posted 06-02-2003 12:16 AM            

Does anyone know where a good web site for this kind of stuff?
If anyone has any advice for me I would greatly appreciate it. I have heard some horror stories about what I am going to do.

posted 06-02-2003 12:09 PM            

Might I suggest also trying www.ssa.gov

That is a good place to start and then go to where SCARS said to go. Or go there first. Either way, you should check out SSA stuff too. It is a supplement to SSDI (social security disability insurance). It is the Federal welfare system (just like it). It provides food stamps as well as revocational rehabilitation and payments for childcare while retraining and all KINDS of things! SSA may even give you money "today" while waiting for approval (that takes MUCH diligence on your part...but if it's worth it to you, then go for it).

Remember...all they can do is say "no" and you are still in the same place you are today. But if they say "yes"....yahoo! I applied in Sept 2002 for SSDI (they told me right off I didn't qualify for SSA because hubby made $) and they denied me in Dec 2002. Their denial was based upon the first 2 months of my injury! Jeez...I didn't even bother with a lawyer. Immediately, I got the forms off www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/ and sent them all the "Approval to get information" forms for every single current doctor, therapist, surgeon and technician (from MRI). I also provided them with the most up-to-date report from each of those medical professionals too. Back to them within 2 weeks. So SSDI had it all...AND my completed PR-3 form too! The PR-3 form is what your Primary Doctor filled out on you to determine your disability rating. THIS FORM IS VITAL AND A KEY COMPONENT TO GETTING AN APPROVED SSDI BENEFIT!!!!!!!!

I got a letter in Feb 2003 stating my kids were eligible. Well, according to their rules, children are not eligible unless YOU are eligible (I hadn't gotten anything from them STILL). I was Joanie on the spot...got my appt with them-brought in kids birth certs. and in March was notified I was getting an award, PLUS monthly benefits! hehe Coool

They wanted proof of w/c payments from Sept 2001 up to my last one (which was a week before) before they could determine the dollar amount to send me. Had it...and faxed it to them that very next day! I spent several hours scanning and shrinking the info from over 50 pages to 12. I think they appreciated it. They deposited a 5 figure amount into my bank account THE VERY NEXT DAY ! (My jaw is still hangin')

Life is good. My first regular monthly benefit award was deposited 3 days early (payments are made once a month on the 24th of each month). My award is over 2 grand a month. My vocational rehab fund has been depleted as of yesterday. I would have been a fish out of water along with my children had I not known how to utilize their system and follow their rules and spent hours and HOURS pulling together all the backup paperwork together as they requested. So you see... it really does take a lot of time and hard work (hey, you prolly aren't working and time is all you got!) and DILIGENCE for a grand payoff. It won't be easy or fun (well, until you see your check)...but it will be WELL worth it.

Payments are basically "guaranteed" for the first 12 months. They do an audit at that time....audit away! I have nothing to hide, they can see everything I have....please. hehe If you have questions, ask away. The website we (scars and I) gave you are THE places to go. Spread out your searches though. There is a TON of info. I copied and pasted into a word document and printed it all out so I could read it all while being horizontal in bed. My back liked that too.

posted 06-03-2003 04:56 AM            

As I stated in my posting...I knew I had been awarded SSDI when I got the letter that my kids were approved. From that letter, my appt. with them was 3 weeks later. Then 3 or 4 weeks after that I received a phone call from SSDI that they needed proof of w/c payments from Sept. 2001 to-date. I faxed it to my local SSDI office (in Walnut Creek, CA) around 2 pm our time. I then called to tell my rep that I had faxed her the info requested. She called me back a little after 3 pm stating she got my fax and was calling the HQ office (in Maryland)--I figured they had gone home already! My rep called me back at 5pm and said I would hear from the MD office very soon regarding my award (which included my year's back-pay). I was never contacted...I checked my checking account the very next morning (at 9 am) and there it was...already deposited into my account--a nice 5 figure amount. So if I were to guestimate how long it took from approval to receiving the year's back-pay check...I would say it was 2 months....give or take.

posted 06-03-2003 10:05 AM            

Please let me know what you think about getting a lawyer.

posted 06-03-2003 06:42 PM            

One reason why you don't get SSI could be because as an independent contractor (an Avon rep for 15 years) you have to pay for your own social security benefits. If you DID...then you "should" be approved. If you did NOT...then you will not get the benefits. You may also have made too much money which is why you were denied benefits. The more money you make...the more money you get with SSDI. But with SSI, the more money you make...the less money you get.

I hope that answers your question.

posted 06-03-2003 07:34 PM            

Let me tell you about my nightmare with SSDI and how it turned into a happy ending.

My husband was injured in 1995. He worked for the same company the day he graduated from high school which was in 1974. He was employed with this company for over 20 years.

He was a truck driver who flipped his truck in a serious accident. My husband left that accident with two broken legs, broken arm, scrathes, bruises and one really messed up back!

We applied for SSDI, and were denied on many occasions. We got a lawyer and kept appealing. We fought it all the way to the Federal Courts! SS paid a Economist to see if my husband could have a job doing anything, and the Economist told the judge that my husband was to disabled to do any job, and couldn't understand why he wasn't recieving SS. Four years after his testimony, my husband finally won. Go FIGURE!

We were not as furtunate as Successtory. It took us 7 years to finally get what my husband deserved. It was a very long process, but it did pay off! My husband now gets over 2,000 a month for him and our children. He also got a HUGE lump sum which was all the back pay money owed to him, for the last 7 years for him and the kids. That itself was in the very high 6 figures$$$$$

It makes me very angry that we had to wait that long. We were finacially strapped for awhile. I was a stay at home mom, until all of this happend. My husband was getting Workmens Comp, but it wasn't close to what he use to make. Once my husband was able to take care of his self without my help, off to school I went. I had to go back to school to help contribute to the household. I had to find a career, that paid decent money. Three years after my husbands injury, I graduated school with a GPA of 4.0. Did I mention how much I hated school when I was younger? But you got to do things that you hate to do when put into difficult positions. Things happen for a reason, and it made me a better person because of it.

As far as the audit goes, I agree with Successtory, audit away! My children both have bank accounts that most people make in two years, and they deserve it. My children have been through hell. They lost their dad in ways that you would not understand. Things were taking away from them, that they can never get back. There is no way to go back in time and change things. They handle things better now that they are older, but it is still very hard on them, and the things that they lost. It also put a huge strain on my marriage to the point it almost eneded with a big fat D-I-V-O-R-C-E.

As far as the lump sum we got, we invested most of it. Just the interest alone, pays for my motgage and then some, and my mortgage is pretty high.

My advice to anyone thinking about applying, DON"T EVER GIVE UP! Even if it take a long time. Some people get lucky, and then others have to wait forever, which I will never understand. But it does pay off in the long run if you are patient.

I also want to add one more thing. Pennsylavania has two programs, SSDI and SSI. SSI is like welfare. It is for people that have ADD, AIDS, Depression and ect. I would assume that it is for people who are NOT totally disabled, and haven't paid into SSDI. SSDI is for people who are disabled and can never return to work. In order to get this SSDI, you have to have paid into it, and must also have so many credits per year. That is how it is done in PA.

We knew we had won our case when we recieved what is called a AWARD letter. A week later we got a letter from SS, asking us to come to office with information regarding husbands w/c. They wanted to know how much he recieved, when it started and when it ended. We also had to bring kids bith certifactes and SS card. Within a week after that, the monthly checks were mailed first, and a month later, the lump sum payments were mailed for husband and kids!

I think if it was anybody else, they would get it sooner. It took us longer because of all the years they had to go back.

Hope this helps. Thats all folks!

Take Care,
Brenda

[This message has been edited by Bcorica (edited 06-03-2003).]

posted 06-03-2003 08:25 PM            

I forgot to ad this to my prior post.

We were told, that when my husband decided to apply for SSDI, he had to wait atleast 6 months after his injury. It became retro-active from the 6th month mark. So we snoozed on the first 6 months, but nothing you can do about that!

To add insult to injury, I am now hurt and out of work. I will not and am not going to apply to SS, because of all the bulls*** that my husband had to go through. I did not go back to school for nothing, and will not waste all the money that I had to pay to go. I am so mad at myself for getting hurt. I am still paying on all of my student loans, and have many years left to pay. All for going back to school, which I really really hated anyway, and had no choice. Grrrrrrr

Sorry but SS left a bad taste in my mouth.

Sorry, I just needed to vent a little. The prior post got me all worked up, but that is why I love you guys. You allow me to get a lot of stuff off my chest, and I have many things on it at the moment, but I feel better now!

Take Care,
Brenda

posted 06-03-2003 11:58 PM            

When I was turned down they said my two master's degrees hurt me. I am now 52 but I have two graduate degrees and they said that worked against me.

So that might add more suspence to my post.

posted 06-04-2003 10:12 AM            

I guess if I am working at all then I am not qualified.

Thanks for your input. I am going to rethink what you said.

I appreciate your sharing of your knowledge with us.

posted 06-04-2003 10:49 AM            

I totally agree what azkikn's wife said! You can NOT work while applying for SSDI. I do beleive that depression has a lot to do with helping you with your case.

After waiting 7 years for SSDI, we realized why it took so long. My husband stayed with the same workmens comp doctor, and this doctor wouldn't put it in writing that my husband was totally disabled. He stated that my husband could never return to his prior job, but wouldn't put down in writing that he was totally disabled. Also, my husband was and still is, very depressed, but never seeked help for it until after he won SSDI. He went to a few Pychologist, but stopped going because his pride didn't want to except the fact that he was depressed (which I understand cause I feel the same way).

I think you can get some very good advice from azkikn's wife, Diane.

Azkikn's wife,....please thank your husband for all the wonderful advice he gave me when I was really feeling down and out and very confused about what I should do about my doctor. A lot of things happened and I am at a lost, but that is a whole different story in itself.

Snowfrog, I hope everything turns out the way you want it to. Keep your chin up, and everything will turn out.

posted 06-05-2003 04:27 AM            

Everyone is giving very good advice. One of which is you have to get all of your doctors to "say the same thing"....that you can no longer work in ANY occupation you have EVER worked in your entire job life. But you won't need all your doctors to say you can't work. You need to have that PR-3 form filled out and sent to the appropriate agency. The agency then notifies SSDI, your doctor and your lawyer of the percent of disability that has been determined for your case.

Good luck to you all.....persistence is key here, so don't give up!

posted 06-05-2003 02:34 PM            

I think that is good advice about not working. I will take you up on that.
Would you recommend speaking with your GP and see if he is in agreement with qualifying you for disability?
I have not spoke with him about it yet but I think he would be a major player.

Being that I went to two pain clinics and they could not help me with the pain and the fact that I am becoming weary after so many years of pain, I think I will get a good lawyer and have him monitor the paperwork.

Do you guys know there is a study that links chronic pain with atrophy of the brain? Pain is so damaging.

posted 06-05-2003 03:09 PM            

Okay On this topic I can be the bearer of good news !!

I was approved the first go around.

When they send out the forms complete them and be very cautious in the wording you use.

I was not working when I applied I couldn't. AI explained very deatiled how this has affected my life what i could and couldn't do ect....

I know I was one of the lucky ones and most of the time you have to fight for this.

But it does happen.

This is a benefit you have paid into with your SS each paycheck you have paid. This is not a hand out. I know alot of people who feel this is the easy way out. Its not. This is the only way we could survive.

Brenda dear ???? Are you me in another body or something? we have seem to gone thru alot of the same things !!

AS I read from someone else's post
Try the worst they can say is no.

HOWEVER !!!!

yes I have an exception

if going thru this causes you more pain and anguish and jeopardizes your healing don't hesitate to let someone else handle it all for you.
A trusted family member or an attorney.

posted 06-05-2003 07:53 PM            

That is what I applied for is SSD.

I think you should talk to your GP. Write down all of the Physical/Mental hardships you are having before you get there so you don't forget to tell him everything. Get copies of his Medical Records while you are there you can request them.

Having the Lawyer monitor all of the paperwork will cost you money. You can get all of your medical records and give him copies and that will save you money. It is a good idea to get a lawyer though.