Denied SSDI

[nobody]

well this sucks, today I was denied ssdi. I plan on appealing it. Should I get a legal firm such as Binder and Binder to be my advocate. The thing is I had my family doctor evaluate my physical abilities. which are fairly low and they didn' list his report as one the based their decision on. What A waste of time- now I have another whole process to go through before I can find out.

 

PS: I just filled out the online form for Binder and Binder, lets hope this works.

 

Those SOBs that denied me, This *beep* me off I've worked and contributed since I've been 15

 

PSS Thanks for the beep, good filter

[merichsen]

Rich,

If it's any consolation, most people win on appeal. Seems they want to give you a run for your money. Don't go down without a fight. Listing your disabilities would have been big.

 

As far as legal representation, I got it on the first shot, but I can't see how it could possibly hurt. There are members who have used Binder and Binder and won. Try Binder and Binder in the search box I'm sure it will come up in posts.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you make out.

Maria :friends:

 

 

[dstraugh]

Rich,

 

Best of luck to you. I too made it through on my first attempt. As a matter of fact, my process began while I was still in rehab. My doctor was very complete in the info he provided so I did not have to obtain legal representation to get approved. I consider myself fortunate in that regard. It did take 6 months to be approved. By all means do not leave any stone unturned and be sure all "t's" are crossed and "i's" dotted. If they noted "why" you were not approved, be sure to address that.

[kanderson]

rich, i too agree with the other ladies. since stroke is the #1 cause of disabilities in the u.s. i too got it my first time around. perhaps your neurologist should have filled out the paperwork as mine did. they are more familiar with the deficits caused by a stroke. lets hope the atty's know the ins and outs of getting approved for ssdi. i wish you the best on your appeal process. keep us posted on how it goes.

[Guest bessy]

hi rich i wasdenied the 1st time i appealed thedecision finally theyhad to get info from my hospital records try that routefiestand fore most justdontgive up keep track of thedayyouapplied for ssieverything shouldbetaken from thatdayto thetimeyoustart reciving ssi i know it took them 4 mts for mei got a check forthe mts imised out on til l adecision wasmade good luck and dont give up

 

 

 

BESSY :big_grin:

[bstockman]

Hi Rich, I also made it through on the first time. I had gone to the local SSDI office and started paperwork. The lady I had was very nice, and very helpful and patient. My Dr was thorough in his paperwork. Sometime later and exam was set up with him, and they sent specific paperwork for him with little tests I had to do.

 

I don't know if it would help to get copies of your Dr's paperwork and go into your local Social Security office. I am not sure hope much the attorneys cost ...

 

 

[scrapdoo]

I was also denied on my first try. I appealed myself without rep and won. Do whatever you need to get approval. You have earned it.

 

I am not much familiar with firms. Do they charge$

[lliu]

rich,

 

before you dish out any money for legal advice, you may want to consider seeking help from your congressman or u.s. senator. because of the privacy act, you would have to submit a detailed letter requesting asistance and submit all pertinent documents (correspondence, medical findings,etc.) to the congressional office. the office then makes a congressional inquiry to ssa (social security administration) and forwards your documents. i work for a congressman here in hawaii and have handled ssa casework concerning appeals and late payments. besides constituents, attorneys have contacted my boss asking for assistance for their clients because ssa drags their feet and hasn't responded. i will say that a congressional inquiry will get ssa to re-examine their decisions and pay closer attention to claims.

 

whichever route you choose to take, i wish you the best!

[2ndChance]

Often the application is denied in part because your physician did not get them his paper work in time. Looks like that's what happened to you seeing as your own doctor's report wasn't listed. Call your doctor's office and verify that they received the SSA request and ask what date they returned it. If they can't answer these simple record keeping questions, you really need to get to a physiatrist pronto. You really have to ride your own doctor and your doctor may require you to pay a fee for the time it takes to complete the paperwork. Having a physiatrist coordinate all your medical issues resolves this problem because they constantly deal with the SSA and they know they only have 30 days to get it completed and returned. Find one here: http://www.aapmr.org/

[nobody]

Here's a good one for you. I went to the ssn bureau to file my appeal and during the course of filling out the paperwork I stated my reason for the appeal is that not all my supporting paperwork was used - sure enough my doctors evaluation wasn't listed.

 

Odd though since I called and mailed this to the dds, they stated they had it. So now my question is why didn't they use the evaluation supplied by my Doctor. I was hoping to avoid this 4-6 month delay. Now I just need to keep waiting. Also I signed the form saying I wanted a copy of the mental eval, except they said that record was from their doctor and theirs not to be seen by me.

 

Should I get an evaluation from my own mental guy to offset their doctor. (I wasn't very impressed a college student giving the test and 5 minutes with the doctor - how accurate could this be.)

[dstraugh]

You could get your own evaluation; howver, that doesn't mean that Social Security will accept the findings of your doc versus theirs. Hope everything turns out favorably for you.

[arogers]

If you file an appeal you should be evaluated by a different doctor and a different SSDI case manager will evaluate your file. (At least that's the way it was explained to me and the way it worked for me.) At the next appointment you can talk to the psychatrist and explain that you feel an in depth assessment was not completed last time around.

 

It seems to me that there is a freedom of information act that should apply to your file, isn't there? You may have to call an attorney at least to get some information. In our town it is advertised that the first appointment with an attorney specializing in SSDI cases is at no cost.

 

I too question whether your doctor's evaluation will help your case, especially if they didn't use the first doctor's. I will tell you, my husband was profoundly injured by his strokes and he had to be evaluated by a SSDI doctor. The medical records we provided were not used.

 

Good luck.

[nobody]

I question the competence of the professionals I have encountered at the DDS and SS so far. What a skewed system.

[merichsen]

Rich,

As Anne suggested, it sounds like it might be time for a free initial legal consultation. Even if you decide not to retain representation, you may gain some further knowledge of your rights. I doesn't seem to me that would legal that they could not allow you to see your own medical eval.

Good luck and don't let them wear you down.

 

Maria :friends:

[2ndChance]

ALL SSDI ATTORNEYS ARE FREE - if they win your case thay get 25% of the back money owed you. There is never a fee up-front. Yiou do not need to "retain" an attorney, just find a qualified SSDI attorney.

[nobody]

My appeal was approved and yesterday I received the letter and a check from ssdi. This news both relieved me (financially) and saddened me (mentally).

Males I think define what they are by what they do. Its hard to think of myself as a disabled person. I keep rehabbing and slowly movement on the left side is returning, the strength is there but the motor control just hasn't reconnected yet.

 

Mentally my mind is coming back, but many memories are lost. Things I used to do as part of my work in IT I no longer remember how and personally, I have no recollection of my daughter ever playing tennis. Odd how this works isn't it.

Anyway rehab is now my job and I'll continue it as I go on with my life.

take care everyone.

 

 

[merichsen]

Getting the government to go along with the program is never an easy nut to crack so their affirmation that you are disabled and willingness to pay out for it is a cold reality and to the kind of inner denial that we cling on to.

 

 

It

[cdewald]

I am glad they reviewed your case and won on the appeal. At the time I applied, I was learning to use a walker and my left side was numb.....The remarks back from ssdi on my first try was I could work fast food.......Hahahhahaha..Can you see that, walker on grease in a small area and a numb left hand!!! Yeah, let me drop those fries with my left hand into hot grease.

Lucky, I was a state employee and my representation after the first try was free....Took 4 weeks extra.

 

Anyway, it seemed to have ended well in your favor.....God Speed

[dstraugh]

Congratulations on having your appeal approved.

 

As recovery continues and you continue to gain more back, who knows what the future will bring for you. SSDI does have a back to work program. You might not be able to return to your prior job but still able to work.

 

The memory thing slowly improves. Don't beat yourself up over it or bang your head against the wall ` that hurts :BashHead: :head_hurts:

[kanderson]

thats great news, you won your appeal. as others have said, the memory stuff slowly creeps back in time. keep up the therapy, you can only get better and maybe return to work, or check out vocational rehabilitation. good luck in whatever you do. at least the worst part of ssdi is over for now.

[lliu]

congrats with the appeal! that's great news! i can understsnd how you feel. being determined you're handicapped does make us feel defeated, but the feeling is temporary. you survived and you haven't stopped fighting. you have a reason to be here; we all do. keep getting stronger and moving forward!

[tom71]

congrats on winning you appeal! Remember just because you are disabled now does not mean that you can't go back to work doing something at a later date,I was off work and on disability for about 2 1/2 years,before going back to work and actually getting a higher paying job then I had before the stroke,grant it it is harder then it was before the stroke, but I'm making it allright even with only having the use of one hand,stay optomistic and if you want it bad enough then eventually you'll figure it out just as I did.

 

God Bless & Good Luck,

Tom