Wellness

[Cookie06]

I also went through the system to apply for SSD. When you apply for benefits on line, they tell you right off the bat that you will probably be turned down twice and then on the third try, I went to an attorney that specializes in these cases. It was worth it to me to pay the attorney out of my settlement from SS to handle the case. I have heard over and over that the third time is the charm. I have no idea why, but it was true for me as well. You have to then appear before a judge, he looks over your records and makes a decision right then and there. The judge took one look at my file describing the titanium bars, screws, etc. installed surgically in my back and said he couldn't believe they hadn't approved me in my prior attempts. I think maybe they make it a little difficult to get SSD to weed out the people that aren't really disabled. I know my case is different than your daughter's, but she certainly is disabled and deserves to get the help she needs. Good luck to your daughter, tell her to be patient, hire a disability attorney, and you don't pay him unless he get's you the disability.

[TRUE]

I was turned down on the 1st try only..... I couldn't even do the tests they wanted for mental anxiety and ptsd etc.... so its definitely worth your daughter to go for it.

[LilacTree]

I do believe this lawyer is going to file on the basis of depression and many of her physical symptoms related to Lyme, but probably not making Lyme the main issue because, as we all agree, that will not get her anywhere even though that is what is causing everything.

Of course, she's depressed. She's desperately sick all the time . . . who wouldn't be depressed? She needs disability benefits and I guess whatever it takes legally will have to suffice. She paid in for 30 years, it shouldn't have to be this difficult.

In the meantime, we are hopeful the doctor she sees in January will be able to help her. The most important thing is that she is able to get better and have her life back again.

Thank you all so much . . . you have all been through this in one way or another. Only those who have personally, or have had a loved one go through this, can understand it.

[LilacTree]

On 12/22/2014 TRUE said:

Yes I got it after losing my husband.....for anxiety and panic attacks. I had them previously. But I know someone who got it for chronic fatigue and she gave me the name of an attorney.

Unless a doctor says she cannot work or has been hospitalized in a mental facility you don't have to go through the dreadful process I did. She will be checked by SS doctors and most always is denied.....I was but this is where the attorney comes in and she will get it. It took a year but it is retroactive.

First get a doctor or two the more the better. Then call SS and set up appointment.

Remember she will never be able to work again once on it you can make up to a certain amount but most attorney's and doctors will advise NOT too as it can be taken away.

Good luck

She can never work in that environment again (hair salons) and that is her only profession. The chemicals in the air abound in those places, and will keep her from recovery. So it's SSDI or we, as a family, have to make major changes in our lives which I have discussed.

Yes, we will need luck, and patience, and in the meantime hope that her health improves and, God forbid, doesn't get worse.

[turtle52]

On 12/22/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 12/22/2014 TRUE said:

Yes I got it after losing my husband.....for anxiety and panic attacks. I had them previously. But I know someone who got it for chronic fatigue and she gave me the name of an attorney.

Unless a doctor says she cannot work or has been hospitalized in a mental facility you don't have to go through the dreadful process I did. She will be checked by SS doctors and most always is denied.....I was but this is where the attorney comes in and she will get it. It took a year but it is retroactive.

First get a doctor or two the more the better. Then call SS and set up appointment.

Remember she will never be able to work again once on it you can make up to a certain amount but most attorney's and doctors will advise NOT too as it can be taken away.

Good luck

She can never work in that environment again (hair salons) and that is her only profession. The chemicals in the air abound in those places, and will keep her from recovery. So it's SSDI or we, as a family, have to make major changes in our lives which I have discussed.

Yes, we will need luck, and patience, and in the meantime hope that her health improves and, God forbid, doesn't get worse.

If she has limited income and resources, she might be entitled to public assistance, food stamps and Medicaid. There is NO shame in applying for this help, and it will ease the family's financial burden. It takes a while for the SSDI decision to be made so this would be interim financial assistance.

[LilacTree]

On 12/21/2014 gabstoomuch said:

Just a suggestion, it is a personal choice of every person who suffers from multiple, interconnected conditions and need disability.

File for the condition that will go through the fastest. The most recognized and accepted condition.

If I were her, I would file under "debilitating depression", in conjunction with other illnesses which would be seen in her medical charts.

People get through faster for depression because it is SO recognized as a chronic, life altering condition. It is now classified under "medical condition", as well as mental.

Trying to get it under "chronic Lyme" will make her crazy. And MORE exhausted. Lyme is only coming into 'accepted condition', but you are absolutely right. Lyme Literate MD's do remain "unnamed". They call themselves LLMD's, but very rarely accept insurance, cash only. They are really good at the prescribing plethora of antibiotics that are needed for all the co-existing bacteria that keep multiplying, but do remain "unnamed", for reasons as you stated. They can lose their license. Pretty crazy.

Lyme will come into being accepted and treated 'out in the open' eventually. The ground roots thump is growing louder as more and more people are demanding treatment.

But 'eventually' does not help those that are suffering in the moment.

Have your daughter try a different condition. Certainly she has co-mingling conditions contributing to her feeling so awful. Depression is one. Very understandable too.

Yes she does. She has many, many symptoms, some of them very frightening, like total brain fog, feeling as though she is walking on a moving floor having to hold herself steady by backing up to the walls, numbness in her limbs, blurry vision, extreme exhaustion and fatigue . . . and I could go on and on. She's had every test in the book, none of which show a disease process. The third Lyme test that was done finally showed the Lyme exists, and that it has been in her body for a long time.

However, you are correct. This attorney is going to go the CFS/depression route. Even though she dislikes him, she is going to cooperate with that approach since he obviously makes a living doing this and bragged to her that he knows a lot of the judges. That turns my stomach (and hers) but that's the way of this world these days.

Thanks for your suggestion. It seems there is no alternative.

[LilacTree]

On 12/22/2014 turtle52 said:

On 12/22/2014 Ford1224 said:

On 12/22/2014 TRUE said:

Yes I got it after losing my husband.....for anxiety and panic attacks. I had them previously. But I know someone who got it for chronic fatigue and she gave me the name of an attorney.

Unless a doctor says she cannot work or has been hospitalized in a mental facility you don't have to go through the dreadful process I did. She will be checked by SS doctors and most always is denied.....I was but this is where the attorney comes in and she will get it. It took a year but it is retroactive.

First get a doctor or two the more the better. Then call SS and set up appointment.

Remember she will never be able to work again once on it you can make up to a certain amount but most attorney's and doctors will advise NOT too as it can be taken away.

Good luck

She can never work in that environment again (hair salons) and that is her only profession. The chemicals in the air abound in those places, and will keep her from recovery. So it's SSDI or we, as a family, have to make major changes in our lives which I have discussed.

Yes, we will need luck, and patience, and in the meantime hope that her health improves and, God forbid, doesn't get worse.

If she has limited income and resources, she might be entitled to public assistance, food stamps and Medicaid. There is NO shame in applying for this help, and it will ease the family's financial burden. It takes a while for the SSDI decision to be made so this would be interim financial assistance.

She does not qualify because she receives alimony. It puts her over the limit even though it does not support her. She is getting approximately one-fifth of what he's worth. He just bought a new Jaguar. She is driving my car, a Kia. She did not fight hard enough, she gave up because she could not bear the stress anymore.

[moonstone dunes]

If your daughter has medical records to document her depression why doesn't she apply online? She doesn't even need the full record from the doctor; just the practitioner's name(s) and dates of related medical tests, hospital stays. She can list her diagnosis/diagnoses and treatments received and any medications she has taken or is taking. Just a note: look in the SSA "blue book" its is online under medical conditions; Section 14 lists Lyme as part of immune disorders.

She can start the application and save it and go back to it. Work at her own pace. She will need to determine the DATE she became disabled. Very important because that will be the date her benefits retro back to. So [HYPOTHETICALLY] do not put in a date of November 1 because that was the day she saw a lawyer. Determine the date she became disabled. If it was one year ago or 18 months, use that date.

this came directly from a SSA agent - SS does not really consider long term history going back 20 years. They are only concerned with inability to work due to disability in the past 2-3 years. But my .02 is DO include all supporting records anyway. She does not need to submit actual copies from doctors. SSA does this - she just needs to gather her files and use the data on the app.

After applying a package will be mailed from another SS office in TN or KY. There will be paper forms to complete and return to SSA and forms to be forwarded to employers and medical providers (they complete and return them to SS) SSA reviews and medical evals will be scheduled. Some cases require a 3rd party eval by a doctor. SSA is quite prompt once the app begins they send reminders to complete it (the process on their end is done by calendar quarter)

Best wishes to you and your daughter for Happy New Year.

typo

[LilacTree]

On 12/22/2014 moonstone dunes said:

If your daughter has medical records to document her depression why doesn't she apply online? She doesn't even need the full record from the doctor; just the practitioner's name(s) and dates of related medical tests, hospital stays. She can list her diagnosis/diagnoses and treatments received and any medications she has taken or is taking. Just a note: look in the SSA "blue book" its is online under medical conditions; Section 14 lists Lyme as part of immune disorders.

She can start the application and save it and go back to it. Work at her own pace. She will need to determine the DATE she became disabled. Very important because that will be the date her benefits retro back to. So [HYPOTHETICALLY] do not put in a date of November 1 because that was the day she saw a lawyer. Determine the date she became disabled. If it was one year ago or 18 months, use that date.

this came directly from a SSA agent - SS does not really consider long term history going back 20 years. They are only concerned with inability to work due to disability in the past 2-3 years. But my .02 is DO include all supporting records anyway. She does not need to submit actual copies from doctors. SSA does this - she just needs to gather her files and use the data on the app.

After applying a package will be mailed from another SS office in TN or KY. There will be paper forms to complete and return to SSA and forms to be forwarded to employers and medical providers (they complete and return them to SS) SSA reviews and medical evals will be scheduled. Some cases require a 3rd party eval by a doctor. SSA is quite prompt once the app begins they send reminders to complete it (the process on their end is done by calendar quarter)

Best wishes to and your daughter for Happy New Year.

typo

My daughter did a lot of research on this. Making the claim online can work for many disabilities and diseases, but it never works for someone who is claiming "chronic Lyme disease." She said she does not have any other diagnosis. The attorney is adept at getting around this (he says) and plans the "CFS/depression" approach. I brought it up to her because so many posters have recommended this approach and found success. "But not for Lyme," my daughter says.

Every single professional has said she is depressed and all of her symptoms are caused by depression. However, again, she is depressed because she is ill. It is not free floating depression and she said she cannot approach it that way, that she will fail because she does not believe it.

I myself would try this approach, but she won't and she is a grown woman, not a child. I can't force her. She gets really angry because she said she would feel as though she was lying and she could not lie before a judge.

Thank you for your suggestion though. It is a valid one.

[Hooty]

I don't know if you realize, the attorney does not get paid if the client does not receive SS Disability! There are specialized attorneys that ONLY do this and they guarantee you to receive it, if not the first time, but they keep trying! You WILL NOT get it without an attorney, I can guarantee it!

My DH is an attorney, he only did a couple of these cases, and it was such a hassle! It is best to go to a specialized attorney that ONLY does this, JMHO!