Getting Dr's to complete Disability paperwork

Hi Darla,
This reply won't address getting your disability approved, but I would recommend using a voice-to-text application to greatly reduce the amount of typing you do.

Darla, when I applied for SSD my specialist told me you need to take a medical retirement. He wrote a letter dated that day, that I was disabled. He said in all of my years of practice, I have only put one patient on disability. I was shocked because I kept thinking I would get better eventually. That is the date SSD went by too. I never asked for a copy of his letter. You have to have a date that you became disabled. The drs has to be behind the patient 100% when it comes to disability.

Primary care drs do not carry as much weight as a specialist. Often SSD send people to specialist for an independent medical exam. If that dr disagrees about disability that is who they will listen to. It can be very difficult getting approved & a lengthy process. This is why it is important to have the treating dr behind the patient. You can list the prior rheummie that treated you previously & SSD will obtain copies of his records.

Perhaps things has changed over the years, none of my drs had to fill out any papers for my initial application for disability. They obtained copies of the medical records. I would be very careful with this, you don't want to do something to muddy up the waters with your claim.

Good luck.

I would think your son with autism is receiving SSDI and that you are somewhat familiar with it.

Disclaimer: I am not on SSDI, although my state of health qualifies, for reasons that are my on.

Qualifying for SSDI has become much more restrictive since Susie’s/straydog’s initiation, so you would do well consulting with a long-term disability advising firm (such as Aflac) to provide you with real-time guidance. The numbers of individuals applying for SSDI (and SSI) has grown exponentially over the past 10-12 years. Simply put, the stream of applications is swamped.

Unless a person has a fast-track qualifying diagnosis (stage 4 cancer, ALS), a favorable ruling for SSDI needs to find a person unable to participate in ANY meaningful employment. A favorable SSDI ruling is not limited to a person’ s ability/inability to do their current job or line of work only. Ex. An appallet judge could rule that you have the capacity to answer a telephone as a receptionist as practical employment or that you can use voice activated computer transcription in your current on-line education position.

MDJunction has an active Social Security Disability advice forum. There are posters there are wise and knowing. There are 2-3 separate Social Security Disability forums on MDJunction.
The “advice” forum would probably be the better fit for you in giving you technical and practical information.

Be aware that the process for SSDI is averaging 22-25 months in most parts of the country. SSDI is not something that is granted quickly unless you have a fast-track, immediate qualifying diagnosis (stage IV cancer, Lou Gehrig’s Disease as examples).

If I were you and seriously needing income, I would look for an outside long-term disability consulting firm (such as Aflac) or a disability attorney to give you initial vetting advice and guidance.

Do you have short term disability or long term disability options through your current on-line education employer? You mention that you have great medical insurance through the on-line education employer. What other benefits are you eligible for as an employee? As you have been with this employer for 20 years, coupled with your ongoing health issues, I would have thought that you would have signed for employer-provided STD and/or LTD. You would have signed on for STD/LTD during annual the open enrollment period. Premiums would have then be deducted from your paycheck depending on the coverage you selected.

I think you will (unfortunately) find that the current SSDI process is more complicated and limited than you may be expecting. The system in the here-and-now is swamped and overwhelmed. My opinion: You will need real-time advice from a guidance LTD firm or disability attorney who is involved in the intricacies of the application and approval process as it exists today.

Post Edited ((Seashell)) : 11/5/2018 7:42:02 AM (GMT-7)

Darla:
I went to MDJunction to clarify the name of the support group. It is called the “Social Security Disability Advice” forum.

www.mdjunction.com

A few of the posters there are exceedingly knowledgeable. This group is “in the know” and will give you credible information on SSDI.

You medical records need to back up a form or letter from your doctor. It takes a while for a doctor to get to know a patient. You need to be seeing a,doctor for a while.for their professional opinion to carry weight.

If you are under 50 you must prove with medical and non medical evidence you cannot work jobs in the national.economy.

Details on your Function Report are crucial. DDS wants to know how your impairments affect your ability to perform Activities Of Daily Living. You can have these person that does,these or assists you fill out a Third Party form. It is,also important to tell your doctors these details. Get copies of your medical records and read them. Most claimants are shocked when they read their medical records. It is common for important info to be left out. Doctors often write things in medical records they do not tell patients.

Hi Miss Darla,

As we have no private messaging I just wanted to check on you are say I hope you are feeling better each day. I thank you so much for your support and kindness. It means so much to me to have friends to speak with. Sometimes family just does not get the depth of our pain or the mental stress we go through.

Have a great pain free day. Sorry to put this message here but I have no way to speak with you otherwise.

dmo

Thanks, dmo! I am recovering from the nerve release surgery in my arm so typing is a challenge. Hope you are having a good day. I would be interested in seeing additional pain forums...I just do not want to give a mixed message by that.

Post Edited (Darla) : 11/11/2018 7:19:40 AM (GMT-7)

It will take you a day or two to join but just let me know. I look forward to talking to you!!
dmo

Hi from Canada
This sounds so just what i went through.
My doctor would write a 3 line letter for my CPP disablity . And did not say any thing .
So when i finaly got a lawyer . I showed her his letter and she laughed .
Told me to go back to him and tell him that she would summons him to the hearing for my case.
Well when he heard he would be away from work for a day his writed juices started to flow and i recieved a 3 page letter from him.
Ended up winning my case . Just bad that you have to threaten a doctor to get a letter.

good luck Darla .
Just stay positive
Tom

In my State I had a phone interview then an appointment w the local SS office. They gathered info from doctors and I was approved and I have no clue which doctors responded, etc. SSDI which is based on your life's contribution to social security. Unless u r close to poverty, no medical help exists until 29 mos are up . Then Medicare and a supplement u buy (some states do not offer that). The irony is that it exists to assist folks w illnesses. I had no savings but paid least 60 thou med bills , also 1000 a mo. Cobra which then resulted in my owing the IRS monthly and my tax returns. I made maybe 39 thous a yr. So if folks can live well on approx 1200 to 1500 a month (housing, food, medical) I admire them. Oh and u have to be not working for 6 mos before applying. I forget how many miss it took to get monthly SSDI cks.

Your doctor saying you are disabled means nothing. The only thing your doctor could have done was write you are disabled in your medical records. DDS does not send doctors forms to fill out. Nor do they have anything online for the to fill out. Doctors do not know SSA disability laws. They do not know about transferrable skills or jobs in the national economy. The disability process is complicated.

Please be prepared to have to go to the hearing level at least. This can take 12-24 months or longer to get a hearing scheduled. If you are denied and appeal. That is another 18-24 months or longer at least. I do not mean to discourage you. But you need to be prepared.

Anything your doctor writes in a letter or puts on a form. Must be backed up by your medical records to carry weight. Most attorneys have forms for doctors to fill out. But they rarely, if ever deal with them until you are at the hearing level.

How your impairments affect your ability to work is vital. How your impairments affect your ability to perform Activities Of Daily Living. also shows how your impairments affect your ability to work. It is best if the forms you fill out. back up what your medical records say. Have you discussed the details of how your impairments affect your ability to grocery shop, prepare meals, do light housekeeping, get dressed, bathe, etc ? Did your doctor write this in your medical records.