I DUNNO GIRL, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR 2 AND A HALF YEARS NOW. STILL DONT KNOW ANYTHING MORE THAN WHEN I FIRST APPLIED. I DO KNOW IT IS A LONG PROCESS SO MY ADVICE FOR YOU IS TO GET STARTED NOW. AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A LAWYER....YOU WILL DEFITNALLY NEED ONE. GOOD LUCK, TAMMY

Hi carolinagirl, SSDI is difficult to obtain. My best advice is to obtain a lawyer who specializes in SSDI cases. You can find them on the net. Also, if medically your medical physicians have documented about your fatigue that will assist you to obtain SSDI. Also pain and depression will. Being in a wheelchair is not a reason to obtain SSDI. There are a lot of factors involved. There is a blue book site that tells you all about it. Send me a message and I will send you some sites to check out and some information that I gathered when I went through the process. I hope this can help you... Carol

I worked for Social Security for 18 years. Just to set the record straight, an attorney does not make any difference in the decision of disability. It is based on duration and severity. There are so many factors involved. I have the blue book that was mentioned by Carol. The listings change all the time and my book may be outdated by now. The fatigue itself can be considered disabling but it depends on the severity. The more collateral evidence one would have the better too. Feel free to ask me any questions if you like.

My fatigue and depression has gotten really bad. Its affecting me in odd ways now like I started to not wash my hair in the mornings, just shower off because i was so tired even after sleeping 10 hrs. I couple of times i've gone to work without showering at all. I just roll out of bed take my medicines and go. ANd when i get to work i feel like crying, I close my door at lunch time and lay down for an hour just to make it through the day. and when i get home i go straight to the couch, i'm ready to go to bed by 7:30. That is not acceptable to me and it a shame to live like that. Is this someting signigicant as far as how depression and fatigue is affecting me for disability and the severity of it??

I agree with getting an attorney. They can dismiss your claim if every t is not crossed, etc. You may end up having to have one to get all the way through anyway, so let them do the leg work! You can talk to an attorney, and they will file and all and no charge to you unless you win case! Took 18 months for mine from start to finish. dd

has anyone used allsup?
i see there ads everywhere.
jav

I have disability insurance through my employment. They have hired alsop to handle my case. (Anything the government pays they don't have to pay) They do keep on top of what is going on and handle all the paper work. Since I am not paying I don't know how much it costs. They have been filing for a year and I have been denied on all counts. The next time I will be going in front of a Judge. They will be going with me at that time. I haven't got a clue what will happen. I think if I'm denied that I will also lose my disability because they will think I can work somewhere else. I wish I knew what that work could be.

When I was applying for SSD I first called a lawyer and he told me he could not help until I was denied and I was at the point of appeal then that is when you need a lawyer but you must first be denied.I applied on my own but I had all my medical paper work and my papers from my employer and took it in . When I applied I was no longer working. Also there is a six month waiting period from the date you apply.So i had to wait, But i was approved on the 6th month. But during that six months SSD had myself & boyfriend fill out papers on my daily activities such as what I was capable of doing.Also i thought this was funny, I had to see their Neuro . Well turns out their neuro is my neuro's husband. Well we allknow he is not go up against his wife's diagnosis/prognosis.My neuro wrote to SSD my problems were fatigue,cognize problems and gait problems.Well anyways just get all medical paper work from day one together to be prepared for SSD when you apply.You might be elgilble for SSI until you get SSD also apply for that Good luck, Melinda

I may be wrong, but I think the requirements are different for every state as well. The most important thing is having the doctor or neuro having a complete understanding of your disability and willing to assist you in the mountain of paperwork needed to complete.

First don't confuse SSI and SSDIl. SSDI is insurance, plain and simple, SSI is Needs based government aid ("wellfare") determined by things like your income.

Second, you don't NEED a lawyer. I am one of those with MS who can 'pass' for not being sick (except I do use a cane for balance).

People will tell you that you don't even pay for the attorney, BUT you do. The money for the Attorney comes out of your award, it is money you can Bank or spend as you please.

I think it is helpful to have a Doc who has had experience dealing with the Feds.

The letter my Neurologist wrote was short and too the point that due to my MS, I could not work (I could sit in one positiomn for a time "but I wouldn't be very productive"
Larry
(You might be able to tell I hate the thought of paying for a lawyer unless absolutely necessary)

I was approved with my first appication. Before I submitted, tho,I made sure that both of my neurologists and my general doctor knew what I was doing. I don't know if having three doctors willing to vouch for me helped.

Please don't give up. You have to fight a good fight to win, but it's worth it.

Good Luck, Karen

LarryMontana is right in that you do not need a lawyer. If you are awarded benefits the attorney takes their fair share. They do not influence the adjudicators decision in any way. Also of note that the states do not have different rules as it is a Federal Program and each state goes by the same set of rules.

I spoke with the feds the other day about what I needed to do and they told me that my husband makes to much for me to get it. Isn't this money that I paid in while I worked? I know others that get disability and their spouses make good money. I am filing because the lesser amount of hours I can work. Their site says that if you make less than $900 a month, you can still get disabilty and work. Does any of this sound right? It's all way to confusing and the ss lady on the phone was a wicked witch! Excuse me but she was!

I don't know about how your spouse's income affects you ssdi. If it were private, there would be no affect. I know I can only earn about 50% of my SSDI award. Since SSDI is insurance based on some formula of how much you earned leading up to your disability.

For that reason, you should not delay declaring yourself disabled. I guess if your spouse earns 'too much' that could affect your award BUT you should apply anyway. You keep the amount you're awarded even if you reach retirement age. (i.e., I make more from SSDI than my Social Security retirement but my income will not go down when I reach 65.

The point I made before is still pertainent: DON'T delay filing for disability as the amount is based on how much you earned in the weeks before you applied.

I agree with larrymontana...apply now inspite of what this women said. I make a good salary from other sources, not from work, and I was able to recieve SSDI. This is not dependent upon what your house hold income is. It is dependent on what you have paid in. Also it is dependent upon whether you will fit the criteria established by SSDI for a disability. Best of Luck.. Carol