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Feb 12, 2017, 10:56 AM
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Member Since: Apr 2014
Location: Home
Posts: 8,406
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rose76
I strongly encourage any and everyone to hook up, right from the get-go, with a law firm specializing in helping people get disability.
Some law firms won't take you, until you've been denied. Others will take you right from the beginning. I got one of those firms. I was approved in 3 months. The law firm didn't make a dime because there were no back payments owed to me. And they were fine with that.
The people who make the decision only care about one thing: Why can't you work? Why can't you hold down a job? So it's not enough to say I have such and such disorder. Lots of people who are depressed or have bipolar disorder have good paying careers. They won't hold that against you. They need you to make very clear how your psych problem has gotten in the way of you being successful at working. They have to see that you've tried to work. They have to see that you've gotten all the treatment available and still failed to make a go of a job.
You need a diagnosis from a psychiatrist. Just seeing a therapist isn't enough. Most lawyers will tell you that the best help is a doctor who believes you can't work.
The younger you are, the harder it is to get approved.
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I disagree with this. I was 34 when I applied, on my own, with no help, and got approved on the first try.
The key is having the paper trail, and being very thorough in your application and having all your doctors on board with your application and in agreement that you can't work.
Yes, the judge you get and the social worker who does your paperwork can help tremendously, but it does come down to being thorough with the first application. I wouldn't say you have to get a lawyer right from the get-go. Since so many applications do get denied the first time, I wouldn't waste the money on the first application on a lawyer. I would get all the documentation from your doctors together on your own and fill out the form being very thorough. Then if you get denied, then you get a lawyer to help with the appeal.
Good luck,
seesaw
__________________
What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly?
Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia.
Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien
Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less...
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