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Posted 10/11/2021 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
Yesterday I received a confirmation email that my disability claim has been approved. Now I can begin drawing my pension and have access to my 401k. I will be giving that to Edward Jones to manage and hopefully grow. I do not intend to touch it for at least 5 years. I still have no idea what % I am at regarding disability but at least I know I am approved. Down the road I may need to get a part time job. I am thinking hardware store. That sounds fun. I am also hoping g for a seasonal job driving a snow groomer as well as working at a Christmas tree farm.

I have been keeping busy hunting and fishing as well as spending time on my tractor. We dug 4 limits of razor clams over the weekend and coho salmon are in the river thick. Deer season begins next weekend.

Each day I get up with Mandy and make her lunch and get her off to work. I am a good house husband. We are getting ready to build a small pole barn shop. 24x30. It will be nice to have a place to put the boat and camper as well as the snowmobiles and tractor. Once the shop is done I will build a mezzanine so that I have a small man cave.

Lots of stress has been lifted. Feeling pretty good. My knees are killing me but I am going to try and find a doctor who will replace them in spite of the cancer.
Posted 10/11/2021 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats on the disability claim, Todd. Sounds like you are doing a good job of staying busy, and enjoying a variety of interests. You can't beat that. Send some salmon this way when you get a chance.
Michael
Posted 10/11/2021 1:21 PM (GMT 0)
This is all so very awesome!!
You're a good man Charlie Brown.
Posted 10/11/2021 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Michael. Yes staying busy. I wish Mandy and I were closer in age so we could retire together but she still has 10 years to go. She loves her job so she will probably work another 20 years. Oh well. I can keep the house clean and the freezer full so her life is easier. If I manage to get a few salmon I can’t send you one but if you are ever on the west coast Iwould be happy to serve you cedar plank salmon

Aleph. I don’t know if I am a good man but I do think I am a better man than I use to be. Maybe one day I will reach good status. In the mean time I have something to strive for.
Posted 10/11/2021 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Todd1963

That's fantastic news Todd. Now you can breathe easier! I remember going for disability pension and getting approved, it was a huge relief for my wife and I. I am not allowed to work and have turned down some due to I cannot risk pension issues.
Enjoy deer season, fill up that freezer.
Posted 10/11/2021 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Everton. My pension is anemic at best. I fell into that hole where companies were eliminating defined pensions for 401k’s. When I was told I only had a year to live I spent my 401k lol. Had to start over. I am allowed to make 1350 dollars thereabouts without disrupting my disability or my pension.
Posted 10/11/2021 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
[Quote]

Aleph. I don’t know if I am a good man but I do think I am a better man than I use to be. Maybe one day I will reach good status. In the mean time I have something to strive for.

Todd, that is something that cancer does to a lot of us. Makes be better men. Although I have a feeling you are being modest and we’re a good man before cancer

Great news on the disability
Posted 10/11/2021 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
I can see that that disability decision takes a load of your (and Mandy's) shoulders.
Good luck from here on...
Posted 10/11/2021 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
Todd,
I knew that would come through for you. Now enjoy that fruit and enjoy retirement, you and Mandy richly deserve it. I and overjoyed and ecstatic to hear that good news. Take care my Brother and Keep the Faith!

Wings of Eagles...soaring!!!
Posted 10/11/2021 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
Truly outstanding, Todd! Such great news!

Just out of curiosity, how exactly did you find out? Did you go to your mailbox, open it, see the letter, pull it out, and, noting the return address on it, you knew immediately it was the decision, and, heart racing, you ripped it open and read YES, YOU GOT IT! And then you raced back to the house, joyously screaming no doubt, letter in hand, to show Mandy?

Or did they email you the decision? Also pretty dramatic I would think, with a super fast click on your part to open the email, to see the great decision literally flash on to the screen before your eyes?

Also out of curiosity, is it a VA or Social Security disability? (Either one works pretty good), and once approved the odds are also good that you will be able to maintain it.

Great news, indeed!
Posted 10/11/2021 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Prat, before cancer I was flawed. I still am however I am a work in progress and try to become better. Each day my moral inventory is a little clearer which forces me to look deeper. The man before cancer wouldn’t recognize the man of today. The man of today pity’s the man of yesterday for the time wasted on foolishness.

Sailor, it sure does ease my mind a tad. Perhaps I will sleep better.

Thank you wings. I thought I would be approved as well but there weee a few folks who told me I would not be approved that rattled my nerves and caused me to doubt.

Lieutenant,
It was nothing like that at all. Funny, I was telling a co-worker yesterday that I might be back to work because I didn’t think I was goi g to get approved. I woke up this morning and there was an email saying that my status had changed so as I lay in bed having coffee with Mandy I logged into my social security account an read my disability had been approved. Same feeling but not nearly the drama. I like your version better. Of course I didn’t read the part about email until I wrote this reply so my bad. Didn’t feel like deleting it and starting over
Posted 10/11/2021 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Great news. Sounds like a California GFMPH is in order. With cedar plank salmon on the menu!
Posted 10/11/2021 10:05 PM (GMT 0)
Gobucks, I am all in on a west coast GFMPH but a little FYI I live in the country about 120 miles south east of Seattle. Mostly south. I don’t know of any good reason to go to California except maybe Humbolt County and of course a few of my HW brothers and truth be told I am not too sure a Cali GFMPH could get me to go there again. Lol
Posted 10/11/2021 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know about you guys but I am looking forward to Wednesday morning for social security COLA and the good old Yankee Dollah... I get a small SS amount since I'm locked into fat a CSRS pension.(csrs gets the same raise as ss)..I used to feel guilty about how fat is is but the wife talked me out of that a while back...a high percent on a high number...well it higher it's...hey.......I didn't bring it up


Todd congrats on the pension take it spend it...save it its yours...You deserve it...and you can't take it with you...it will never get you to heaven and not having it wont get you in either...you know how that works...
Posted 10/11/2021 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Logo.
Posted 10/11/2021 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry Todd. I was confusing you living near Wings. All these guys on Zytiga for years and years and I get confused who is where. #lupronbrain West coast anywhere is good. You just make the salmon.
Posted 10/12/2021 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
I was just playin’ with you Bucks. Except for the part about hating California that is
Posted 10/12/2021 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
First fishing trip since official retirement, First fish in the boat.
Posted 10/13/2021 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
By the way logos, oh I was going to say more do you but I feel ignorant because I didn’t know what any of those acronyms stood for except the cola. Today I am on my way to Costco yay. But if I’m really quick I will only have to be around people for a half hour. Hope you are doing well and good luck with all of your acronyms
Posted 10/13/2021 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
CSRS..Civil service retirement system...social security is not taken out of csrs...it is a completely a defined benefit and gets the same increase that social security gets (5.9% announced this morning)
Posted 10/14/2021 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
Bank
Posted 10/14/2021 11:18 AM (GMT 0)
Todd congrats! I like it when I hear a hard working guy that has contributed to the fund all of his life is finally getting some back!! Just watch your income if you work part time I think right now the trial work period only allows 940 a month for 9 months. If you go over that trial work month amount SSDI will get contact you to see if you are able to work or not. This has happened to me a couple of times when there was 3 pay periods in the same month. I'm sure the 940 amount will go up in 2022. Enjoy retirement!!!

Larry
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