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Advice about disability

camillejaedaley
camillejaedaley
Alrighty here's some background on my issues. I have active myasthenia gravis (even after a thymectomy), I have had 2 cervical fusions, was in a T-bone car accident in which I now need 2 level lumbar fusion, lastly, I was diagnosed with SLE. I have all the crappy symptoms of this auto disease; extreme fatigue, major hair loss, horrible pain all over, rash (esp after sun exposure) ect ect..... Ok, with all that said, I applied for disability in 2013 and have added the SLE to the paperwork through my attorney. I've been denied twice and now it's going to a hearing. I'm a registered nurse, Bsn, and now am living back with my mother, with my two teenage boys. All of this has made lose my income, health, and independence. Is this a normal occurrence with disability to completely ignore all that is happening with patients? What else is there for me to do? My lawyers said this is normal, and that they have a 98% success rate with these cases. Now, I have to wait for a hearing which they said can be anywhere from 12-18 months away. I'm 38 and feel like I'm a burden.
janntheresa
janntheresa
I truly believe that this system is unacceptable and meant to make you give up.
I mean having to hire a lawyer to go after the government is a bit strange. I agree that you will probably get it with retroactive payments but it' trying to survive in the meantime.
Good Luck
haroldnorris
haroldnorris
I was approved first time I applied. The "government" actually called me to tell me, and said "tell everybody -- we do approve people the first time". I doubt very much my case was any worse than yours; but what I might have had going for me was a very old rheumatologist who had previously worked for the SSA as an consulting doctor. He said the reason he did it was because he wanted to understand the system, and I guess he succeeded at that. He was the one who suggested I apply for disability in the first place, and he wrote a letter supposing my case, or said he did -- I never saw it. He also had me talk to all my other doctors before I applied, so they'd know what was going on, and get them on board. I don't know which of these efforts, if any, made a difference, but I know I was lucky not to have to jump through a lot of hoops. I'm very sorry that you're having such struggles, and hope the situation resolved favorably very soon.
MButterfly
MButterfly
Be glad you have an attorney, and know that less than ten percent are approved the first or even second time. It's set up so that you have to fight for it when you are least able...which is why everyone needs an attorney.
camillejaedaley
camillejaedaley
Thank you guys for sharing with me. I'm pretty sure my age has a lot to do with my denials. Many of the blogs I read show, the older one is, the easier it is for them to be approved. Disregarding the health status. "I'm too young to be this sick", this is what some have said to me. Thank goodness for my lawyer. He can fight for me. I'm unable to do it alone. I'm just trying to survive everyday.