I am finally taking the steps I should have taken 1 1/2 yrs ago and filing for ssi. It is plain to see I am not getting better and we need the extra money.
I have only gone as far as to sched a phone interview for three weeks. My main question is who reccomends a lawyer??? How much leg work do they actually do? I have docs all over town. It will take a lot of work to get papers and copies from all of them.
Pls I will start researching this but whoever has advice I would love it!!!!!!
if you have not yet applied... you can do the inital application online and you do not need an attorney for that. I would contact an attorney only when and IF you are turned down. go to ss website. I filed mine myself over the phone and then they mailed me the forms. I helped my sister in law do hers online.. neither one of us were turned down, we got it on first try.
It is a long process.. usually a minimum of 6 months.. they dont pay for the 1st 6 months. but use the last day that you worked as the starting date. they will go from that. You need all the dates and names of doctors or proffessionals you have seen. Some Dr's offices charge a fee to fill out your forms, some dont.
Alot of the time it also depends on what you are filing on. I got mine on Affective Disorders ( depression, anxiety,agoraphobic) I also have Fibro and CFS but did NOT get it for those.
if you have any questions I might be able to help you with please ask!!!
Thank you for your quick response! I did get paperwork to fill out in the mail but it did not have forms for the docs. I guess that comes later. What did you sister get hers for? I quit work 1 1/2 yrs ago and just put off filing. Will this hurt me too much???? So they may not get to use that dats. Would be a lot of back pay!!!!
I will start calling around just in case. How much foot work was it for you? I have 8 docs that I can think of that have played a part id the dx. Thats alot of traveling around town. I thought we just list their names and add but mentioned forms> I sound worried about those forms hu? I have been up since 2:30 am Lunesta wore off.
I'll rest and get a grip. Thanks for you help. I will indeed use your help. These things freak me out!!!
I have CFS and FM and have gone through the whole thing of even being denied. I finally got a lawyer when I put if for a hearing. I'm hoping that helps me win my case. I have been waiting over a year since my lawyer filled for a hearing. I guess it can take up to 2 years to finally get one. I have been turned down and then reconsidered and turned down again. I have been unable to work since 2001. I first applied in 2002 and got turned down but was unfamiliar with the system so I didn't ask for them ro reconsider it so then I reapplied again in 2003. My lawyer says they often go back a year from when you filled and I might get lucky and they take in consideration my first time filing (since SS lost my case for at least 6 months I know of and tried to deny me a hearing because of it.)
You don't have to contact all your doctors yourself, they'll do that for you. If your like me they'll make you fill out that darn form over and over again to where I just put too tired to fill out see doctors reports and listed all the docs I'd been to. It probably didn't help my case but that was my position at the time. I wish I would have got a lawyer much earlier in the process. I guess once you get a hearing though it's a 73% approval rate but it probably won't be for CFS or FM, they usually lump it under something else. My lawyer won benefits for someone my mom knows with FM so I'm hopeful.
Good Luck!
