Filing for disability
- Thread starter topperdoy
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Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:
Use your worst days only. Never say that sometimes you feel ok. Have a good doctor back you up and state how your disability keeps you from working (even sit down jobs or working at home) in great detail (pain, frequency, doctor appointments, tests, fatigue, depression, medications, hospitalizations etc). It definitely helps if you've been hospitalized for over a month (continuously) within the last year.
Most people are denied their first time applying. This is to weed out the cases that aren't legit. If/when you get your denial letter/s (you may be denied more than once, twice etc.) appeal, appeal, appeal. You may even request a hearing if it comes to that. Appeal again if that fails. Basically, never give up.
An attorney can speed up the process and they only win a fraction of the amount you (your son actually) receive (which I believe was about 10%) which will be a rather large sum because they start counting the day you applied (when they received your initial application) to the day you win your case. Applying and being accepted takes many months even up to a year or more. For me a lawyer was definitely worth having and even worked with me by allowing me to make payments rather than giving him one large sum.
The choice is your son's if he wants to apply. You cannot do it all for him as he is legally an adult unless his disability is so severe that he cannot write with his own hand or if he has another disability which prevents him from understanding the questions or able to write it himself (such as being blind, missing limbs/functionality, or a mental disability/impairment). In this case you would also have to sign the forms.
Most people are denied their first time applying. This is to weed out the cases that aren't legit. If/when you get your denial letter/s (you may be denied more than once, twice etc.) appeal, appeal, appeal. You may even request a hearing if it comes to that. Appeal again if that fails. Basically, never give up.
An attorney can speed up the process and they only win a fraction of the amount you (your son actually) receive (which I believe was about 10%) which will be a rather large sum because they start counting the day you applied (when they received your initial application) to the day you win your case. Applying and being accepted takes many months even up to a year or more. For me a lawyer was definitely worth having and even worked with me by allowing me to make payments rather than giving him one large sum.
The choice is your son's if he wants to apply. You cannot do it all for him as he is legally an adult unless his disability is so severe that he cannot write with his own hand or if he has another disability which prevents him from understanding the questions or able to write it himself (such as being blind, missing limbs/functionality, or a mental disability/impairment). In this case you would also have to sign the forms.
Hey Topper
I got social security disablity a few years back, I was39 when I got extra sick that year for Crohn's. My Doctor really made an effort for me to get disability and I got it the 1st time I applied.
But I was hospitalized 4 times that year, had 2 surgeries too.
My advice is your son needs to show he has been very sick the past year or so. in the Hopspital a few times too.
I heard it helps if you take or at least prescribed depression meds and anxiety too...So I made sure that was in my doctors chart and he gave me paxil.
Your Doctor really needs to go to bat for your son...if your doctor feels he is really ill, and in need of disability that helps alot and he/she should fight for your son's disability
My Doctor did say Social security disablity to call him and ask him several questions etc.
But he said he was quite angry with them, and pleaded my case, and luckily I got approved 1st.
It takes almost a year to finally see any money, becasue first you have to be out of work for a year I believe before disablity can even be considered or kick in.
The key is have the Doctor paint the worse case scenario (helath wise) for your son.
Hope this helps.
But I was very sick at the time I got disability and lost everything I had finanacially before I got my disablity money etc.
Your son's Crohn's needs to be active with complications too, and the hospital visits and stays are key too.
I got social security disablity a few years back, I was39 when I got extra sick that year for Crohn's. My Doctor really made an effort for me to get disability and I got it the 1st time I applied.
But I was hospitalized 4 times that year, had 2 surgeries too.
My advice is your son needs to show he has been very sick the past year or so. in the Hopspital a few times too.
I heard it helps if you take or at least prescribed depression meds and anxiety too...So I made sure that was in my doctors chart and he gave me paxil.
Your Doctor really needs to go to bat for your son...if your doctor feels he is really ill, and in need of disability that helps alot and he/she should fight for your son's disability
My Doctor did say Social security disablity to call him and ask him several questions etc.
But he said he was quite angry with them, and pleaded my case, and luckily I got approved 1st.
It takes almost a year to finally see any money, becasue first you have to be out of work for a year I believe before disablity can even be considered or kick in.
The key is have the Doctor paint the worse case scenario (helath wise) for your son.
Hope this helps.
But I was very sick at the time I got disability and lost everything I had finanacially before I got my disablity money etc.
Your son's Crohn's needs to be active with complications too, and the hospital visits and stays are key too.
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- Jul 6, 2010
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All of the above and colonoscopy pictures. 8x10 if possible. And in colour. A picture is worth a thousand words after all. The process is similar here in canada, I was denied the first time I applied, sent them some glossies in all their glory and voila. Good luck.
Hi Crabby, thank you for very good and detailed advice. Didn't mean to give impression that I was deciding things for my 25 year old son. He's been very sick and in pain and has asked me to do some information gathering for him, acting under his direction. Thank you again.
Hi, Thanks for your response. My son was in graduate school and had to drop out. He is hoping at some point to be able to resume his career. We aren't sure what the future holds for him. Can you think of any reason why he shouldn't go on disability and then go off of it in the future if he is able to do that. He has been home sick for a year and there is no way to tell if he will get better enough to resume his graduate school or if he will be permanently disabled. Is there anyway that being on disability in the near future will be a negative for him later if he is able to work again? He is worried about that.
Thanks.
Your son can always go off disability in the future if he is feeling better. I think they allow you one year to go off it, to see if your health/disability can deal with working..if during that year, it is just too hard to work etc. you can continue disability without having to start over at the beginning of the process...But double check this...Im pretty sure thats what I read years ago.
Career wise..his future employers dont have to know he was on disability and sick etc....
But he will have to explain why on his resume, he wasnt employed during that time...unless he fudges the work dates etc.
Career wise..his future employers dont have to know he was on disability and sick etc....
But he will have to explain why on his resume, he wasnt employed during that time...unless he fudges the work dates etc.
No being on disability will never affect you negatively. And yes you can go off of it at anytime. If you do plan on working again they have programs that help you get back to work and can work with you for a period of time where your amount received wont be affected but if you don't go into their special program then they will take out a percentage of your amount received based on how much money you make. I think it was something like, if you make over $70 (ok site says its different in every state) then they start taking out money from your SSI or SSDI checks (dunno which he's applying for, I get SSI). Look over their rules and programs here: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10095.html
Difference between SSI and SSDI: http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/ans...social-security-disability-and-ssi-disability
Hello, I was denied in TN and recently moved to VA and was wondering if there are any tips or advice anyone has for getting approved. I was diagnosed with UC in 2003 and recently my doctors told me it might be Crohn's. Have had major depressive disorder and severe anxiety since highschool, also. I am probably honest to a fault and might have made my symptoms sound like they aren't really bad, every day. They determined my gastro problems weren't really bad enough to get ssd from that but sent me to a Psych eval to see if my depression was. Apparently it was not, either. Missed a lot of work at my last job and my demon boss said "you can't just go to the bathroom, you have to hold it just like people on their period." They told me I had to find a manager EVERY single time I needed to run to the bathroom, in a busy makeup store (don't work for Ulta) which is impossible when you have to go "NOW".
