[Berries]

Social Security Administration is currently deciding whether or not to have a full review.
I could lose my benefits. I don't know what i'd do without my Medicare and Medicade. My meds alone cost $800 a month.

Has anyone lost theirs? What did you do? How do you pay for treatment and meds?

[thinker22]

Sorry Berries, no, I've never had it. I'm wondering if my state health insurance is going to demand I apply for disability or Medicaid before they consider my application.

I hope you get to keep yours. A good argument could be made that $800 a month is a whole lot less gov money than even a week in the hospital by denying you your coverage/meds. They try to save money then they end up losing it by making you bankrupt and unable to pay for anything. I hate this country's health/medical stance/policy/system/racket right now.

Don't get me wrong. I love the USA. I just dislike some of the rich-poor problems. I grew up lower middle class, my parents are upper middle class now, but I'm on my own and a student (get gov grants to be able to go part time) and work as much as I can, but I've still never made more than 13k a year. Actually, I've averaged around $8,150/yr in my illustrious 8 years of working. Haha, my 8 years is equal to a middle class persons single year's income.

Rambling, sorry. I wish I could tell you what to do, but I don't know. Just have as many records as you can find available if they do decide to review your case.

No use worrying right now. (Easier said, I know) I'm worried about something that hasn't happened yet either, but I know it's not doing me any good.

[LivingMiracle]

Originally Posted by Berries

Social Security Administration is currently deciding whether or not to have a full review.
I could lose my benefits. I don't know what i'd do without my Medicare and Medicade. My meds alone cost $800 a month.

Has anyone lost theirs? What did you do? How do you pay for treatment and meds?

I am worried about mine as well. I am on disability as well but not on medicare/Medicaid yet cause I can't figure the paper work out. I really don't know what to tell you but you aren't alone on this.

[DancingAlone]

I have been on disability for 13 years now (was dx'd at age 48 with BPD). It took forever to get disability and for several years after I started receiving it, they would send me yearly questionnaires. I would firmly tell them that this is an illness I have had all my life, I have been an active part of the work force, but I am now too sick to work more than a small parttime menial job. I would always explain to them the nature of this illness and that it will never go away, that I will always be on strong medications and will always have a disability. If you need to, have your doctor back you up on this if they are doing a review.

They finally left me alone. Oh, about Medicare, it starts 1 year to the day after you receive disability, and you have to indicate that you want them to take out for Part B (doctor vixits). You will also have Pard D, where you can choose a drug company that will pay for your medications up to a certain amount each year. I am using Medco (generics are $6 a month, others like Seroquel are $38), but you can call medicare and have them send you a booklet that lists all of them and the different co-pay plans.

Good luck to both of you.

P.S. I used to be in the state health system, but as soon as I started receiving Medicare, they cut me loose. Don't know how that works in your state.

[thinker22]

I'm in the process of applying for SSDI and also my state insurance's health plan. I know if I don't have backup insurance that one episode will bankrupt me. That's why I'm so scared to go to the hospital as bad as things get. I'm too overwhelmed lately to keep doing the paper work, but I'll get back to it ASAP.

Looking back, it kind of makes sense why I couldn't work for long stretches of time before I burnt out and had to either stop or else cut my hours way back. Same goes for school. I get extremely depressed when under intense stress and often have months of insomnia/anxiety on top of the depression. It is an illness and it needs to be treated for life. We're not lazy, we just already have a full time job: getting well and maintaining it. Sometimes I feel like a rickety car with faulty parts. Mechanics are like the p-doc and the therapist...keep me from winding up in the junkyard.

[roses]

dont worry the can't take your benifits away. Everythings going to be alright.

[bridgie]

I tried once to get disability. I was denied. Told bcz I cld work at all even if a ltl and for less than I was before I ddnt qualify and I ddnt have the energy to appeal. It does stink bcz I can't work tons without having problems. I have times I just don't go to work. I had to drop out of school as I was sent into a depression with just one class a semester. I dnt think I will ever get disibility either bcz I ddnt appeal when they sent me the paperwork. At times it wld be lovely but I hate jumping through beaurocratic hoops and guess I choose to suffer instead. Its pain. I deserve to suffer.

[thinker22]

Most people get denied on their first try. I expect to despite all the evidence I have of having a serious illness. Unless I become a quadriplegic overnight (no offense to any who are or who know one), they will deny me because like you, I can work some. I just can't work full time without going into a tailspin. I take 2 classes a quarter, but it feels like I'm taking 4 or 5.

I appealed 4 times the insurance decision about not paying for my therapy which was needed due to the stress during and after the forced hospital visit. Cost me $1,000 that I will still be paying in 2011. Yeah, pretty much the insurance can do whatever it wants. There's always a "pre-existing" loophole. So, I feel the futility of appeals as well. I guess they do want us totally dependent on the government. It would cost them way less to just help us fill in the gap than to push us to the edge with no help and make us completely helpless.

Okay, I'll stop. You don't deserve to suffer. It's just the nature of the beast.

[BNLsMOM]

Do you have someone helping you? SS is a scary concept. I haven't even changed my name on my card and I have been married for 3 years. But to go through a whole process when we sometimes can't even find the energy to get out of bed is terribly exclusive and not fair. Maybe someone could help you with the sticky parts. Can your doctor help?

[suze999]

You can also contact a lawyer who specializes in disability claims. That might be a pricey way to go if you already have disability, but probably less than losing your benefits would be. I sure wouldn't try to deal with the paperwork on my own, just don't have enough focus at this point -- I can slog through a work day, but fortunately my position is pretty routine.

BNLsMOM, I went through the whole SS card name change thing three years ago after my divorce (actually I've been divorced nearly five years and it just took that long to get around to it), and I'm still dealing with places that can't cope with it . Changing my SS and DL was no big deal, cost me $5 for a replacement DL and a couple of hours was all, got it filed with the county clerk so I had a nice official court order to mail to businesses but it wasn't necessary -- it was credit cards and that sort of thing that were irritating, but you can handle that stuff as it comes up. I live in a smallish area with a relatively unbusy SS office, though.

[thinker22]

Holy crap the SSDI online forms are long! So friggin' comprehensive I've worked on it 3 separate days with stacks of info radiating out from me in all directions. Every doctor, hospital, clinic, test you've had done or been to for the past year and every date and address. Every job you've worked in the past 15 and all of their details. Wish I could just upload a resume. Zonk.

Man, it's the afternoon and I'm starting to hit my post-lunch downswing, but really, I worked on one section alone for 3 hours.

I feel for everyone else who has, is or will be applying.

[VickiesPath]

I'm pretty sure I've posted about this before but here's what I know:

I've been receiving disability (referred to as Permanent Disability) via the Social Security Administration (different than SSI or Supplemental Security Income) since 2004. I was determined disabled as of March of 2004 and there is a six month disqualification period which means that, once they have determined that you are disabled, they determine the beginning date of your disability, then disqualify the first six months and then pay you beginning on the seventh month.

If a long time has lapsed since the date of the beginning of your disability, you will be paid for all of those months that have passed since you should have received benefits. For example, I received a whopping big check in March 2004 (my date of disability was October of 2002) because I did not collect any money for a couple years after I actually became disabled because it didn't occurr to me to file until later and the medical records I submitted supported that my disability went back that far.

Then, yes, Medicare begins one year after the beginning of your benefits. Your Medicare Part A (hospital) is free. Your Medicare Part B (medical) premium comes out of your check before they send it. You may choose to participate in Part D if you wish. That is drug coverage. Some people do, some don't. It's better than nothing and is reasonable.

Based upon the nature of your disability, you will be reviewed for continuation of benefits periodically. My first review wasn't scheduled to come up until 7 years, so that will be in 2011. Because I receive an additional benefit for my minor son, I do have to answer a questionaire every year about how that was spent.

Rule of thumb: Around 70% of first-time applicants are denied. I was accepted first time. The reason was, I did extensive research online, at disability sites, learning as much as I could about what the SSA evaluators look for when they review an application. There is a lot of good information on the internet if you search the disability advocacy sites. You do not necessarily need an attorney to do this for you. They will take a bunch of your money.

Just remember that the application is going to be reviewed by real people and they will be looking for specific descriptions of how your condition limits your major life activities like work, household chores, going to buy groceries, taking care of your personal needs, etc. Always emphasize how you can no longer work in the occupation you were trained to do. How does your disability interfere with your quality of life? The questions need to be answered in very fine detail, like you were explaining it to a child.

Don't know if any of this helps, but take what you want and leave the rest, as they say.

[DancingAlone]

(If this shows up twice, I'm sorry! I can't get the hang of posting here.)

Vickie, you summed that up really well. I'd like to add a bit tho. I was turned down the first time, but I hear that's normal. Like you, I got a whopping check because it had been a while since I had first applied. After being turned down, I just couldn't cope with dealing with all the b.s. and I hired a lawyer. I hated to 'cause I had done all the work (the mountain of forms, etc.). But he did help. He told me to keep a thorough diary on a daily basis of my mood swings, thoughts, etc., which I put in my computer to present to the judge when we went for the hearing. He also had (and this is the critical part) an occupational therapist present who explained to the judge that I was able to do many, many types of jobs, but the nature of BPD always ended me either quitting from depression, getting mad and quitting from (correct word?) dysphoria/mania/anger, or being fired because of all the mood swings. There was more he said, but that's the gist of it.

Anyway, I was approved this time. After 5 years I was able to return to work on a VERY small parttime, low-stress basis. The government leaves me alone. I take my meds (I wasn't dx'd until 48 y.o., so most of my life I basically winged it, very badly), but I am still going to be BPD the rest of my life, and it will always impact on my working. For those of you overwhelmed by all you have to do to apply, hang in there! Fight for your rights! Also, go to the section of the social security administration web site and follow the links to the mental illness area that thoroughly describes the criteria for mental illness and what is considered a disability for BPD--PsychCentral won't let me post a web site until I've posted 10 or more, or I would post it here--sorry!). GOOD LUCK!