God bless you my friend..this is an ongoing battle. I am on second denial with 4 diseases/disorders. I have just emailed a lawyer who is willing to take my case on. If I do not hear from him today, I will talking to another one. Keep on pressing. I did find out that it is important that your doctor is on board with you. Get a letter from doc if possible. I'm not sure about benefits but I would think that if you got disability, you would get the insurance. Don't quote me on that though. Prayers and positive thoughts going your way. Do NOT give up...I am not!

I heard they automatically deny it the first go round. After my denial, I got a lawyer. Medicare starts two years after approval date. If you get a lawyer, make sure he works on a contingency.

They say 12-24 months, but it's often sooner for the hearing. (at least when I went through it I think I waited 4 months)

As for the rest.. once approved you have the date you are considered disabled, and the date that your back pay starts and ssdi will have kicked in. It's been a while, I THINK it's 6 months from the date you claim you have become disabled. So you will get medicare 2 years after the date that ssdi payments start, or 6 months after the date you claim you where disabled.

It's hard to deal with. Being uninsured, or having to pay when you have no money for insurance. There are usually other types of help you can get for medication and doctors will usually drop their price...

As for living. You may qualify for state aid. If not, that's the loop hole where things get much more difficult.

Best wishes, hang in there.

i agree with msinterupted,

the date of disability is important..and the date of disability is not the date you applied its the date ss deems your disability started. since your working with a laywer he will work to get that date set as far back as he can. he may get it set back to the date of your first application or even to the date you were diagnosed? if i remember right you were diagnosed based upon a significant episode involving your ability to walk and with you being a surver you really couldn't walk on undeveloped land. your laywerf may successfully argue that was you date of disability.?

from the date they assign as your date of disability, they are legally required to begin payments after 6 months of the date of disability. if its going through an appeal then they are required to provide back pay to 6 months after the date of disability,

then a person becomes eligible for medicare 2 years after the3 first check is received or back payment was started.--

-so the least possible wait would be if they assigned your date of disability to when you had your diagnosing attack.

-then you would recieve back pay from six month after you were diagnosed(date of disability)

- medicare eligibilty begins 2&1/2 years from when you were diagnosed(date of disability)

longest time if the assign your date of disability to when you appealed.

then 6 months after the appeal you would recieve your first check.

then 2&1/2 years after the appeal you would be eligible for medicare.

it depends how they assign your date of disability---in the best case you are right now completing that 2 year wait for medicare . i hope that is how it is for you..

disability date has nothing to do with approval date.

i think i was approved in November my disability date was assigned for august. I recieved my first check 6 month after my date of disability in February, then became eligible for medicare in February, 2 years later.

i hope you have the best date of disability assigned.

I applied and received my turn down notice, and retained an attorney. After 2 months we went to court. I received 6 months back pay and the court paid the attorney fees off the top of what I was due. I had COBRA and continued on it for 6 more months and then was put on Medicare.

I then chose Kaiser for my medical treatment and have not had a problem. The courts placed me ad disabled 6 months after I claimed I could no longer work! Hope this helps!

My understanding...I was just approved last week or so for disability (SSI & SSDI) & I was told that...

SSI is from "Date Of Filing For Disability."

& SSDI is from "Date Of Determination Of Disability."

I hope that helps my friend!

Take care,
Stay sane!

P.S...I hope it doesn't take as long as they say it will take & there is a miracle in your case as there was in mine...it only took 4 months to get approved for me.

I do not say this to gloat, I merely say this to let you know that there can be a light at the end of the LONG tunnel. Just keep your head up & your heart strong my friend.

Yeah, I don't know how it happened so soon either, so I don't really have any speedy tips & tricks other than...if you pray, pray pray & pray some more...

there is a great saying..."God helps those, who helps themselves!"

If He sees you are trying with all your might to make it through each day & you are putting forth all the effort you possibly can, something good will come my friend! I truly believe that!

When it's meant to happen, it will! :-)

Thanks everyone. At least the clock is ticking and someday the wait will be over. Hopefully I will still have a home to live in when it starts coming in. If congress hadn't stolen the funds to help pay for their overspending it would probably be easier to get approved.

I'm thinking I was too optimistic when SSDI called and asked me questions last fall. Perhaps if I was all doom and gloom I would have been approved.

I suppose I will keep selling my toys to get by. These days I can't play with them very long anyway..............

I got my social security the 1st time I applied with no lawyer. I couldnt believe it because I had heard such horror stories of having to wait 2-3 years before getting approved. BobbyJ is exactly right, you got to have information overkill! And I did, I submitted 3 years of solid doctor visits, test results, and three doctors stating I was not able to work, history of symptoms and how it changed my daily livelihood. I also had a psychiatrist to back me on my major depression. Im not real sure but I think you have to be physically AND mentally unable to work. It took a total of 6 months for the whole process. The initial date I applied to the date I was awarded. So,it can happen if you have strong paperwork.

My SSD started to accumulate on the date I applied if accepted. Was denied once, had that Gamma Knife procedure for TN, then was accepted. Took 2 years.
I have found that if you have had brain surgery it goes through faster but, I do not recommend automatically having this done. Didnt work for me and there are prolonged risks.
They considered GK as brain surgery I guess. Though, I am not sure but, thats what GK actually is. They dont need to cut you open; Gamma Radiation is used.
The GK was for the Trigeminal Neuralgia caused by MS. Hope you dont have this as well.
Its a difficult time to endure.
Best of luck.