Hi, after a long wait I was denied.I have drug resistant major depression,panic/anxiety disorder, graves disease,cfs along with a few others and have a doctor trail 6 years long and have not been able to work for the past year dispite weekly thearpy and monthly p-doc visits every month at a local mental health clinic for the past 2 years, they were the ones who recommended me apply.I gave them my entire past job history including the last 4 I was fired from due to my problems.They send me the denial notice stating there are certian jobs I am able to work dispite my disability,I cant even get out of my house some days or out the bed for that matter, if I could Id be working and spending time with my family instead of applying.I called a company that helps people with there disability claims and told them I was appealing my claim and they said they could help, I got their paperwork through mail yesterday I'm mailing out today.I have a friend who got approved the first time for major depression and never had prior treatment as I have with no other health problems but he did go to see one of there doctors which I have not,now he is living a normal happy life receiving his checks which is his buisness but I really just dont understand the system?My guess is that they have to approve a certain percentage of people and deny a certain amount?What are my chances with help?Is it best to use a company that only deals with disability claims or a local lawyer?

I know how you feel completely. I was a lucky one and got approved right away but my hubby was denied on his first try. He just got a fully favorable decision on his ALJ hearing in January of this year.
This is my suggestion to you. Go to a DISABILITY LAWYER. The initial consult is free and they get no money until you win and then there are limits. The lawyer who does this for a living is going to help you and guide you through the process. Remember they get nothing till you get something.
You may need more medical or maybe some thing is missing in your file.
Now my hubby's attorney did not even ask him to sign a commitment letter until we got close to the hearing date and he needed to get all the records that were not in the file or the new doctors he recommended.
I'm not familiar with the disability companies but I wouldn't pay out any moneies and if they can't represent you at any of your hearings I would pass on them.

In addition to the excellent suggestions by countrykid, make sure your statement

"I cant even get out of my house some days or out the bed for that matter........"

***is documented in all your medical doumentations!!!!***

In other words watch what you say to your doctors. They write everything down & the judge and/or SSD claims reps read all the doctors NOTES which are different from your medical "records"!!!! :eek:

If this is your first time applying is very hard to get approved on the first and even the second go...Appeal it and just keep going...Most likely you MAY be approved at the Hearing level...

I can understand your frustration as well, it took me 4 years of fighting to finally get my benefits...

Good luck.

Hi, thanks for the replys,I sent my paperwork off this morning to the lawyer group.My only concern is that it is a company I found online "Allsup" if they are really as good as I have heard.I got my appeal paperwork in today for reconsideration, they said do not do anything until there rep calls me to instruct me on what I need to do.I thought about saying the heck with it and try to work again but I know it will turn out the same as my past jobs did and job reference is very important.We are suffering money wise so I need to do something.They also stated due to my skills and past work experience,education ect there would be jobs for me? At one time I was a supervisor at a large coorp, had my own landscaping and photography buisness ect.. but life has took a 180 for me,I have already lost my 1st home,equipment,cars,jobs,trucks,land ect.. because of my health and I hate to loose what little I have managed to aquire now.I was wondering do they get my records only from my doctors or a written statement to from my doctors because my p-doc asked if I had applied for disability yet and I said yes but she has heard nothing from them,I have a appointment with my p-doc next week is there anything I should ask her or tell her about me being able to function or work to add to my medical records?

If this is your first time applying is very hard to get approved on the first and even the second go...Appeal it and just keep going...Most likely you MAY be approved at the Hearing level...

I can understand your frustration as well, it took me 4 years of fighting to finally get my benefits...

Good luck.

Did you have a lawyer in the process?I dont know how much longer we can hang in financial wise.My wife is looking for work but jobs in our area tough to find.I applied in 05 but was denied because I called and told them I was going to try to work again because my employer said he would try to work with me which he did for a while until he could take no more.So this is my 2nt time trying.

My husband used Allsup. He was initially denied, but was approved with an "On The Record" decision from the ALJ. In Alabama and several other states, it goes straight from the first denial to the ALJ - no reconsideration level. From the time he was first denied, it was about 7 months later when he was approved.

Hi were the very helpful in the paperwork process ect,I researched them "allsup" and only found good reviews on there company and the reps were very polite and helpful.I just sent my filled out forms to them today,the lady I spoke with said a rep would contact me.I will be happy for some help with the claim, do they seem to prolong the process to get their max amount of the 25%? thanks

Hi hypher79:wave: No they usually don't prolong it to get more money. But I know how you feel it took me 2 1/2 years to get mine but I know this woman who was my supervisor at one time she got hers on the first try too. She told me that she told them that all she could do was sit in the house all day and do nothing but listen to the radio and that's how she got hers. So make it known that you not able to do nothing at all to everyone you speak to. About the part where you were denied and your doctor said that they hadn't hear nothing SS the same happened to me after I applied the first time and went to the SS doctor and got denied. My doctor said the same thing that he would help me when they contacted him but never contacted him when I filed my appeal. So the best thing to do as everyone else has said get a good lawyer.

Hi there everyone, i read your posts as i am in appeal right now and waiting for a hearing i know somewhat about how the process works because i had to go to court for my sons ssi and i didn't have an attorney and won. They told me that i could try to work part time being in an appeal because they know people have to try to pay for things, so i don't know why there was someone that posted on here that they couldn't continue the appeal unless they lied to me when i talked to them. I am getting worried as i am gonna try to go back to my seasonal job to try and give it a go and wondering if when i report it if they will deny my appeal? I wish they could figure out what is wrong with my back as i am young and have alot of drive to be a survivor but when it hurts what can you do?




Love, Monkey


Clinical
Depression
Fibromyalgia
Osteoarthritis
GAD
Panic Disorder

Hi,I am also trying to get an old seasonal job back at a entertainment center,I hope it is under the table as it use to be.On that job I worked pretty much whenever,even the wee hours if I want.Im sure they would deny me if I got a check and it went on record,just hope I can hang in there money wise,I really hate to push myself into worse shape as I have before and putting lost jobs under my belt,I almost feel thats what they want us to do to prove to us we are able to work??

I saw that you had asked me a question awhile back...Sorry I just saw it...

Yes I did get a lawyer after my second denial...

I hope your case gets approved soon...I know it's frustrating and it seems to take forever....

I wanted to respond to the good advice that MzMigraine and MzPain give over and over - I asked a friend that is a SSD intake worker about the work issue and she said she would strongly recommend not working in anyway that was traceable -I understand you have to feed your household but you are disabled and need to think about the future - look for aid anyway you can
The other advice they have given is to watch what you say to your doctor - she said she knew a guy that made a statement to his physician like "if I have to feed my children I guess I would get out there and work" and someone at social security questioned him about what type of jobs he would do to feed his children and if that job would earn him more than the minimum amount allowed because that disqualified him from SSD - GoodLuck Tamp

Yes tamp, i agree, if you earn more than the allowed amount they will disqalify you while your applying wich is you cannot be able to do substaintial gainful activity and that means to them making an amout that is more than like 700 or 800 dollars a month if i believe. It has taken me alot longer to understand the adult part of benifiets than it did with the child benifiets. They just want you to have to fight, and i thinks it's sad that the government makes it so alot of people have to get an attorney to make them understand one is disabled under the laws and regulations especially if it's in dr.s statements, if it weren't then i myself would be hesitant but for people that truly are they are making people pay attorneys to win your money that you so rightly deserve, i refuse to pay an attorney, and even though i may not have paid into the system for lets say 25 year+ or whatever doesn't mean i have or anyone has to suffer along with the pain and depression or whatever kind of disability that they may have to live with while they wait for these desicions. It's just not fair. I mean they made it alot difficult a few years back and took alot of people off of disability due to not enough evidence ect. so dah its plain to see it's hard to pull it off if the disability doesn't exsist. I once asked someone how can you fake the system? Well they said anyone can limp, i can't imagine although i know they are out there in the world how one would want to make only 603.00 a month if they don't have enough credits then to not just go out and get a factory job making in a few years double that, i know i would. Or whatever you can find, cause thier out there even without an education. Sorry to ramble but i get so grr when it comes to all this.

Take care, Monkey

I got a notice today from allsup and the paper states they have began development on my case,I guess they will guide me on the appeal paperwork.I saw my p-doc today at the mental health center and she was dissapointed on the denial on my case,she feels that I am not able to work and looked at my records when I first come to them in 1/2005 and I have made no progress.She said my only help was psycothearpy every week instead of every two weeks as I have since the start and was against trying any more meds except what I'm on now.I wonder if allsup could jump me past the reconsideration stage,by what I hear the odds of getting approved at the consideration stage is slim unless there are changes in health since the first application?

I wonder if allsup could jump me past the reconsideration stage
No

You must remember you are dealing with the Government. Everything is done in stages. If you are denied Reconsideration, the next step is the ALJ Hearing in front of a Judge. This is where you have a better chance of winning your case if you have an attorney in most cases although it is not necessary.

If you want to forgo *Reconsideration* then you will be placed at the bottom of the barrel. In otherwords, you will need to start the process all over again and/or reapply for SSDI.

If Allsup is handling your case ask them what is the backlog time limit in your state?



Good luck on your Reconsideration! :angel:

Just a update. I had my interview with allsup today, the rep said they would handle my appeal pprwork and there is a 20% chance of getting approved at the reconsideration level,so looks like I have a long wait.

does medical bills play any part in this? I just got a mind blowing $3200 bill today from my mental health clinic, seems I owe everyone in the medical field,I would hate to see the total!!