Although it's certainly not necessary, I consulted a social security attorney before filing my claim. I think she helped me avoid some of the pitfalls. Here's how it went:
November 3: Last day of work
November 13: Applied for SSDI online
November 14: Mailed medical records to SSA
November 16: Received email from SSA asking me to visit office to clarify "name or birthdate."
November 17: Visited office; clarified name (my childhood social security card used an initial instead of a first name); reminded them my application was under the compassionate allowance program for mCRPC.
November 28: Approval letter from SSA.
That's a load off my mind.
Yost.
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YostConner
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Good for you Yost, glad all went well. Now do you wait 6 months for first payment, or because of the compassionate allowance act is it automatic payment?
Not really. I got a check pretty quickly after being approved. And it's retroactive. I was paid back to the day I proved my recurrence. Lawyer got 25% for the work we did, and I got 16K.
It will be fast tracked..and youll’ recieve Retro pay from your application date...
Thanks for the information. I will be going in for an appointment next Friday.
What specifically do you recommend that I bring to the appointment? I have my entire medical record on CD rom so I can print out whatever is necessary.
Well, technically yes but only risen from a low of 0.19 to 0.33 so I doubt they would could consider that an increasing PSA and definitely not CRPC. But I am stage 4 with mets to bones and lymph nodes. Many people have said they got approved without being mCRPC.
An increase indicates a recurrence, period. When we begin, like me, on ADT, our PSA drops to a nadir. The nadir is the lowest it will go, and varies among us. Mine was .4, then it went up. Just going up means your current regimen is failing, and thus you have a recurrence. I was on a three-way (not the kind I would like) with my lawyer, and the judge, and had to explain what constituted a rise.(not that kind either) Mine went from the .4 to 3 at the time. The actual numbers shouldn't matter, I'm thinking/hoping.
• in reply to
Stage 4 is more than qualified. m CRPC not nessesary.Your the same as I. A shoe in..
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A lawyer not nessasery.you paid into this your entire professional life. They pay you according to your highest payed yr of the previous 5. Don’t be nervous . This is your rite. Unfortunately we have a terminal disease , that cant be denied. You’re a shoe in ..
Happy for you my friend. You paid into it, time to get some back.
Thank you so much for sharing this information. I encourage anyone that qualifies for the compassionate alliance program to apply. As a reminder listed below is a link.
I assume this was necessary because you’re under normal age to begin drawing Social Security. How does what you receive under this program different from what you receive at a normal retirement age, if you know?
Yost, age doesn't mean a thing. I'm 58. You paid into it your whole working life. Unfortunately, it's not a lot for some of us. When I was in the service, I was living large. I paid hardly anything into SS, because base pay was shit. But, I only did ten years. I worked a lot as a contractor, made a bunch of money, but paid minimal tax. The point is, what you get is relative to what you put in. As opposed to my brother, 52, who was a car mechanic, making big bucks (Acura flat rate at the time) gets much more than I do.
Unfortunately I own my own business so they count my revenue as income which is ridiculous, so denied the claim. No lawyer would take it. I started business two months before my cancer returned. I still don't make money from it, but that doesn't matter. Guess I should have sold it then and there.
Looks like SSDI process is easier than I thought Yost. I'll be doing the same thing in a couple of months. Big decision whether to hire a lawyer to help with the process.
I should have applied 32 months ago when I was diagnosed with aPc with mets in bladder. I didn’t even know that disability would apply to me at the time. Now I want to retire at 58 to concentrate on my health. My PSA is creeping up and am CR. I'm hoping to keep working until March when I have my 25th anniversary with employer. I love my job as a long haul trucker but the more I think about it I must be crazy to have kept working. My health fighting this beast is more important that a job I love. Thanks for your posts Yost.
I will have 3 months full benefits on the family leave act then 18 months on cobra. I have heard that once approved for disability ss that it takes 2 years to get medicare. I think I will have 3 months without medical benefits if that is true.
Bob it is true, that you must wait 6 months from the time you stop working until the time you get your first SSDI money, and I beleive it is 2 years from then before you qualify for medicare, So it is my understanding that it is 30 months from the time you stop working until you get medicare. Check on that, But I think I am right. Maybe you could transfer into obamacare for a while. When on medicare you will still need a suplemental insurance to pick up what medicare does not pay. I wish you the best.
Thanks Dan, I have a disability insurance policy I have been paying on for 25 years that pays me $2000 a month minus whatever I get on SSDI for 5 years so that will help during the first 6 months. If medicare is a 30 month wait I will have 9 months without medical insurance. That’s a big bummer. Maybe our government will come up with something but I guess I shouldn’t count on that.
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