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The SSD waiting game

For those of you on social security and got it for crohn's along with depression, how long did it take you to get a letter after your psych evaluation?

I'm at my wits end with this waiting bullsh**.
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
There are thousands upon thousands of applicants so it may take a while. I'm guessing 30-60 days. It's been a while since I've done it though so it could even take up to 3 months but my bet is on one to two months.
 
for me it took a few months to get the letter for that part. It took 5 years overall to get SSD, I had to go in with an attorney in front of a judge.
 
I already have an attorney and 2 separate doctor's notes; along with the psych evaluation report that the psychiatrist said he would write in my favor.
 
I hope for your sake they approve you with out going in front of a judge. To my knowledge they really don't like to approve young people and tend to make them do the whole thing.
 

Jennifer

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
SLO
Good luck! I think it took my mom about a year or maybe less to get me on SSI. That was about 18 years ago though so I imagine its harder to get the ball rolling nowadays. Never give up though!
 
It depends on which state you live in. I live in NY state and they are backlogged big time. It took me 2 whole years to go before a law judge w/my lawyer as I was denied the 1st time around even though I had flaring Crohn's after I quit my job in 2000 and a stroke yrs. later and then was told that I was partially disabled for 6 months and then able to work!!!

What the heck were they smoking at the disability office as I brought my CT scan report & photo as proof that showed my 12" clot on my brain to their MD when I went. DUH!!! Then their MD was like what is an ostomy and where is it located?? Well sherlock, it's not on my head now is it.....and you went to med school???? this man looked to be about over 60 yrs. of age and should've been at the old folks home and not seeing pts. I tell ya. Where did they get this person from, the funny farm???

All I can suggest is to have patience and to call your lawyer monthly if they have any updates from social security on the status of your case. Good luck and know that I truly understand where you are coming from. It stinks because you work so hard and have paid into this system but when you really need it, they screw with you and don't want you to get it while others abuse the system and get it easily. Gotta love those politicians. NOT!!!

~all my best to you. Gutless Wonder Woman
 
So I have not been able to work for over a year and a half. I tried to go to school and ended up in the hospital and had to drop out. I have 4 kids and a great husband. but I can not keep a job due to flaring and being sick.. who wants to hire someone who goes to the bathroom every hour? I have not started the process for SSi yet but I am going to. Are my medical records enough or do I need my doctor to state that I can not work? Or write a letter? I am also super anemic and have to get IV iron infusions. 2 times in the hospital in 6 months.. I am in oregon. Is it better to go in and fill out the paper work or do it online?
 
@ scifi- Hi :) I know the waiting game is like torture. Since you have an attorney they should have it done soon. Possible another month. Once you get approved it will feel like a weight got lifted. When I got mine I was happy but I still dont understand how they expect people to live off of what they give you. Rent, food, copays, transportation, utilities??!! I made sooooo much more when I worked, its a big adjustment when your not able to just go back to work to make a decent living. I really hope that the approval comes soon for you :)

@ country- If you do apply I would get an attorney involved. You dont pay unless they get it approved. Most of the time they deny you the 1st time especially if you dont have an attorney.
 
Yep it really depends on your state. I live in Florida and was 5 years it takes forever.

@country I would do the first application online, they call you when you submit it to do an interview, you can go in for that or do it over the phone, I was flaring badly and did mine over the phone. You just fill out the forms and Social Security office gets med records etc. To my knowledge a note from your doc wont help, they look over your records and someone makes a call if you qualify or not. Then you have to appeal within 60 or 90 days if you disagree, thats when I got an attorney. Usually they will deny your second appeal fairly quickly. Thats when you go on the wait list for a judge. My attorney really came through at that hearing. I wouldnt go without an attorney. OH when you fill out the paperwork make sure you objectively state what your symptoms do to you, how it effects your daily life in plain language, don't try to dress it up in medical jargon.
 
Be sure to specify on the forms what you CAN NOT DO and make copies of everything they send you as after they get the first set of paperwork, they will send you a 2nd set 5-8 months later reworded to try and trick you. That way you can just copy from the 1st set word for word. That is what I did because I knew they did not want to approve me. Even my caseworker (she was nasty as heck) told me that she was going to make sure I didn't get it and I told my attorney what she said after I got my denial.

NY state is very backlogged and they even bring in judges from out of state to hear the disability cases. My attorney who was with me at the time of my hearing told me that I was lucky to get a judge who was local as some of the out of state judges require the claimants to get pysch evaluations at their own expense as well as other tests before even making their decisions.

I was granted approval for my disability on the spot as my file was HUGE & the judge was like "I don't know why they denied you the 1st time around as it is VERY evident based upon your records and CT scans from the stroke that you can NOT work". All I did was give my name and address in the beginning and that was it. My husband was all set to testify on my behalf but I was only in court for 5 minutes. He was like, do you need me? and I came out in tears telling him that I was approved and we don't have to wait anymore. The happiest day of my life let me tell you. After 2 yrs., justice was done.

Hang in there and know that you are not alone.
 
It really stinks that we pay into the system all our lives then have to fight to get the benefits we paid for.

I know I would prefer to be working. I would make a HECK of a lot more money that way, I honestly don't know why people would try to get disability if they could work.

@gutless I wonder if you can get that social security employee fired or something, that is INSANE that they said that to you. It took forever for mine but all SS employees have always been polite.
 
well, that was like over 3 yrs. ago. My attorney got her name and took care of that. He was miffed that she treated me that way. I'm just glad that I have the extra income to help us out to pay for my medications.

My husband works so hard to care for me & my Ike , my child with fur (lol) who's a diabetic. His insulin can be expensive every time the the FDA or drug company decides to discontinue what he's on & then I have to call the vet to see if there's something compatible. I always go for the generic brand for him and myself if I can. Wish Entocort was as it's like a $50 copay for 3 months oh and get this, the insurance wants pre approval for a year now and my GI has to call it in. He never had to do that before. WTH?? It's been out for a while now. It's not like I'm snorting it or anything....lol
 
Thanks for the tips. I plan to dive in on the paper work tomorrow morning.. its so scary to look at it that I just freeze and do nothing.. but I can not work or maintain a job.. so I figure I will get it eventually.. not looking forward to it taking years though.. so when you do finally get approved do you get back pay for the time it took to approve you?
 
I know with mine they made me sign a waiver that I was not as ill in the beginning of the disease, even though I did not have an active claim going from 1998 they could have back dated it to that point ( I assume considering I had to sign something). I worked a few years out of the time and had "gainful employment" so in hind sight it cost me 6 years of SS to work for 2. Plus I have to wonder the difference in work credits from back that far, I started working at 14 and did not stop till I had a baby, took a year off and boom got Crohns.
 
I was also looking into it because I'm just getting worse in terms of secondary health issues. At times, I can't even move. Gosh, I was looking at everything that has to be submitted and it gives me a migraine just thinking about it.

-Mary
 
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