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Originally Posted by Hellion
It is possible to get the paper trail/diagnoses and such while going through the SSI process.
Yes, it is possible to start both at the same time. However, remember this: The process of going through the SSI/SSDI decision does not necessarily take a long time. It took me a grand total of 3 months. (much to my shock.) That's because I had an excellent and long paper trail. When it does take a long time, it's because the SSA has rejected the claim, and the person had to resubmit it. A resubmitted claim is going to be scrutinized even tougher than an original claim. (because you are asking SSA to overturn someone's decision.) So I would start the paper trail first, if I were you. If you start the process before you even get a diagnosis, you will see how very fast the SSA can be at denying your claim. It doesn't take the SSA too long to deny a claim when you don't have anything to support it. In your case, you might get a response just as quick as I did . . . only it is apt to be a denial. It is a myth that the process is always lengthy. It is only lengthy when you start resubmitting claims because you've wracked up denials. (That happens a lot because people usually don't have great paper trails, or their paper trails don't support them being disabled. Part of the paper trail that helps a lot is being fired from jobs due to inability to cope related to an illness, mental or physical, or both.)
it is certainly plausible to develop more of a paper trail during the process....you are allowed to submit any new medical evidence you did not initially submit to them at any time during your case.
That is completely true.
I guess what I am saying is the process takes so long it wouldn't make much sense to make sure to develop a very intricate long paper trail and then apply seems to make more sense to do both at once...apply and collect as much medical evidence you can to shorten the amount of time it might take to get on it.
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You might find that all you've done is to shorten the amount of time it takes to get a denial. Then the burden of proof is on you to convince SSA that the first decision they made was wrong. They are going to look at everything you submit the second time and compare it with everything you submitted the first time, and that can get you into trouble.
My strong advice is to get diagnosed and into some treatment before you submit a claim. Even then, you will very likely get a denial (quickly) because they will say that they are hoping that your treatment is effective and enables you to succeed in the workforce. (They are not going to hold your application, while they wait and see. They will deny you and leave it to you to apply all over again.) The approach you are suggesting is most likely to succeed, if you have a condition that is dramatically, and obviously, profoundly disabling. I'm thinking of something like dementia, with obvious cognitive impairment. That might be in someone who has early onset Alzheimer's who suddenly presents as too decompensated to cope, but has gone undiagnosed prior to that.
Your approach might also have a better chance if, though there is no preceding history of medical treatment, there has been a history of failing miserably on job after job after job because of a flaming personality disorder that left you with such impaired judgement that you never even thought there was anything wrong with you. Such a person might be socially inappropriate to a grotesque degree. (Someone close to me got approved rather quickly on that basis.)
Let me add that this would be a good question to ask a lawyer, who might differ with me. My suspicion, though, is that many lawyers are not going to be this candid with you about some of these issues.