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TipBill

Senior member
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Messages
224
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
03/2014
Country
US
State
None
I have been off of this site for several months due to depression and anxiety over being denied for disability. Every one I know received it on the first try but me and I am sure I am more disabled them some of these people claim to be. I have filed an appeal but was told it could take 6-9 months before they reach a decision. If I am denied again I will go before a judge and tell him my story. Hopefully he will be a kind and sympathetic judge and will grant me the disability. Not that that will help with the pain but I will be able to breathe a little better financially. At this point I don't know what to do but sit around and wait.

Thanks for listening.
 
every case, review, lawyer, judge, state, will be diferent. unfortunatly as much as you fit the criteria of being disabled, it seems there is still someones job to say your not. i hope you have a lawyer helping you. be straight with your lenders and creditors, they will do what they can to hold back till your final decision is made.
 
Two lawyers turned me down. Don't know why.
 
Oh Krista, I'm so sorry you have been having a rough time. Anxiety and depression are so hard to shake. I'm glad you have reached out. I have some comments that may be direct or obvious, but since I don't know you or your case, I'm going to ask away. The goal is to help you get approved......My biggest recommendation to you is do not just sit around and wait. You very likely do have a worse condition and issues than others, but it's how you present your case that will matter. First, I would suggest you contact both attorneys that declined to help you and ask WHY you were turned down by them. Maybe getting their feedback will help you understand where you need to focus your energy.

Have you been seeing a physician and/or specialists for your condition? Do you have any documentation that you can obtain from a physician? Are you currently working at all?

When I was applying, I had heard just the opposite, that most are denied first. I was very diligent when I applied. I told my husband that since I can't work, I needed to do everything possible to get approved and that once I was approved, I was then officially retired (I had worked for over 33 years). I was very fortunate. I had a LOT of documentation and a lot of historical proof that I had the condition for a long time and that it had progressively gotten worse. I did not rely on the physicians documents only because a lot of times their file notes didn't capture all the specifics of my illness (I know because I asked for a copy of my records and looked). I asked each physician, specialist and my counselor to provide me with a factual supporting letters about my illness and how it affects my ability to work. If they agreed, I kept on them until I had the letters in my hands. Once I had something, I then contacted my SSD person (everyone is assigned one) and told her what I had. She would send me a letter with a cover sheet that has to be included with anything additional provided for your SSD application file.

I basically collected everything myself and continued to add to my case long after I applied. SSD also does their collection of documents, but I didn't want to rely on just what was in my files. Along with 10-15 years of medical records, I also had 5-6 years of FMLA paperwork (it's paperwork that my physician's provided to my employer for my absences over the years, indicating that I had a health condition that required I be off for periods of time).

If you don't have a history like I did, I would suggest you take the time (and unfortunately expense) to get some support from qualified physicians. If you have seen a physician in the past, make another appointment. If he is just a general practitioner ask to see someone who understands and can help you with fibromyalgia. If he/she doesn't know anyone, be prepared (prior research) to have one in mind and ask to be referred. You need to have advocates in the medical field so the more appointments you have and the more they confirm you have a debilitating illness, the stronger the case.

If you are still working at all, you will be denied. This is what I would suggest you work on, rather than sit back and wait. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I don't claim to be an expert, but I did a lot of reading online by various sites that their goal is to help people succeed at winning SSD benefits. Google "Social Security Disability Digest".

Everything I've said here probably sounds like I was just pounding the pavement. I want you to know, it took me a while because I had to work around my bad days, for which there are many. On my good days, I would research and make phone calls. On my bad days I did nothing. Don't think you have to get this done overnight, but you do want to start getting yourself prepared. I was always taught that if you won't fight for yourself, why would you expect others to fight for you. You can do this......Hang in there.....Terbaer
 
Terbaer, thank you for your post. It was helpful. I contacted the lawyers and both said the same thing. Not enough money to make the case worthwhile. I quit work in May with no pension and no unemployment because I just couldn't stand the pain any more. Since you can't collect anything for the first five months of unemployment I would only get back pay from October through the present and the amount I will get is so small they didn't figure it was worth their time. I have sent disability all the information I have. Quite a bit of it was lost due to the fact that one of my doctor's lost his license to practice for giving his patients more oxycodin then he should have. He no longer practices medicine and the clinic where he was practicing has closed down. I can't even find a phone number for him. I called the Illinois Medical Society and was told there is no central repository for medical records especially records that are more than 10 years old. I think the reason I was denied was because I quit my job rather than being forced out and because I just got my diagonosis in March and quit in May. I guess they figured I haven't suffered long enough. HA! HA!

Any way I am just trying to get through each day. Some days it's hard. I simply don't have the strength to get out of bed. I try to go outside the house at least 2-3 times a week. If not, I go stir crazy. My husband is retired as well so at least I have him to talk to. I do get together once a month with my ex co-workers for a quick lunch. I really look forward to those days. I also suffer from a slight case of OCD which makes me feel like I always have to be cleaning something. I can't stand clutter and am always picking things up and wiping things down. My house is not spotless by any means but I always feel like I have to have everything picked up. A place for everything and everything in it's place, that's me.

Also there is no support group for fibro in my area. I looked into starting one of my own but knew I didn't have the energy to get a group going. Other people in this area have expressed interest in joining the group if I start one but like I said I don't think I have the energy to do it. I am afraid on the night the group meets it will be one of my really bad days and I won't be able to make it to the meeting.

Again, thanks for your help and thanks for listening.
 
Hope this comes through for you. I also applied, but at the same time, hope this doesn't create hassle for my current $Dr.,keep us posted.
 
Okay Krista, so you know why the attorney's wouldn't take your case now. I don't know that quitting had anything to do with your case. All they know is that you are not working. I asked an attorney. I had a guy that didn't do social security disability anymore, but he did for 20+ years so he answered a few of my questions. I also was approved for long-term disability through my previous employer so I asked her several questions. What she told me was the magnitude of illnesses is what approved me with the insurance company. I have to believe it helped with the SSD.

So, let's come up with a game plan! If you're interested, I'm willing to do whatever I can to guide you. I still say Google "The Disability Digest" (I just looked it up. What I posted above will get you there, but the site is The Disability Digest). I still get e-mail from them. All of it was helpful. It has a lot of good information on the site and has a tutorial guide to winning your social security disability claim. There are also attorney's out there who will help.....If I recall, the Disability Digest has attorney's names to contact as well. There are free services also through Social Security, you just have to do a little Google research. Try the digest first. They actually call you! No cost to join or use their services either.

The other thing to do is continue to go to the doctor. Start getting your supporting documentation. You want to get documentation of all the issues you have. As an example, I have fibro, but as you know, fibro has a whole host of debilitating issues associated with it. Get those other debilitating things documented. If you have insomnia, IBS, headaches/migraines, severe chronic fatigue, pass out when you push yourself, etc., etc., etc. make sure to get that on record.

You can do this! I hope this info helps......Take care!.....Gentle hugs
 
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