Disability

[Equinney]

Just got my disability denial letter. Lawyer time, hopefully will work for small percentage and nothing down. No check since last September but my wife’s small one. This is getting very tough!! They said I was still able to do meaningful work.

[Hillary]

Hi, sorry to hear your news. Don’t think I can be of much help, female and wrong country. I have been in your position over here. Interviewed for my Personal Independence Payment, told I looked ok. I was sitting in a wheelchair and she asked me if I could get out and do some exercises. Made a complaint and went to our Member of Parliament. After this they soon changed their mind.

Fight for what you deserve, it’s not what you look like, it’s what you can’t do.

Best wishes

Hillary

[KennyInPA]

Sad to hear. My brother who the local doctors are diagnosing incorrectly in my opinion, although the words ALD has been brought up before, are bamboozled at what they are dealing with. He applied for disability with an "unstable mind" and was given it right away. While I believe he could work, at least while seated, they gave it with no questions asked. Meanwhile I see people who are wheelchair bound who could really use it, suffer and get denied. The system is definitely corrupt, at least in the United States. Hope your lawyer can get it going on your side!

[Equinney in reply to KennyInPA]

Pretty much the lawyer said they don’t care about any physical limitations, bladder/bowel control, balance/fall issues, or that you cannot get yourself to and from work or training for work. Doesn’t matter if you have to move to a surrounding state or that nobody will probably hire you for liability reasons. Only that if you are able to sit at a desk and perform a meaningful job for 8 hours a day. Told her I can’t, she had me list reasons why, then she said she’d take the case. But the SSI people are backed up nearly a year on appeals. So can see why he filed under “unstable mind”.

[SongStream]

Aaron wrote about his travails on getting approved for SSDI after 2 denials. 3rd hearing with an attorney worked. Note: Check his posts which includes this. I was very fortunate as I was approved the very first time by SSDI. I have had chronic pain which I had gone to a 3 month pain management program and debilitating fatigue which was compounded by extra hours and a long commute. With Addison's disease (endocrine) and AMN (metabolic disease) , there are International Classification of Diseases (ICD). I had had my primary doctor for many years and he wrote a letter affirming my disability which I then attached to all other papers MRIs, VLCFA tests, labs relating to Addison's ,etc with loads of research papers, too). My LTD insurance carrier approved me upon SSD approvalI. It's not right that one has to be in this fateful situation. This is not an easy thing to do. I even went to a disability support group afterwards to help me cope after going on disability. We identify ourselves with what we do, professionally or otherwise. I've had to reinvent myself and my life along with adapting to AMN's progression.

Addendum: Is there was a way to search just under AMN easier for various topics? I only saw "health unlocked" which had a wide gamut of diseases.

[COwithAMN Administrator AMN EASIER Volunteer in reply to SongStream]

Don't know the answer to your search question. Will try and ask HealthUnlocked.

[COwithAMN Administrator AMN EASIER Volunteer in reply to SongStream]

I don't know if this answers your question, but if you click on "Posts" when in AMN Easier, then the lower down search field that comes up does say "Search AMN Easier"

[SongStream]

Hi Chris,

Yes, that was what I was looking for. I typed in a topic and a number of posts with the appropriate word popped up. This should be helpful for all of us with specific topics that have been raised before to give us some immediate information. Thanks!

[COwithAMN Administrator AMN EASIER Volunteer in reply to SongStream]

You're very welcome!

[deengo]

I've always been confused about the differences in approval and denials for disability. In my case I have a second neuropathy and my doctors assistant prepare a lot of documents.

I was approved in 3 weeks. Then there are the ones that are never approved. I dont think some one with AMN is going to fake anything and that's where I dont understand the denials. This is a bad disease

[Aaron98]

I'm sorry to hear that. As Steve (SongStream) said, I had a similar experience. I was denied twice, hired an attorney, and finally was approved after a hearing with an administrative law judge. The judge strongly implied that I should have been approved much earlier.

Please don't get too discouraged. You WILL be approved, it's just a matter of time. Just keep going to your doctor's appointments regularly (to establish continued effects of your illness), and find a good lawyer. The lawyer typically takes 25% of whatever you receive in backpay.

[Travzw]

Put in the application that it’s terminal. They shouldn’t question it past that. I put it on mine and no one knows if it is terminal or not.

[Equinney]

My neurologist wrote a great letter, including that it is terminal, and was very upset it was denied. She said if anything else is needed from her just to message her. Now it’s just wait for the appeal to come up.

[Travzw]

It’s so terrible that they will deny a person for the same thing they approve for someone else. Also if you’re working and you put that on the application it’s an automatic denial.

[monkeybus]

My neurologist said I can only walk around the bed. Cannot wash or clothe myself. 24 hour pain.

You get what I'm driving at. His letter costs me $150 per year. Money well spent.

If your neurologist isn't playing ball, get a new one and make sure he says what you want.

The direction medical care and welfare is going in America and the UK is terrifying. It'll get more worse soon enough.

[Equinney]

Got approved for disability. The letter, the form that my neurologist filled out, along with my attorney seemed to get it fast-tracked through the system somehow, since the attorney said the system was backed up for nearly a year. Was a year ago today that my symptoms got bad enough I had to be pushed out of work in a wheelchair.

[Aaron98 in reply to Equinney]

Great news, Equinney! Almost all of us get approved eventually, you just need to keep fighting!