How longish

**MakinIT** · 04-10-2004, 03:54 PM

Just a quick question to y'all.....bout how long after you did all your stuff did it take to get a reply,,,,(acceptance or denial..) this is after you've gone through their exams and all medical paperwork is in. It's been about 3 weeks since my last exam and all the paperwork was turned in. We started all this in January.

Thanks

**carly** · 04-12-2004, 06:00 PM

It took several months, it is not a fast process, good luck!!!

**gypsyjoy** · 04-12-2004, 06:17 PM

It took two years for my sister and she couldn't even get dressed by herself. She doesn't have IC but a LONG list of medical problems.
Good luck. I personal am thinking about looking into it too. If I can get this pain under control I wouldn't even think about it.
JOY

**MakinIT** · 04-13-2004, 05:11 AM

Guess I best not be planning on the warmed, leather seated luxery SUV I had my heart set on (Ha, Ha) anytime soon!!!!

**Dixiefireball** · 04-13-2004, 05:26 AM

ssd & ssi can take up to 120 days to tell you something

**MakinIT** · 04-13-2004, 03:23 PM

Not eligible for SSI but am for SSD. As well as my kids would be if I get these benis. "sigh" I am not desparate for the money, as many people are, but I have a LTD beni through my (former) employment. (I just resigned today after a year.) They are on my case to get SSD because it would lower the amount they have to pay me each month. Real nice, eh? Not only will they lower my payments, but also snatch my retro check as well (except for what my kids get, because they aren't paying any beni's for them)

thanks for the info...I'm at 3 mos and counting. Bless all of you who have to wait this long w/o money. It is unbelievable!!!

Tracey

**Dixiefireball** · 04-13-2004, 05:14 PM

Tracey i had to wait two long years with just my husband pay check with wasn't much 400.00 tops and that was before taxes on a good week and there was weeks he couldnt work at all. it was hard but by the grace of the Lord he helped us threw it. when i got that back time checked oh was it sweet. it should have been to because we played heck those two years. even tho i worked as much as i could being born with three kidneys and a bad bladder it hurt me on the last quarter i worked and that is what they go by is the last quarter you worked it doesnt seem fair to me because many people try there dangest to push there self until they just can't do it anymore they should have to pay a person by the best quarter they worked because of that they say yes my children should get a ssi check but because my last quarter was so low they give me all the money they can give to me and the children. gggggggrrrrrrrrrrrr

who ever made that rule never delt with ic.

i went ahead and got a lawyer to help me so i didnt have to do as much running around but every penny i had to pay him was worth it.

for everyone who is thinking about signing up and if you get truned down and want a lawyer make sure its a lawyer who doesnt get paid unless they win your case. and makes sure how much % they will get go for the lowest rate but yet the best rates in winning a case.
The ones who that only gets paid if they win the case is more likely to win the case for you then one you have to pay.

sending you all hugs and prayers
Rhonda

**MakinIT** · 04-14-2004, 09:53 AM

yeah...I've already spoken to a lawyer, he was very nice, gave me some free advice over the phone for initially starting the claim and put me in his system (just in case I get turned down.) He said he didn't think there was any point in me hiring him officially unless i lost round 1. And he's a percentage of winnings (like 20%) which, since most of my retro check will go to LTD, means he would likely get the rest, which is the retro for my kids...(I'm eligible for 250/month for them, 1250 for me..you can see why my LTD co wants me to get it because it would cut their obligation by 50%...Overall, my personal income has taken a 30% cut being on disability which is actually 15% if you look at family income.,,my hubs and I both made about the same as we are both teachers.)
THanks for being such a help...You sure have alot of experience, which I'm sure you didn't ask to learn, eh?

this disease does truly suck....(I'm in one of my grumpy moods right now...I spent some time in my hubs classroom helping with a big project they were doing. I got very depressed because I'm no longer employed (as of Monday, official resign date) and feeling like a life line has been cut. (Worked with this school district for 10 years.) I'm feeling pretty bummed, like outcast from a family. However, if luck has it, I should be working part time in another year with the visually impaired. I'm worried about my first two weeks of school (June 21st) because those are all day classes on campus. After that, it is only MWF mornings for the next 6 weeks. In the fall, winter and spring all internet except for a 3 hour student teaching experience once a week. (so I can go to school in my jammies, on my couch.) I hope allthe interstim stuff is done by June 21st. Maybe that will help me in school.

Thanks again-Tracey

**jen75** · 04-18-2004, 08:35 AM

I got my denial letter two weeks ago, I also applied in January. Although I thought I could readily cope with the stress of being denied....it's been hard.

I met with a lawyer who suggested I have my case appealed on my own. He assured me in the event they denied me again he'd take my case.

I hope all goes well for you. I wish this was an easier process to go through for all of us who need it.

Jen

**MakinIT** · 04-18-2004, 10:05 AM

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. Makes me inspired that it'll be good news for me....NOT...oh well...the only reason I applied is my LTD co. from work made me. If I get SS, they get to take it all, including, I found out , my dependent benifits. Really makes me mad. they haven't paid me any extra for dependent care (the LTD co.) But they can count that as income if I prevail in the social security case, hence reduce my monthly payment. Very frustrating, because now my hubs and I have to pay for my medical premium....As I no longer have a job, It will now fall on my husbands medical insurance to pay for me, which will cost an extra $400/month. considering my income is down by a third already, this is huge bill to pay.

I really hate this.

I hope your appeal goes through!!! Good luck there. My lawyer told me to call him if I got an initial denial and he would help. Now I don't even feel motivated to do it. They get like 20% of my "winnings" but all my winnings will go to my insurance company (via taking my past earnings check and reducing my monthly payments in the future.) so I wonder if I'll lhave to pay them out of my own pocket, or if the insurance company will get earnings after I pay lawyers....

Gotta go.....best of luck to you.

**jen75** · 04-18-2004, 04:32 PM

The whole thing has been a huge headache...I knew it would be! I waited over two years after I had to stop working to even file. After exhausting savings and cashing out 401(k)s to supplement my husbands income I felt like I had no choice.

I had pretty much prepared myself for a denial...My mother-in-law was denied while terminal with breast cancer several years ago. She won her appeal not to long before she passed away. It was the way I was denied that upset me.

The disability determination office hounded me (calling at 7:30 am on numerous occassions, sending tons of repeative mail) about not receiving records from my "interstim specialist" (my regular urologist doesn't deal with interstim...it's another story all together). I have only seen this doctor a handful of times. The did not elect to even request records from my regular urologist, who I have been seeing for two years...since my change in insurance a few years ago. So my appeal with be based on this "oversight." Hopefully they will respond quickly and this will all be over soon.

**MakinIT** · 04-18-2004, 06:44 PM

Wow....this sucks....My case has alot of doctors but they are all working so closely together they sent the SS company the same lab stuff, results and were all very consistent on their responses. Their only time they bugged me was to send me to their own shrink, and then they also wanted some paperwork from my PT's and the doc who sent me to them. My doc put on the paperwork that I've had a recent spinal blocks and will be sent for an interstim. Gee Whiz, hard for me to imagine they could reject me but if they rejected a woman dying of breast cancer, it won't surprised me.

Oh well, like I said, it was to satisfy my regular LTD company. They have to keep paying me as long as I am on leave, and my 4 docs, shrink, don't think I should go back. My GP says there is no way he is going to approve me going back to work as long as I'm on the pain meds, and they can't control the pain. whether I get ss or not does not change my financial status. that is the total thing that sucks. I'm going through all this and it won't matter one way or the other. I'm especially discouraged they can take my kids benis into account in giving me my new claim amount. They don't pay me extra now because I have two dependents, why should they get to count that if I win this ss case? Makes me very mad.

Thanks for your help, y'all

Tracey