Disability Advise

[Auntie TooToo]

Looks like I may have to end up applying for disability retirement @ age 53. Wondering if anyone else has found themselves in this position and if the process was successful. I could use any advice that anyone could offer.

[renidrag]

Yes, I did at 60. I had short term disability with the company I worked for, and turned into long term. The disability company filed all the paper work to get SSDI so they would not have to pay out more than half of my benefit. First hand I did not deal with Social Security Admin but from what I hear they turn you down the first time no matter what. Hoping people get tired of the paper work I guess. I would recommend a lawyer familiar with SS if you can afford it. If not patience is the key.
Dale

[annekat]

Auntie, I did it at age 58 with no lawyer and did not get turned down the first time. There are so many ins and outs to it that it is hard to remember all the steps I went through. But I did my application online, which I found to be an exhaustive process, and when I first started it, I was too sick and fatigued to finish it up in a timely fashion. The ladies at the local office were on my side and bugged me to finish it, and did a couple of phone interviews with me. I never even talked to my docs about it, and apparently they were contacted and supplied the information about my case. I never had to see any SS docs or get any special tests as I've heard some have had to go through. When I was finally approved, I got my first check within a couple of months, I think, and a large retroactive check in recognition of the time I had been only minimally working and had been sick with Wegs without knowing it.

I think I had it easier than many. One's age is a factor, I think, and whether one is currently working. I think you have to be not working for 6 months before you can collect benefits. But their definition of working is anything over a certain amount, like around $1000/month, and with the small pottery business that I employ myself at, I was not considered to be working by that definition. And I had gotten into debt with family members and such as a result of getting Wegs, so this really helped me out. But it's still a struggle, since I hadn't paid a lot into the system with my low income, so the check is relatively small. Also any other income you have that you have that is not from work, such as rental income or investments, does not count as income for the purposes of SS disability, so that helps, too.

I assume you are talking about SS disability, and have little understanding of how that works with other disability such as that from an employer. But I may think of other helpful comments and if you have any specific questions, let me know. BTW, WG and other vasculitis
is on a "list of impairments" in the SS system, which does not guarantee qualification but does give special consideration. I've heard things to the effect that things have become a little easier for WG patients due to the influence of some top specialists. A lot may depend on your local SS people and how they process your case... I felt that the local ladies did everything they could to further my getting approved, including exaggerating or distorting some things I told them on the phone, in my favor..... I even tried to call and correct some of what was on the transcripts of those conversations, and never got a returned call, so, what the heck....

In any case, I wish you the best of luck if you decide to apply, and hope it is as easy for you as it was for me.... unfortunately, I do not expect that always to be the case.

[Alysia]

Hi,
I am glad that you posted that, eventhough it is prob different in each country
I am working and intend to continue to work (although some days I have to "drag" myself to work and hold myself untill the end of the day, being too tired most of the time).
my accountant advised me lately to try to get disablity (which is not the same always as incapacity). if I can get more then 90% then I will don't have to pay some taxes.
it is long procedure: I am going this week to a doc who will write for me his opinion (for lots of money that I will have to pay for him ) and then I will have to come to a kind of "investigation" in front of a committee (who usually treat anyone like a liar), with all the papers, hoping they will think that I have more then 90%.
there are parsimonious rules as for how much percentage you can get for each organ damage, for example, nose deformity is only 5%
wish me luck.
which means that it is not going to be ease. and I am too tired to fight for this

[annekat]

That is interesting, Alysia. It seems like they should be looking at your overall ability to work, or the lack thereof, instead of individual body parts. It would seem to make sense for you to work half time, for example, and get disability to cover the other half, so you can have a better chance to avoid stress and recover from this disease. But governments of any country aren't known for doing these things in a way that makes sense.

Good luck!

[windchime]

I Applied for SSDI and received the denial letter before I got the adult disability report filed. Actually it came within a week and a half of submitting it. They said I was denied because I was working. The app clearly stated that I hadn't worked since Nov 7th. So I went through the process of calling and waiting 30 minutes to talk to someone who was very unhelpful. I did fill out a Reconsideration form where I painstakingly explained that I'm not working that I'm on short disability. We'll see how that goes. I really don't want to hire an atty as they can charge up to 25%. I'm not sure of what the amount is they use.

The adult disability form is time consuming and cumbersome especially if you have very many doctors. Good luck with whatever you end up doing. Keep us posted on your journey with SS.

[annekat]

I'm sorry it didn't come through for you, Cindy. I'm editing this post, though, because I realized you said you quit working Nov. 7th, and I'd gotten the impression, if it was real work and over a certain small amount, that one needed to have not been working for six months in order to be approved. I guess they expect you to have enough savings to cover that time. And then if approved, you would probably get retroactive payment for that time. In my case, they didn't consider what I was doing, pottery making, to be real work, as I wasn't making enough at it for it to be considered as such. And still am not, but at least I have the small disability check to supplement it. It doesn't sound like they explained it to you very well. In any case, I hope your short term disability from work will get you through until such time as you might be able to collect from SSD. I'd continue to pursue it as best you can, and I hope you can do it without a lawyer.

[windchime]

I'm sorry it didn't come through for you, Cindy. I'm editing this post, though, because I realized you said you quit working Nov. 7th, and I'd gotten the impression, if it was real work and over a certain small amount, that one needed to have not been working for six months in order to be approved. I guess they expect you to have enough savings to cover that time. And then if approved, you would probably get retroactive payment for that time. In my case, they didn't consider what I was doing, pottery making, to be real work, as I wasn't making enough at it for it to be considered as such. And still am not, but at least I have the small disability check to supplement it. It doesn't sound like they explained it to you very well. In any case, I hope your short term disability from work will get you through until such time as you might be able to collect from SSD. I'd continue to pursue it as best you can, and I
hope you can do it without a lawyer.

You don't have to be out of work for six months to apply, but you do need to anticipate that you will be disabled for at least a year. You will not get a check for the first 6 months however. I was more annoyed by the person on the phone who could give me no information. We'll see what the reconsideration brings.

[annekat]

Cindy, I'm sure you are right, since you are more recently in contact with the process. I got a big retroactive check, but I guess it did not include the first 6 months during which they considered me to have been sick. You are so right, it is so hard to get helpful information on the phone, and the website, too, is so convoluted that it makes me tired to even think about negotiating it. I think the best source of info for me has been my local office, on the phone, but even that is an exhaustive process, as it is hard to get to talk to the right person and they aren't good about returning calls. In any case, best of luck with the reconsideration, and keep trying if necessary! I feel l lucky that I got it so easily.

[Alysia]

so, I went yesterday to meet the doc who is going to write for me an opinion about my disability.
it was tough meeting. first he said: "you don't look sick". ha ha. we know that statement already.
he was very decent but strict and explained to me how strict that committee is. he said that prob only with a kidney involvement they consider wg to be enough severe.
then he was looking at all my papers (I have a heavy file) and was thinking aloud: "you have to convince me first, and then I can write it down". after a lot of papers coming out of my file and a lot of explanations I convinced him. so he is going to write his opinion, unless he will change his mind while trying to write...
he also warned me that my "temperament" can cause my troubles with the committee because I look too much vital and energetic
so,he, secretly, adviced me to look more "weak" when I will come to the committe. I hate to do a "show"....