Im not sure but I believe one is State run and one is Federal that may have something to do with it. Im waiting for a letter any day deciding my fate with SSDI... Its such a long drawn out process either way...

A very long process. I am about 3 months into my second denial. I havn't been denied my second time yet, but this time i have a lawyer. I should have done it the first time but didn't with the MS denial and all that s%^&t, now i am prepared. I am on disability from Savannah fire and thank God i had a job that provides that. Don't get me wrong. They pushed me out because they didn't want me any more, I guess I wasn't useful any longer. Either way thats my story. SS is a long road but Is a good thing if you really need it. but you have to go through all the bull to get where you want. Good luck.............

If you want SSDI, do you have to quit your job first?

If you finally get approved, is the pay retroactive to when you stopped working?

SSDI is social security, you take your payments through another program. The benefits are based on the same earnings as SS. If you are medical retirement, and receiving SS, you are using your benefits.

SSDI is judged on whether you can do your normal job. So if you are still doing the job, that is an indication that you are able, in some way, to do your job. If you quit your job, you have to have good documentation as to why you quit. A relapse, or you have received warnings about unacceptable work, attendance, something. I think sometimes the reason you leave work has to do with the ease of being approved, but I can't say that for sure.

I also think that the time you continue to work after dx, or things you have done to continue working, tried different jobs or different schedules, that kind of thing, is also taken into account, not that they say so directly.

>>>If you want SSDI, do you have to quit your job first?

>>If you finally get approved, is the pay retroactive to when >>you stopped working? "

If you want SSDI I think it is more difficult if your working. But I wasn't working so I don't know for certain, I don't have experience with working & applying for SSDI. I just have experience with applying for SSDI while not working.

When SSDI is awarded , SS assign dates to it----date of disability , date of award, date of stopping work....ect.

I believe they back pay to the date of disability. I was one of the 5% who applied when I was diagnosed with no previous medical treatment for MS. But I had been laid off my job more than a year before then I was diagnosed with MS in a fairly dramatic attack. I think that night in the intensive care unit helped my claim.

In the award they specifically said there was no evidence that MS had impacted my ability to work before I was diagnosed, so I would not receive back pay from the time I stopped work, I would receive pay from when I was found unable to work, my date of disability - or 6 months after that date.

Which was my diagnosis date, the date I began receiving medical treatment for my condition(ms).

I didn't apply for when I lost my job, I had applied for when I was diagnosed so I was surprised they made a distinction in writing when my benefits would be from?

It was 6 months after my date of disability, which was also my date of diagnosis.. I know if a person has been denied and then won on appeal they will be back paid to the 'date of disability' which on appeal may be determined to have been at the date of first denied application. And then they receive back pay. Its all when they determine the 'date of disability' is.

For SSDI a person cannot earn over a "gainful amount", (like about $1000/month) its a federal program administer by fedreal employess who live in the state---whenever a people are involved in anything there is some difference from state to state even if the guidelines are federally determined. People have different attitudes in different state.
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SSI disability is a combined program of federal and state and that is determined by state employees & state requirements(state requirements have to meet a federal floor on requirements) & once a person gets SSI disability they are required to work or be in training for work to get benefits---its called the 'welfare to work program' and Goodwill highers many people needing to work to maintain benefits.

So its important to keep a distinction between the two when reading posts from other saying what can & can't be done to maintain disability payments! Is is SSDI or SSI disability? & what state is it? SSDI is a federal program but the people who administer it have grown up and live in that state-city...making it more difficult in some states then others....

From a computer programmer-one of the first rules in computer programming is anything done by people is inconsistent. If inconsistency is found in a process look for where people are involved in the process....where data is entered ect. That's where the inconsistency is coming from because computer are always consistent. The can be consistently smart or consistently stupid. But computers are always consistent. People aren't. Thats why an appeal process exists.

SSDI is for people who can no longer work due to illness or disability. If you can still work then why would you purposely quit your job?

I just recently received my second denial for SS. I'm coming up on a year from my first application. My appeal for a hearing has gone through, and my latest letter from my lawyer said it can take anywhere from 15-18 months to get a hearing date. I've had a lawyer from the beginning. I asked them if it really took THAT long to get a date... they said it can, but you never know. Some get dates quickly, others not so quickly. It really is a loooong drawn out process for some of us... :(

aww guysgurl. i'm so sorry to hear that. It's just ridiculous how easily some people get it for things that are curable while people with MS are getting turned down.

I hope it works out for you soon.

reply #7

Man, I am so sorry to hear that.

Thanks Faey and Nikki...

Thanks for the reply. Trying to be ready for the future if it goes that way. Still working at this time and want to continue. Feeling a little run down lately. It's a long shot. But for those still working on getting SS or SSDI. Some of the meds say they can produce suicidal thoughts. Most employers won't want you that way. Maybe that could be used to collect unemployment to. It's a long shot, but worth a try.

Hello, I am currently doing this right now. Soc sec. You pay more out of pocket. you pay 20% for your drugs and for visit and hospital stays. SSDI is like medicade it pays all. You can check this out. I have a avocate working for me to get my SSDI going.

Have you taken Copazone? yet?

I recieved SSDI on my first try. I did have to stop my job, because I was falling asleep in the car going to work and then fell asleep at my desk after lunch). When I filled out the form they sent me, it took a long time. I filled it out fully. It was very hard for anyone to read (my hand writting sucks). They did give me back pay. I was told I had to stop working and driving by my doctor. Hope this helps...

Well I hope it dosen't go that way anytime soon. Went to the nero for MRI results. He was happy with it. No new leisons this time and some of the ones I had were shrinking. So, I feel good about that. But, I still wanted to be prepared just in case. A co-worker med retired from here in 07 with MS. My work gave her a med retierment of 60% - tax. I took the dis-ins here years ago. That makes up for the taxes and we can keep our ins at the same rate we pay while working. BC BS at $240.00 a month for the family plan. I paid into SS for 30 years so they should give me something.

There's a thing called allsep that helps people get SS. Just type in Allsep on the internet.