Just got my 1st denial letter from SSDI. I know at least 60% of people get denied the first go around, but I guess I was hoping for a different outcome since I started the process with the aid of an attorney. Guess I was just kidding myself. And every time my husband asks what's next and how long its gonna take, I can just see the frustration in his face. Like so many others, we are out of money and I feel so useless. Actually, worse than useless, I feel like I'm sucking the life right out of my husband. I'm just wallowing in self pity. Slap me around a couple of times, I should come out of it.
Yes, it dos suck! I also started out with an attorney, hoping to maybe get approved the first time but no such luck. My appeal was filed in May and I am told that it takes about a year to get a hearing. I just applied for food stamps cuz things are so bad. It is heartbreaking to have to go to that length to survive but I worked since I was 15 (I am 49) and I figure thT I have those food stamps. With me unBle to work and my husband chronically unemployed (he is an alcoholic and that affects his ability to keep a job), I am desperate for some help. My parents help with medicine costs so that helps but the money tree at our house dried up a while back. If my mother in law didn’t own or home, I am. It sure where we would be because we can’t even pay rent right now. But things will get better. I am alive, relatively healthy (besides the MCTD, fibro, hypothyroidism, Dysautonomia, depression ( due to the first few illnesses) etc, have a roof over my head, food in my belly, etc. life is sweet! Have a great night
Yes, I think that all of us who fault with the Government to get our Disability checks battle for at least 18 months. You must keep good medical records and continue to go to the Docs because the more records that you can show that you have been ill so long the better it will look for you. In my case even the States Docs were on my side and wrote letters stating that I have a medical disability I kept a personal file cabinet full of all of my labs, tests and meds so that I can prove it to the Disability judges myself. Even with a Lawyer it still took 18 months, I don't know if it is because the court system is just that backed up or they just basically deny us the first time.
Hang in there, I got mine and you can get yours too, while we were well enough to work , we paid into the system and now it is time that we got taken care of by them, we deserve it.
Hi Rosie! This system does suck!! I have been fighting since Dec 2008 for disability. Everyone above has had excellent advice. You just have to keep at it. Don't give up, keep fighting!
Rosie, I cried at each and every denial letter-thinking how could they? Get a lawyer who specializes in SSDI cases. They will take money only when you are awarded and there is a cap of $6k. A local lawyer is better than one of those national ones, but its up to you.
Keep saving your medical files, take pix of ALL YOUR RASHES. Document any extra materials you might need like blackout drapes, special uv clothing, etc. IF you had to stop working from illness, get a letter from your ex employer saying how wonderful you are but that your sickness is why you had to stop working. THIS IS A GREAT TOOL, trust me!
The wait for an appeal hearing here in AZ took me just over three years. I had my hearing just over a week ago and I WON at the hearing!!!!!!!!! So KEEP FIGHTING! HANG IN THERE!!!!! And wait it out! It's much easier to get SSDI if you do not work at all, that was not the case with me but I never earned above the eligibility limit which is $1010 a month.
Rosie, your day will come, I promise you that it's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN. YOU WILL GET IT IF YOU KEEP AT IT! You definitely need a lawyer Rosie, so now that you have a denial letter, you can move on to stage two-get a lawyer. And don't sweat the denial. Almost everyone gets denied. I was denied with them admitting I had adequate proof of having SLE, splondyloarthritis, Reithers syndrome, peripheral neuropathy entrapment syndrome (multiple neuropathies, including cranial neuropathies), I had a tia, PCOS, fibro (but I don't have fibro-don't ask), hypertension, diabetes, CKD, and others I'm forgetting. So it isn't YOU.
Best of luck, hang in there Rosie. It's ok to cry-it'll make you angry and when you get angry, you FIGHT! So FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!!!! Love and HUGS, Julie
Don't give up!!! I had to fight with my former employer before I could get a disability retirement and I worked in their medical dept.!!!! They were trying to say that my illness was performance related instead of my being really sick with SLE! I finally threatened to get a lawyer involved and they changed their tune. My doctor documented EVERYTHING to a T and we had plenty of proof that I was totally disabled.
I receive a partial paycheck as part of my disability retirement and I had to go through HELL every time I had to recertify with the insurance company for the former employer. It got so bad that I threatened to slit my writsts on the phone with the agent so they would believe me! Next thing I knew, they had a shrink on the phone with me trying to talk me out of suicide! I was trying to get their attention and it worked. They are finally decent to me because I refused to be treated like crap. I've been working since I was 15 years old and I've paid into the system all of these years..it is my turn to get back what I've paid for....I finally was approved for SSI benefits and I have to recertify with them, too. My rheumy is very good with my documentation and I haven't had any problems the last couple of times.
I used to be the main breadwinner of the family and now my husband has to earn the "big" paycheck...it isn't even half of what I used to bring home....we could file for bankruptcy....and may do so, if we need to.
Keep the faith....don't give up! My prayers are with you!
They denied mine the first time around and with an attorney. The second time around, my distant cousin helped me. But even knowing it would be fine, a worker at the SS office tried his best to discourage me saying I was wasting my time on an application they'd deny for sure! My cousin told me then that they usually try anything to discourage applications.
My cousin died last year, but he was a retired SS attorney working for the SSA office. His job? Denying applications!