disability

does anyone know of any resources regarding applying for disability due to chronic fatigue? any advice? i have been out of work for over a year

good luck with that chronic fatigue is only one of my problems and they told me that they didnt consider me disabled lucky for me i found a job online that i manage to do ok with so i didnt appeal but u can apply online and it takes awhile but like i said good luck
lmb

I can speak from experience here as I applied in 2002 and currently I am at the hearing level. I have my hearing date coming up this is something I didn't set up, I was sent a letter in the mail from the Judge that will be hearing my case. I have looked into filing and what needs to be done that this is what I have learned: I am not an expert on this and don't know everything.....I have questions myself still....
1. I was denied the first time and I appealed.
2. I was denied the second time and I appealed...Both cases you are on a time frame of 60 days to file your appeal....
3. Your third appeal will get you a face to face with an Adminstrative Law Judge. You should have already hired an attorney to help you file this stage. Also a key indicator that you have a possible chance of winning your case is if a lawyer takes your case to begin with...My experience with this is in the beginning I could not find a lawyer to take my case because they only get 25% of your backpay up to $5300.00 dollars and not one penny more. I didn't have the backpay time built up for them to make a large payday for their firm. If my backpay in the beginning was $500 dollars they would only get 25% of that and not a penny more...Now I had several years of backpay built up by the time I appealed the after the second denial....It is a long process....I called the same firm to see if they would take my case and boy they jumped, but I declined. I hired an attorney from another firm...This is just my experience only....
Since I don't have a large amount of medical history built up concerning my Panic disorder and major depression, some of medical records were even purged by the doctor and not available anymore....Also, since my back injury occured in 2002 I don't seek a ton of medical care because of the panic disorder...I even rush out of the doctor's office without telling half of why I am there...I even tried to fake being better from the severe back injury....Because of this, Social Security sent me for exams at their expense, they are called CE's....I was sent to an orthopedic and a Neurophsycologist for a mental exam....This gives the judge a clear and precise medical determination of me and gives him a good solid source to base a part of his determination on....
Yes it will be easier to go with more than one ailment, build the case....ALSO, and this is a big ALSO, I wish I would have known this in the beginning: The diagnosis of CFS, chronic pains, or even Aids does not qualify anyone for disability...The basis of disablity is determined by how the diagnosis of CFS has "limited your functional abilities." Example: I cannot sweep my floor because it causes my severe pain and increases my pain level to an 8 out of a 10. When the pain increases to this level I am off my feet for 2 days in a row. I cannot walk more than 70 yards without assistance, because walking this far causes my legs to become stiff and causes muscle spasms in my back. It also increases my chronic pain to increase to a level 7 out of 10....
I am still learning how to speak specifically like I have just described above...It is difficult for me to write so pinpointedly like that...
It has to be this way because SSA will say to someone saying I have chronic pain: Well a majority of the people have chronic pain everyday and they work fine. How does your chronic pain prevent you from sustaining gainful employment? In other words in your case How will your CFS prevent you from sustaining gainful employment? Seek a lawyer, if they take your case they won't get anything unless you win...
Also, if your doctor supports your claim of not being able to work because of the CFS, most doctors don't write down most of what you are saying. It is important that you get it all documented in your medical records...Also, a key thing is if you do file for SSD most doctors write terribly and the people in the SSA won't be able to read your doctor's notations. Make sure you request your records and if they are not dictated request them to be. That way when they are requested it will be clear and precise...I have a 8 days in a row of a hospital visit when the MRI revealed the severity of my S1 hernation was, the doctor's records are unreadable, O'MY! A great deal of what needs to be read cannot be by the normal lay person anyway...
If I had to give you one big peice of advice it is this: Do not trust the SSA to be on your side, do not trust them to collect the medical records. In my case even though I gave the doctor's name and information they didn't collect what needed to be collected. Make sure you keep copies of what you send, they tend to lose things....Good luck..

Your welcome...If you have anymore questions just ask, if I know the answer I will be happy to help...

Biting nails hearing getting closer....Pray for me!

Sorry I also ment to tell you that this is what I have

(1)CROHNS

(2)Ra

(3)oa

(4)as

(5)Sjerens syndrome