hi everyone hope all is well with everyone! just wondering if anyone is on social security disability? i was told by my surgeon and primary doctor to apply for it. now the thing is i am only 38 years old and was very active until this whole back thing happened. oct. 17 th i had my 2nd surgery. he put in 2 rods with screws and a spacer and did discotomy and lamanecoty and put in a bone stimulator and fusion l4-5 s1. with all i had done im still having sciatica pain and numbness and burning and back pain. have a hard time sleeping because my back pain wakes me up. i am on lortab 10/500 every 4 hrs amitripline 50 mg at bedtime lunista at bed time gabapentin 300 mg 3 times day. i was a school bus driver before the surgery and with the medicine and the problems im havinghe said i will never be able to do it anymore. i have drovwe for the last 10 years and it really bummes me out not to be able to do it anymore. my surgeon want me to go on disabilty and then try physical theraphy and send me to some one to evulate me and see what i can and can't do and then re-train me. just wondering what the steps are to social security disability and what to expect. thank you all so much any post will be greatly apperciated. halfpint

I have applied for ssd but have no results yet It has been 6 months so far they have ask for papers to be sent in and I did so and now it is just the waiting game I will keep posting with updates so watch for rhem....KIM

I am on ssdi it takes awhile to get but worth it cause you will get medicare too. I had to get a lawyer but I did finally get approved.

I'm working on it.

You can apply online through the Social Security website. It's not hard to do, but it is rather time consuming. Be sure to print out all the pages and keep copies.

Most people are turned down the first time they apply, that is, from 70-98% of people. Then you can file an appeal for reconsideration. Most people get turned down then, too. Then the third time, you go before a judge and that's where most people will get approved if it's going to happen. The system is designed to discourage you. They would like you to give up. Just keep trying. The first time, do it on your own. The second time, you may want to hire a lawyer. They only get paid if they win for you. Their fee is set at 25% of your backpay with a cap of $5300 or $5400.

I've gotten my first rejection letter and am in the reconsideration stage.

Hope this helps,
Emily

thank you so much for the replys. thats how i applied was doing it on the internet. i had done it about 2 weeks ago. they called me and had me mail them the paper work they needed. just wanted to know how hard it was to get thank you so much now i know what to expect.

Hi, im 37 i just received ssd this past december07...i applied in july 07.

I was denied on the initial application, but was approved in the reconsideration phase.

mine was for bipolar, major depression, a.d.d, ocd.

Good luck

It took me 1 1/2 years to get it and I was denied the 1st 2 times. I ended up going in front of the judge and he ok'ed it.

Just to prepare you, esspecially since you are a little younger than what SS would like to pay for disability, it will be just a little bit harder for you. So, make sure you are focusing not on the disability and how it hurts or has limited you...but rather how it affects being able to do any type of job. If your old job was a business person and you were active and made 60,000/yr. and now can not do that (for example) but they find that you could sit at a desk and answer phones, they will not accept you. They aren't looking at what your injury has done to you or what you have lost because of it, but only on how your specific limitations keep you from doing any type of job.

Also, it sounds like your Drs. are going to be happy to help you. I highly reccommend that you pick up all Drs. reports and labs, films etc. and hand deliver them to the SS office, that is closest to you. It will save you a lot of time and you are sure they will have them.

I wish you all the best luck and please do not give up, even if it gets frustrating. Many people do finally get it, if they hang in there. Also, If you are approved say 2 years from now and by that time, you are better and able to go back to work, if they find that you were disabled...they will have to send you a check for the past 1 1/2 years or so. So, don't give up.

Lorie:angel:

lfoster is correct about your age. While some people apply and are awarded benefits in the first phase, they are very rare. The SS site itself has data that outlines the average case file time & etc. An overwhelming number of cases are turned down the first go around, which is normal. Currently, it's 12-18 months and from everything I've read, the back log is only getting longer.

Given the above, I would highly recommend a personal advocate or disability lawyer. Not only are these people experts at how the process works, but have tons of experience on how to handle unique situations that invariably pop up. The longer your case goes, the more important it is to have someone with experience. One of my old college friends is now a disability lawyer and he says there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to how cases are approved. In fact, all sorts of rumors are out there as to why. He's seen applicants with very routine cases approved the first go around while people who are severely paralyzed get denied. Many, many people have died from their condition while waiting.

From a business ONLY perspective, most disability cases turn into a lifetime worth of payments and benefits. Thus, it stands to reason that SS would be very tough on approval. The days of rubber stamping people are over. I read a post on this site some time ago where someone said they worked for SS and would be disciplined if they approved too many applicants. However, they can't deny everyone the first go around due to regulatory conditions, so some are approved. I've heard and read a conspiracy theory that it is complete random selection (first round approval).

If you get a lawyer, there are many today that are former SS employees and judges. Obviously, these folks know the system better than most and are probably worth the investment.

Lastly, your supporting physician is the MOST IMPORTANT part of the process. At some point, one will become your official "supporting physician"....The one who signs off on your condition. The firmer and more convincing this person is, the better off you will be. In fact, at some point, your Doc will be sent a form and asked to answer questions in a spreadsheet and they wil be:

- "can this person work."
- "If so, what type of work."
- "Is this person disabled"?
- "Is his/her condition permanent"?

The more "direct" your physician is, the better. You get the idea.

Thus, you'll need to have very frank and open conversation with your supporting Doc to ensure he/she will be 100% in your corner. Being that your Docs both recommended it will put you way ahead of the curve. Some Docs have a policy of not supporting disability b/c they just don't want to deal with it.

it's a long and difficult process, but one that is well worth it you are ill. Good luck and hope this information helps.

Ex

you guys are so wonderful!!!! thank you so much for your input and experience on this. i wont give up and thank you so much for the tips!! i honestly would not have signed up for it but hearing it from both of my doctors has made me do so. it wasn't something i wanted to hear or do but living the last 6 months with no income and realizing that my back with never be the same gave me more courage to apply. again i can't thank you enough for your input!!! halfpint

Hi Halfpint,
I understand completely! There's an emotional hurdle you have to get past. My sister told me years ago that I should apply, even went and got the forms and mailed them to me, but I didn't do it. I was determined that I was going to get better. When my doctor told me I would not be working in my field again, I had to let my professional license expire. That was hard! After my year mark after my fusion surgery, we talked about it again and he told me to go ahead and apply. I cried all the way home. But once I got the ball rolling and got used to the idea and started accepting that this was the way I was going to be, it got easier. The first time I said out loud, "I am disabled" was another little hurdle, but part of the process of accepting it. What I added inside my head when I said that out loud was, "but I'm still ME!" Being disable doesn't mean we're useless, it just means we physically can't hold down a full time job. I can still "be there" for my family and friends, and that's what's really important to me.

Wishing you the best,
Emily

blue atlas you are so right!! it hurts me went i talk to my co-workers and they are all so eager to see me come back and the kids omg they ask my kids all the time "when is your mom coming back we miss her" ( i was a school bus driver). it tears me apart. i had let my co-workers know and they no how bummed i am about it so we talk about other things and i told my son to go ahead and let the kids know too. but as you said i am able to be here and take care of my children and hubby and i am very grateful for that!! i have learned to just take one day at a time!! i am going to start theraphy next week and im trying to think positive that its going to do some good for me. take care everyone julie

Cheers to both of you for having a good support system....It's critical.

One word of caution though....I'd be careful who I told about your condition/disability. The world is full of skeptics and many just don't understand, no matter how much info you give them. I wouldn't lie to anyone, but I certainly would go out of my way to tell anyone. I have found many to be very judgmental, including whispers of "she doesn't look disabled." The less people know, the better IMO.

Good luck to both of you.

Ex

I have to say that I understand that feeling of not wanting to be on disability and wanting to go to work etc. I applied because I haven't been able to work more than 10-15 hr./weeks for the past 4 years. My Dr. and the P/T that gave me my FCE exam both said that I will unlikly ever be able to work a full time job and that I was lucky to have a p/t job that is flexible to my schedule because they did not think I would be able to find another job that would let me work a 5 or 10 hr. week.

OK, so I felt ok at first by applying. I knew I needed it and would need both the income and the medical insurance, once my work. comp ended. But, once I was approved, I had this overwhelming feeling of, OMG..Im on disability..This is real, Im not going back to work...I don't want to just be at home and disabled...is this really what I want, to be dependant on others etc. I can not tell you how many times I had these types of thoughts and actually questioned whether I should stop the whole thing. Well, I keep telling myself that I am not doing this just for the money, but because I will not be able to get more than minimal hrs. and there is nothing I can do about it.

I think what has made it such a difficult thing to cope with, is not that I am now on disability and the stigma that goes along with it, but that it really hit me that I am disabled. Who wants to admit that? Up till now, Ive convinced myself that the cure is right around the corned and one day I could go back to my full time job. Getting approved was like admitting to myself that I am dependent on otheres and will be for a good amount of time. It is deffinately a hard pill to swallow.

I wish everyone the best of luck in all that they are going through.

Lorie:angel:

thanks for the post badbackpain, i did have 1 surgery before my fusion then i ended up with it. i would like to talk to you if possible not sure if i can post my e-mail on here for you but anyways im so suprised of all the medication you are on. do they help with your pain and sleeping? i have alot of trouble also with the sleeping its better right now because he upped my medicine at bedtime but he said it wont last and he will have to keep upping it. i applied about a month and a half ago for the ssd. recieved a bunch of paper work in the mail a few days ago about 20 pages long with some crazy questions on it.took me about 2 hours to fill them out. i have 4 children 19 yr boy, 12 yr boy, 6 yr boy, 5 yr old girl. would love to do more with them that i do the younger ones ask me things like why is your back broke and why dont the doctors fix it, things like that and i hurts because there little and dont understand. some days i can do more than others and on the better days i try to make the most out of it with them that i can. well i need to get them to bed thanks again julie

i just sent you an e-mail i hope i got it right. thanks