I have been gone for a spell, absorbed in trying to keep it going. I'm tired now, I resigned my position and am currently unemployed. I have really been evaluating my situation and having a hard time knowing when and if I should file for SSD. It scares me to think of being dependant financially on anyone or entity I do not control.
I talked to my physicians about it and they discourage it saying that the benefits will be so small compared to my nursing salary. But I also have not been able to maintain full time employment in over a year.
Daily my pain levels fluctuate between 5-10 on a 1-10 pain scale. I have timed it and found I can stand in place for 15mins then at 20mins become very uncomfortable pain in hips and knees. After 1 hour I'm in severe pain and have difficulty driving (usually I'm in tears at this point). I cannot sit in a chair for a movie longer than 1hour then I squirm reposition, walk around or, try to bear it and suffer consequences when I stand up. When I lie down pain starts in both legs and sharp burning sensations on the left side of my abdomen under my ribs. I can wash dishes but my back hurts after a full sink load, I only vacuum and mop floors on a really great day but the day after I'm useless! Nothing is comfortable anymore.
Most people are so used to me smiling and hiding my discomfort, they are shocked to learn anything is wrong with me at all ( I hide it well). So maybe I sound "out of touch" in asking the Question but I'll risk it anyways.
For those of you on SSD already, what was your determining factor? Can you live independently off the benefits or do you require additional assistance?
I'm just not sure if it's time to go this route or do I wait until I can't even hold down a "Mickey D" job?
Unless you have additional support it is difficult to live off of SSD as your only source of income. And generally this income is just enough to prevent qualification for other government assistance. In order to qualify youalso have to be able to document that you are unable to work at ANY job and be able to make $900 a month Totally unrealistic in this day and age. I'm wondering if you have sought care from a pain management specialist- they can do wonders Also as a nurse there is a whole world of jobs that are very sedentary in nature You could make a great deal more money working part time in a position that was less physically stressful.
You can go on Social Security's website and obtain an estimate of your disability benefits. I am waiting a hearing for SSDI. I also had lung cancer which is in remission and long term cognitive, memory and balance effects from chemoalong with SLE. I was disability retired from my job but denied for SSDI and am now waiting a hearing. My doctors fully support me. My rheumy sent me for a functional capacity evaluation and it determined I could do sedentary work but with my other deficits I would not be able to find a job in the national economy. You may want to consider an FCE before you apply.
I am on permanent disability. I realized this was necessary when I gave one massage and was out for 3 days. After 2 yrs of thinking I would feel better I called an attorney and started the process. I am glad I did. It took 3 yrs before I was awarded disability. I receive alamony also. It is not a lot of money if you can find a job maybe work from home I think that would be a good idea. I wish the best.
Terri
I was working at walmart on fmla leave. They let me go because I was sick too much. I was on unemployment and cant draw anymore because as the unemployment office stated no one will hire you. And you were unemployed for the last 6 months. Im in review with ssd. Since december. And my lawyer says the fall for court. The ssd said july.
I have sle. Nuroplophy. Ra. Raymond s disease. I.b.s. adhd. And dislexia. Its a peachy world.
I was awarded SSD 6 months after being diagnosed with lupus depression and I also had a kidney removed to kidney cancer. My doctors were very helpful by submitting paperwork as required and I also kept every appointment for the government. Upon being approved I participated in The T ice to Work program which allows a person to work for a period of 9 months at full earning capacity. I made the decision to retire after 7 months opting to keep my SSD and to work 20 hours per work because u can earn 1040 .00 per month. I made some facial concessions but it’s do able. You already know that lupus is unpredictable you may be out of work at anytime. It’s a difficult choice but my boss told me something I never will forget. A person has to recognize their limitations. Make a decision that helps you stay comfortable and healthy as possible. Pray on it HE will guide your steps
Wubbabear, I know exactly how you feel. I too have thought about SSD. Some days I can work 8 hours & make it ok, some days it’s 4 hours and that’s pretty much it for the day. I get home and I’m too exhausted, or hurting so bad that all I want to do is sit down. Like you, I have lots of back pain after standing for long periods. I totally understand how you feel.
I feel you I'm hurting more with this nice weather then I have ever hurt before. It seem so backwards to me I'm not sure what's going on but I can't seem to find comfort no matter what I do. I have been diagnos for almost two years now and it seem to be getting worst. I can't afford to take off work even though I feel like it. I'm also wondering if its worth filing for SSD. Right now I'm still trying to work and act if though nothing is wrong, but it's getting hard to continue. I just keep praying for complete healing and think positive about the whole situation...............I pray you feel relief soon!
I have been contemplating the same question but I don't think my pain level is as bad as yours. I can sit for longer periods but after about 15 minutes of standing, I have to sit or lay down. I have osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia as well as SLE. I am on 17 different prescription meds and feel like all I do is take pills. I have wondered if I could survive on disability and the truth is, that we would lose our home and probably be bankrupt by the time it was all settled. Then, after it goes through, it is such a small amount of money that it wouldn't even begin to cover our needs. If we had equity in our home we would be ok but we just bought it right before the crash and the value of it went down so we are upside down and have no equity. My husband has arthritis quite badly and can't help much on the household chores so we just do the best we can and hope we make it until we are 65. Another question I have about going on SSD is on medical insurance. What type of policy would I get? Would I be without insurance for that period of time?
I applied for SSD a year ago. I stopped working over a year ago. I was hoping I’d start to feel better, so I didn’t apply right away. I waited nearly 3 months. I now regret that decision. I’m still struggling. I didn’t know much going in. I’ve been learning a lot from this experience. Educate yourselves, ask questions and research before deciding to apply. I know I wouldn’t be able to survive on my own on the monthly payments they’ll be sending me, should I be approved. But fortunately, my daughter and her family live with me, so all expenses will be split between us. Just as it was before I had to leave my job. In addition, should you be approved you are allowed to work a certain amount of hours, if you’re able to and still receive your monthly SSD check/deposit. It’s important you find out directly from your Social Security office, how many hours you’re allowed to work and the maximum amount you’re allowed to make without penalty. You may want to hire a lawyer or agency to do all the work for you as it is a tremendous amount of work to file, fill out all the paper work, make copies, keep records and keep up with the status…etc. a few months in I decided to call around for help. They do not charge you unless you win. If you win, they take a percentage of your first check. For me it’s worth the money. When calling around ask them what their percentage is. I didn’t go with a lawyer because all the ones I called only took on the case if you applied five months prior or were already denied. I chose Allsup. I wish I had used them from the very beginning. It would have saved me a lot of work, frustration and tears. Don’t get me wrong, you still have to do some work. They’ll have to have you sign documents, they’ll ask lots of questions and you may have to fax or email a few documents to them, but believe me. It’s no where near the nightmare of doing it all yourself. So call around and go with whomever you feel comfortable with. As far as medical insurance. If you’re not working or only working part time, you can apply for Medicaid. You may or may not be accepted, depending on your state and or income. I was denied. I live in Florida and they will only approve an applicant if they’re 65 or older, pregnant, approved disability by SSD or have a child under the age of 18. So I had to search for free clinics, Clinics through the dept. Of health that charge on a sliding scale, free prescription programs…etc. Should you be approved by SSD. You can of course apply for Medicaid. You may have to pay a monthly deductible, depending on your family income. You can also apply for Medicare two years after your date of SSD approval regardless of your age. To do a screening, to see if you might be eligible for SSD You can go here: http://www.benefits.gov/ssa If it says your eligible it does not mean you will definitely get it. It just means you have a better chance. To get an estimate of what your monthly pay out would be and an explanation of benefits (how many work credits you would need to have to be able to collect SSD…etc.) you can go here: https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.do
I hope this was of help to you. The SSD website has a lot more information so I would start there. Good luck and God bless.
My determining factor came when my health declined. As a cna I worked 8-16 hrs a day, to barely 20 hrs a week. Some days I could lift 300lbs to barely lifting a 5lb bag of rice. Some days i couldnt get out of bed due to pain, no energy and it felt like a freight train ran me over. I was diagnosed with lupus in may of 2009. I applied for ssi in august of 2009 and kept appealing their denial letters, til they finally awarded my ssi in august of 2013. It took them 4 yrs to decide if i was diabled. They had every medical and lab record from all my pcp and specialty doctors. Fibromyalgia, chronic anemia, sleep deprivation, hypertension, adhd, bipolar, depression. History of pleurisy, pericarditis and ckd. Thats not including the medications.