Disability Paperwork

I had to go to an appt today with my pdoc so he could fill out disability paperwork. Man, he made it sound like I was really horrible off. I know I'm fine right now, but I know in a couple months things could change. What really got me was that he wrote: "(name) has a medical condition (schizoaffective/bipolar I disorder) that impairs her to consistently hold gainful employment." Also, "all symptoms cycle up and down in her to the point that she has not been able to and cannot be expected to hold consistent employment."

Anyways, since when am I schizoaffective? I was unaware of this. Also they filled out my all my diagnoses and put down ADHD. I thought that was taken off my record. I find the whole thing strange.

I'm going to take it to my lawyer tomorrow. Maybe I'll get disability this time.

I think you are fortunate to have had a doctor willing to work with you towards the goal of disability. I've heard so many stories about doctors less enthusiastic.

If it makes you feel better, my doctor also wrote a letter adding 'schizoaffective' to my bipolar diagnosis. I cried. But he explained to me not to take it to heart, that while I was borderline that condition, it was necessary to paint the darkest side possible to my illness in my application for a medication exception designation (in order to get Abilify which is not a covered drug here).

I don't know what my pdoc said on his part of the paperwork, but obviously it was enough to win my disability case on the first try. He'd always been against it in the past, but last summer he actually brought it up and said he'd back me up if I wanted to file. I did use an attorney from the get-go and I think that helped a lot, but so did three years of documentation plus a hospitalization and some physical problems that make it hard for me to sit or stand for long periods of time.

Yeah.....just let them say every thing they can say and don't sweat the details of it. It takes "extreme" to qualify for disability...

Good Luck!

The best way to qualify is for you and your drs. to paint your situation in the darkest way that is still honest. I just had my renewal and my therapist said several times that if I had to go through what I have this year the one benefit is that it made it really easy to emphasize how ill I am on the renewal papers. It's hard reading what he wrote even though I know he was using the worst he could honestly say and that it agreed with my paperwork using the worst I could honestly say but it's still hard to read that I'm very impulsive, lack insight and have limited judgment, my appearance can be disheveled, etc. But I know if he wrote them about the best I can be they'd deny my application even though the best isn't how I am 99% of the time.

I would be upset if diagnoses I didn't know I had appeared without warning but getting low estimates of abilities will only help you.

Please listen to rcat, LettinGO and BeyondtheRainbow. The first time I filed for disability I lost because my doc was saying good things abt me. I changed to a different doc office after I lost. My new doc brought up filing for disability although I was going a few months later. He added two more diagnoses (schizoaffective and interment explosive disorder) to my chart that I borderline. My doc took good notes and put in a good recommendation for my disability. I know this because I won within seven weeks of applying "with no attorney". I did have hospitalization but I had them the first time when I lost too. The big difference was the docs. Let the doc lead you...

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yes, this isn't the time to be shy about your illness. I assume qualifying for disability IS your ultimate intention - that being out of work is not about choice. If you are ill enough not to be able to maintain consistent employment, your psychiatrist will have recognized that. He is working in your best interest.