Re: need help with second denial from social security

[Guest guest]

,

Before I retired, I supervised a unit @ my local welfare department

that assisting people to apply for Social Security Disability. So, I

have several questions:

1. Before you filed for the reconsideration, did you review the medical

records to be sure that everything that you know if wrong, is actually

in your medical records that they are reviewing. And when I say

everything, I mean everything. For example, have you seen records of

your eyesight that comes from an opthalmalogist, not an optometrist?

If you don't have that, they cannot determine if you are legally blind,

or how severely your eyesight is impacted. If you have anxiety, have

you had a psycholjogical or psychiatric evaluation? Does Social

Security know about the results of that exam.

2. Your age [30] is against you, so as far as they are concerned so you

will need to present medical evidence that you cannot work at all--

otherwise, they would expect you to take any job that exists in the 50

states based on your education and physical and mental abilities.

3. There are attorneys who specialize in Social Security Disability and

Veterans disability applications. Contact your local bar association

and/or Legal Aid and ask for that list. We had a list like that--we

handed it out after our clients were denied @ the reconsideration

level. The attorney does not have to take your case, but they take it

based on the medical records and the % that they take from your

retroactive benefits. So, the attorney will ask for the same things

that I am talking about--medical records and other proof of disability.

4. Have you contacted your local welfare department for assistance with

medical care so you have records of everything that is wrong with you?

5. If you go to your local Social Security office, they will give you a

copy of the medical records used to determine the initial and

reconsideration denial. You will need that when you visit your

attorney anyway so you need to get that.

6. You did not say when you were denied @ the reconsideration [recon]

level--you have a limited amount of time to file the recon request.

You can file the request for a hearing. Be sure that you address

everything that is not covered in the initial and recon denial records.

7. Did you have an exam done by a Social Security contract physician.

Some of those are ok, but some are really bad--they see so many people

for such a short tije that they get people mixed up. You need to

review those records to be sure they are accurate.

Good Luck

Kathleen

Eureka CA

> can someone help me or tell me a good lawyer in the nj area that could

> help me with my hearing. i have been rejected twice now but in the

> letters they state ur condition enables u to perform the normal job

> you have been doing for years but doesnt enable you to do others. im

> a plumber and thats all i know..people have suggested to me that i

> should have a hearing requested due to i dont leave my house no more

> from all the anxiety, dizzyness, and all other lyme related issues.

> thing is i cant afford my drs no more been rejected from every kind of

> help possible cause of my family being rich but they dont provide for

> me. can someone help me can someone swing me in the right direction?

> i live in nj and im only 30 im losing everything due to this stupid

> disease and all the drs i see say i have a problem but ssi says i

> dont..any suggestions please feel free to call me 732 333 5942 or

> email me jokezonu34@... phone is better due to eye sight is very

> poor now but the lyme disease dr which i havent seen in months cause

> of no funds said would happen...someone help ty keith

>

[Guest guest]

They always deny disability at least twice. You can also get a free

lawyer. If you have a lawyer they should get you disability for

multiple overlapping Illnesses. Or permanant damage from Lyme

disease. They probably wont give it to you for chronic Lyme disease

yet. Not until We get rid of Idsa Guidelines.

>

> can someone help me or tell me a good lawyer in the nj area that

could

> help me with my hearing. i have been rejected twice now but in the

> letters they state ur condition enables u to perform the normal job

> you have been doing for years but doesnt enable you to do others.

im

> a plumber and thats all i know..people have suggested to me that i

> should have a hearing requested due to i dont leave my house no more

> from all the anxiety, dizzyness, and all other lyme related issues.

> thing is i cant afford my drs no more been rejected from every kind

of

> help possible cause of my family being rich but they dont provide

for

> me. can someone help me can someone swing me in the right

direction?

> i live in nj and im only 30 im losing everything due to this stupid

> disease and all the drs i see say i have a problem but ssi says i

> dont..any suggestions please feel free to call me 732 333 5942 or

> email me jokezonu34@... phone is better due to eye sight is very

> poor now but the lyme disease dr which i havent seen in months cause

> of no funds said would happen...someone help ty keith

>

[Guest guest]

No, they do not automatically deny everyone the first two times.

Social Security does not determine disability based on any diagnosis,

including heart disease and cancer. They want to know how the person

functions with the diagnosis. If the functionality is not in the

physician's records, the diagnosis, no matter what it is for, will not

get you Social Security Disabiity. Often, the physicians do not

understand this.

Kathleen

Eureka CA

They always deny disability at least twice. You can also get a free

> lawyer. If you have a lawyer they should get you disability for

> multiple overlapping Illnesses. Or permanant damage from Lyme

> disease. They probably wont give it to you for chronic Lyme disease

> yet. Not until We get rid of Idsa Guidelines.

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/23/2008 12:04:16 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

kmpelley@... writes:

No, they do not automatically deny everyone the first two times

You are correct , and the thing with council is that they get a third of

your money due to you when you do win, also disability starts as soon as you

sign up , so when you do win you get those monies retroactive.

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[Guest guest]

By Council, you mean the attorney [Counsel] who represents you. The

amount the attorney gets is actually set by law and it used to be a

percentage of the retroactive benefits. Some very complicated, not

straight forward disability cases can take 5+ years to resolve. So, do

not give up.

However, the county welfare department gets first hit off that money if

they have been on what Social Security calls " interim assistance " .

Interim assistance is usually called state or county General Relief or

General Assistance.

Kathleen

the thing with council is that they get a third of your money due to

you when you do win, also disability starts as soon as you sign up ,

so when you do win you get those monies retroactive.

[Guest guest]

Social Security disability has a bad reputation, because a lot of sick

people do not get it, but lazy people on drugs and with psych problem stake

advantage of the system (unfortunately I know a few). My neurologist told me

nobody in PA gets it, he used an example of a lady with a brain tumor who was

denied SSD. Well, he was wrong. Routinely they try to deny most cases the

first

time. It is advisable to get a lawyer, but even more important is

documentation. I had a functional evaluation from a physical therapy place,

abnormal

MRI and EEG for records as well as a nice professional letter from my primary

doctor. I was scared to death at my appeal hearing, but the judge was

friendly and stated he was going to rule in my favor. That was over two weeks

ago,

now I have to play the waiting game for an official award letter. A lot of

the patients I talked to at the Lyme center in NJ did get SSD, but often

there is a wait and an initial denial. Not sure which Lyme group was

discussing

it before (I joined three), but there are support groups who do nothing but

discuss SSD etc. Maybe someone here can get you a link. Even after two

denials, you can still appeal and win, do not give up, just get good records

and

an attorney if you do not already have one.

Dagmar

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[Guest guest]

Yes, Social Security disability has a bad reputation, but most of the

problems go back to lack of good medical records and some pretty

flakey physicians who do medical exams for Social Security on a

contract basis. Remember, the people who operate in this system are

only looking at medical records. No one, but the contract physicians

see the applicants until you go before a judge after the second

denial.

People who are alcoholics and drug addicts are often very disabled

because most of them are mentally ill, not just lazy. They use drugs

and alcohol to treat their mental illness because they cannot get

adequate treatment from mental health agencies. I know, because I

worked with that population before I retired.

Also, it is usually not Social Security that processes the first two

decisions. Usually it is a contract agency--in California it is a

division of the State Department of Social Services. I do not know

about Pennsylvania because I have not worked within that system.

Some areas of the United States are more punitive than others--it

pretty much depends on the political framework of the area you are

in.

I am glad that you are finally in the process of being allowed.

Kathleen

Social Security disability has a bad reputation, because a lot of

sick people do not get it, but lazy people on drugs and with psych

problem stake advantage of the system (unfortunately I know a few).

My neurologist told me nobody in PA gets it, he used an example of a

lady with a brain tumor who was denied SSD. Well, he was wrong.

Routinely they try to deny most cases the first time. It is

advisable to get a lawyer, but even more important is

documentation. I had a functional evaluation from a physical

therapy place, abnormal MRI and EEG for records as well as a nice

professional letter from my primary doctor. I was scared to death at

my appeal hearing, but the judge was friendly and stated he was

going to rule in my favor.