Thank you everyone.

Perna - When the unemployment runs out (mid-August) I will have a few no-income weeks, and then the SSDI will kick in (mid-September.) I will never be eligible for SSI. To get SSI, the SSDI would have to be less than $718. My SSDI isn't real high, but it is over $718. I am eligible for Section 8, or HUD subsidized housing. It takes some time to get either one of those. Section 8 has the advantage of being portable and, thus, can be taken from one state to another. Either program would reduce my rent by at least $100/month. So I am on a waiting list for that, and I expect the wait to be at least 6 months. There are about 1000 people ahead of me on the waiting list for Section 8 in my community. I may look into the wait time on getting into the better of the HUD apartment complexes. I really have no idea about how long that would take. I suppose it depends on what is going on at the individual complexes. Senior citizen complexes are nicer than HUD complexes that take all ages (those can be a bit hairy.) I believe my current landlord would take a Section 8 voucher from me, if I could get one. (My neighbor next door is on Section 8.) That would save me moving expenses. I am a few years younger than what is usually required to get into most senior complexes (age 62.) In the meantime, while I am waiting to get one of the two programs to subsidize my housing, I will get a bit more in food stamps. Once I get subsidized on the housing, my income would be considered too high for food stamps.

Saywhat? - Thanks for posting again. That was a lot of hassle you went through at the CE. Like you, I don't keep all that in my head. And you sure want to put down everything accurately. I think it's too bad you couldn't have had a chance to fill out those forms at home. It's not really to double check you. (I was paranoid, too.) If you haven't been getting a prescription filled, then you are not considered to be "on" that medication. So they are just trying to give the consulting physician the info for making a good overview of your physical maladies and your response to treatment. Bipolar disorder might be the thing that gets you SSDI the quickest. I know that people do get SSDI for fibromyalgia, but the SSA is a bit suspicious of that diagnosis because it is impossible to prove than anyone does, or doesn't, have it. Not that anyone can prove bipolar disorder, either. But they figure people are slower to get a psych diagnosis, unless it is for real. I have read in a few places that bipolar disorder gets serious attention from the SSA. One of the things SSA is looking at is "Have you been treated adequately for your disorders (both of them) and have you still been so plagued with symptoms that you can't work?"

Sidestepper - Thanks very much. I do hope this will help me to overcome being as depressed as I have been. Surely, a major source of anxiety has been lessened. I really have to say that the SSA processed my claim as swiftly as I could have hoped for. Also, I can't say that I had to endure any real hassle in the whole process.

I hope the info on this thread is helpful to others. I have shared freely of my experience for that purpose. I am grateful to all who shared their experiences with me.