Joy

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this information Joy........... couple of questions if you don't

mind.......

One is, I sure hope they dont try to send it to my checking or savings as I have

neither anymore- my x tried to put a lien on it - and they froze my account for

two days then charged me eighty dollars after i proved he had no right to do

so.......... so I closed both accounts and just use mothers......... it saves a

lot of fuss and that eighty dollars may not seem like a whole lot but dang it

sure put me way behind........ I am barely making it now with the little help I

get....... So how come they didn't ask you before they sent?

And the children? They are eligible due to?

I am so glad that yours all went well and that you have received everything as

you should have.

I do not intend to dress up- as for buttons- forget it, impossible...... I will

most likely wear a pullover and some pull on pants...... I don't dress to slobby

at home so will most likely wear what I am comfy in here.

Whats really scarey is that with EDS - one never knows how they will feel from

one day to the next so , that goes for looks too........ I mean, some days the

dark circles are worse than other days. Guess I should make myself not rest at

all 2 days before or night so I look like how I feel when Im my worst? LOL

Thanks for the response and take care-

Hugs and Love- TJ

I had my ALJ hearing in December and received a letter saying I got a

positive decision on January 26 from a letter dated December 31.

Then on Feb 17th they sent the lump sum payment to my bank (if you

move after you initially apply, make sure you change your bank

information with social security. I didn't. The $ went to a closed

account).

The lump sum was payment back to the date I became eligible for social

security: May 2001. So it was a huge help for my family.

Last week I had a phone interview to determine benefits for my minor

children and was told I qualify for an additional $229 per month per

child (I have 2). All that took was a phone call to social security

and they scheduled the phone interview.

I was terrified before my hearing. The attorney told me what to

expect and I was fortunate enough to get a judge who, I believe, was

very objective. The attorney said that there are some here who look

at the person's age and appearance and have preconceived notions of

that person's health. This one listened attentively and had my

attorney ask questions. There was a vocational expert who listened to

the testimony.

He was very attentive also. It was all I could do not to break down

and sob, though, when he said that based upon what he eard that day,

there was no employment he knew of that I would be able to maintain

for any reasonable length of time. When I received my award letter it

said it was based upon EDS, depression and fibromyalgia.

I didn't think I actually would get it. I see/hear so many of you

guys who have what seems to be so much worse of a time than I do and

think that surely you guys should be entitled to so much more. But I

figured I had nothing to lose since I had been working on it for

nearly 3 years. I did listen to the attorney - they said to not

overdress. Don't be a slob, but don't show up dressed for court or

church. Obviously if you say you can't do little things like work

buttons, don't wear something with numerous buttons. Honesty is best.

I wore pull on pants, a pull over shirt, a cardigan and slip on shoes

-- which is what I normally wear to be comfy. A lot of it will depend

on the judge's demeanor. I just kept it honest but did not try to put

on my usual brave face that keeps me going from day to day.

It was absolutely one of the worst days of my life and it only lasted

about 30 minutes. I'm sure it's different for every person but I hope

that some of you will have the good fortune I had.

Joy

ville FL

To learn more about EDS, visit our website: http://members.rogers.com/ceda2/

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