, possibly preventing a termination of benefits, than it would be to overturn a decision to overturn benefits. If possible, consult with a benefits advocate at your local HIV service agency or a lawyer specializing in disability claims. Good luck!PoWeRTX@... wrote: I had one of these medical exams a few years ago to determine if I can continue being on disability. It was not fun. But I have multiple drug resistance and that helped me make a case. I do not know what would have happened if my viral load had been undetectable. I also brought my pill box with me! click hereDoes an Independent Medical Exam Mean They Might Cancel My Long-Term Disability?I'm a 50-year-old HIVer with a

CD4 count of 70 and an undetectable viral load. I've been on long-term disability for eight years. Recently, my long-term disability carrier said it was reviewing my disability claim, and asked me to provide something called an IME (Independent Medical Examination). I loved my job and I miss it, but I'm just not healthy enough to return to work. What if this IME is just the first step toward canceling my disability claim? Regards, Vergelpowerusa dot org"The great tragedy of life is not that people set their sights too high and fail to achieve their goals but they set their sights too low and do."Michelangelo