Advised to apply for SSDI by my doctor and very scared.

Here's information for would-be psychiatrist examiners!

http://www.cdonaldwilliamsmd.com/Psy...ewsarticle.pdf

Hamster - I really appreciate that nitty gritty feedback. It seems there is always more help available than ever gets publicized.

What's good is that you have a social worker. I have read that in my area some things are only available if you get referred by a case manager. I don't have one yet. I'm on some kind of a waiting list for one. It's anxiety arousing, for sure. I do need to ask more questions. Thanks for the suggestion.

Perna - Thanks. Even though the Eval. is over, I was very interested to read the info on how pdocs are advised to interview and how they are advised to report their impressions. Very good reference!

I went to the Psych Eval and the pdoc was real nice and took a good hour to do a very thorough interview.

How do you know how much you will receive? I am leary of applying myself. I am 49 with hx of attempted suicides and suicide ideation for the past 11 years. I now see a psychiatrist and was just recently placed on lithium.

I never wanted to accept or acknowledge I actually had this disease and have been struggling with it. My history of employment has also struggled with missed work due to such severe mania. I just could not come to grips with the fact I was/AM bipolar

If you call SSA they will tell you what your expected monthly benefit would be, if you were to get it now. You have to be firm and assertive. They can be kind of snooty. Just be direct and ask a plain question. Don't try to make any small talk, or tell them anything about your situation. You just want a simple answer.

We used to get a thing in the mail every year giving all that info. They stopped about two years ago to save money. You still have a RIGHT to the info.

A law firm will give you a rough idea of your chances of getting SSDI. If you do get it, and your SSDI is rather low (like below $600, or $700, then you might also get a few extra dollars from SSI.) The younger you are, the more tough it can be to get. But that can change based on the severity of how your disorder keeps you out of work.

Google the subject and you will learn lots! For now, and for down the line when you might have a more serious need to apply.

Mainly, SSA looks for the facts that you are in treatment with an MD, and that you are complying with the treatment, and that it has gone on for an extended period of time.

Any good lawyer will tell you that the best thing to have in your corner is a doctor who is supportive of helping you get on SSDI/SSI. Sometimes, doctors attitudes toward that can be somewhat influenced by their political beliefs.

You can go here, you can register and get your benefits statement that you used to get in the mail: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/mystatement/

Echoes - Thanks. I had no idea that was available. Great info to have.

I hadn't realized we don't get them in the mail anymore. I'm applying for actual Social Security this August and the online tools let you see approximately what you'll get so that's okay for me. I don't know what the tax, tips and gratuities will take out but I'm treating it sort of like I use to a new paycheck and if I low-ball it, hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised at how much I actually get :-)

Perna - I'm all about low-balling things so as to be surprised, rather than disappointed.

I have some idea on the tax thing. Your social security is just ordinary income, and is treated as such. They can withhold, possibly to the extent that you ask them to. There may be a minimum percentage they withhold anyhow, like race track winnings. But I think I'm wrong on the last thing. I know someone who's gets only social security and it's a low amount and nothing is withheld. It would all have to be given back due to how low this person's income is.

I am confused about one thing. When, and if. I get my SSDI, it will be backdated to the onset of my disability. So there will be a first time large payout to cover many months, possibly months in 2011 and 2010, if it's backdated to that. I don't know how they determine the tax on the part that is for a previous year. Ideally, or theoretically, it should be based on my overall income for 2011 and 2010.

Besides tax, they withhold something toward medicare, if I understand rightly.

An agency in my town that helps advocate for the disabled (including on matters of social security) told me that if I applied on my own, initially, to tell social security that I do not have access to a computer. She said there are reasons why it is not good to let SSA be able to contact me via computer. I didn't ask why.

Any how, instead of using that agency, I went with a law firm. I'm going to ask them if there is any downside to being in touch with SSA via computer. I doubt there is, for me, at this point. My application is already in. If they quiet my phobias, then I will register an on-line access to the SSA, at the link you provided above (which, again, I'm very glad to know about.)

One scrap of info: every thing I do in "long hand" and mail to SSA goes first to a company in Illinois (a private "vendor".) That company is contracted by SSA to scan every piece of paper and send the results to SSA via compute/internet. So the deal is that when the disabilities examiner is looking at forms I filled out, he is viewing them, as scanned, on a computer monitor screen. I guess SSA doesn't want to have paperwork to file and deal with. I know SSA encourages claimants to file on-line, rather than on paper. Of course, no one in the world seems to want to deal with paper anymore.

Oh, SSA sent me to 3 Consultative Exams. One was with a psychiatrist and she was a very nice person and even said she would do her best for me. Another was with a radiology place and they were very professional and top notch.

The last was with an MD, supposedly for an orthopedic exam. I have osteopenia, abnormal curvature of my upper spine, arthritis in lower back, chondromalcia patellae (bad knee), epicondylitis (elbow tendonosis), and Hallux Rigidus (a big toe that won't bend - painful to walk). Well, after the last two consults, I was shocked when I got to the "orthopedist's" office.

This was the most shadiest, dilapidated doctor's office I ever visited. This guy was no Orthopedic Specialist. He was just a regular MD, or I'm a monkey's uncle. (Legally, any MD can claim to specialize in anything. Real specialists have Board Certification.) I didn't see anything hanging anywhere - like - saying what school he graduated from. Legally, his MD license had to have been hanging somewhere.

As a nurse, I kind of can tell the level of expertise of the doctor I'm talking too (roughly.) So can a lot of bright people who are familiar with what ails them. This guy didn't seem to be familiar with half the terms I've listed above. He seems to have no more than the most basic knowledge of orthopedics - like any doctor would have. Plus he never touched my knee, which has "crepitus" - a crackling under the skin that you have to touch to feel.

His assistant tried twice, unsuccessfully, to take my blood pressure. Then I showed her how to use the device properly and she got it right. (A person working directly under the supervision of an MD doesn't necessarily have to be credentialed as a nurse, or as anything.) There was no disposable paper on the examining table. It was weird to the point that I am thinking of reporting that this exam was not an appropriate attempt to evaluate my orthopedic problems. (I'll talk to my lawyers, first.) Just info for anyone else going in for these consults.

Oh, wow, on that last doctor; reminds me of the doctor I was sent to to get a physical when I started working at Sears Roebuck; his "office" was in the basement of his home (and we're talking real basement) and there didn't seem to be a nurse, he was older than Moses and didn't really touch/do anything much. This was back in 1972 but it was a shock to me, like a throwback to the 1940's or something it seemed (I guess the dark paneling didn't help either).

I'd definitely talk to your lawyers about this doctor and reporting him. I had a "dermatologist" who was like that, an old woman MD who happened to make her money picking the zits off teenager's faces :-) She prescribed Tetracycline, this was back in the 60's, but didn't do any checking up and I went to Florida on Spring Break and got a really bad case of sun poisoning, no mention at all of "don't-go-in-the-sun"; I haven't been in the sun since pretty much, have decided at my age I don't have to be quite that careful since I'm pretty much trained not to go outside for any length of time, much less being in the sun too long. Naturally, I'm low on vitamin D :-)

I'm too young for Medicare yet so don't have to worry about that deduction so think it will just be generic taxes that get taken out. It is probably a bit like race winnings, they'll take out what they want and let you worry about it on your income tax filing next April, if they took too much or too little (probably not too little :-)

Hi everyone! I was checking in on this thread to see how Rose's evals went~ now I'm scared to see what kind of office I'll wind up in for mine! The SSA made me an appt. for an MD eval and for X-rays also and the appt. is tomorrow. They only gave me one location though, so I'm guessing the doctor that I'm seeing also does X-rays in her office? It's not a doctor I've ever heard of, but she's in a medical center complex next door to the closest hospital. I'm nervous! I'll report back how it goes for any others out there that might be going through this process also...Wish me luck!

HELLO EVERYONE!

BIG NEWS!

Two hours ago I was told by the SSA (via phone call) that my application for SSDI was approved. I had been given a telephone appointment with SSA to "update my application."

I thought this was because I recently had a change of telephone number to contact me at. (Dropped my landline to save money and now just use cell phone.) Well, boy did I get a surprise. The guy said: #1) You have been approved for SSDI, and #2) You are being considered for SSI, depending on your assets and income. WOW.

So here is how it goes (per answers he gave me to my questions.) The office of the Disabilities Examiner, which is a STATE agency that has a contract with the SSA (a FEDERAL agency) made a decision based on my medical records and the feedback they got from the 3 Consultative Exams. Their decision was that I AM disabled and they reported that decision to the SSA. So then - the SSA was able to decide that I was eligible for SSDI and they were calling because (unbeknownst to me) my attorney's office had already put in an application for SSI, and they were wanting to know my income to determine if I would be eligible for SSI (a NEED based program.) It turned out that, because I am still getting checks from the state for Unemployment Insurance Compensation, I am not poor enough to qualify for SSI.

I thought that, once it was determined that I am disabled, I would not be able to collect Unemployment Insurance Benefits. Apparently not the case. The guy seemed to think I can go on collecting until they run out in mid-August. It so happens that my SSDI checks will start in mid-September. So I won't have hardly any time at all without an income.

The date of onset of my disability was reported by me (per advice of the law firm) as February XX, 2012 - right after the last job assignment that I lost, due to not keeping up with the pace of work. When approved for SSDI, they start paying you back to your date of onset WITH FIVE full months added to it. My 5 full months would be March, April, May, June, and July. I would start collecting for the month of August. They pay you the month after the month you accrue the benefit. So the check in September will be payment for the month of August.

So that's the deal.

Saywhat? Good luck with your claim. I think the doctor's office you are being sent to will turn out to be a decent MD office. I say that because it is in a medical office complex right next to a hospital. Rent in those places is pricey compared to at other locations in a town. That means the doctor most likely has a legitimate practice, aside from having a contract with SSA to do "consultative exams." Where I went that creeped me out was an office in a strip mall far away from the downtown of where I live. It sure wasn't near any hospital, and the little mall wasn't strictly for medical offices. It looked as it the doctor seeing me was only there a few days a week and that he was sharing the office with some lady who was a practitioner of "holistic" health services - like herbal remedies and massage.

I had read on-line that, if they send you for a "consultative exam," it's a bad sign and probably means that your own doctors didn't write up convincing progress notes substantiating your disability. Well that may even be true, but things sure turned out well for me. I have a suspicion that the person who may have helped me the most was the psychiatrist who did the consultative exam (CE.) So there is a lesson to everyone. You never now where your best support may come from. The lady pdoc who did the CE was very thorough and listened to me for over an hour. At the end, she said that she could not predict the SSA's decision, but would "do [her] best" for me.

So there you go. Let us know, Saywhat?, how it goes for you.

Rose. That is such good news. I can't believe applications are being processed so quickly. Some of my evals were in pretty shady places too, I thought! We were like those knock-over toys, remember, they would pop back up? But after so many years of getting knocked down... well, maybe someday, if we live long enough. Who knows what the future holds? At least now it's not so scary.

hankster - Yeah, not so scary is exactly how my world feels, right now. Thanks for checking in here.

Wonderful news, Rose. Glad of the overlap in Unemployment and SSDI too, bet you can then also get SSI after the unemployment runs out!

Congratulations Rose!! Your story continues to give me hope that this process isn't a complete waste of time and effort

My visit to the consult doc yesterday was as expected. And Rose, you were right, they looked pretty legit with the office set up and routine. I think they exclusively offer CE's for different agencies as I overheard the receptionist take several calls about immigration physicals (?) Didn't know there was such a thing, but the other people in the waiting room were all there for SSDI exams also. The letter I received from SSA said to bring all my medications and any glasses that I wore. When I arrived, I signed in and the lady behind the desk gave me a multi-page medical history form to fill out, which really irritated me b/c I have already filled out the pages and pages of history forms from the SSA and I don't have all the dates & details of every thing that has ever happened to me in my lifetime in my head!! These forms were also from the SSA (at least they looked the same and asked a lot of the same questions) They wanted mainly stuff pertaining to my claim but wanted name and dosages of all meds, who prescribes them, and when each one was refilled last. Also all hospitalizations and surgeries (again, I can't pull all that out of my head!) And all diagnostic procedures like CT scans, MRI's, etc, yada yada yada. I did the best I could on the dates....am I alone in thinking that they ask for all of this again to check for discrepancies in your story? My paranoia knows no bounds! Also at the end of the form it asks what you can and can't do (checklist of things like eating, preparing meals, dressing, driving, pay bills) and to explain why you can't do the things you checked that you can't do alone. All of that was given back to receptionist and I waited to be called.

Once in the exam room a "tech" of some kind, not sure if she was an MA or what, but she did screening for strength/coordination like having me walk toe to heel like they do when you get pulled over for driving intoxicated. Lot of those tests (follow my finger with your eyes, hold my two fingers and don't let me pull you over, that kind of thing) also blood pressure reading. This lady then had me wait again in the waiting room to be called back to see the doctor.

Once I was back in the exam room, the doc came in pretty quick. She asked general questions about what my claim was about (fibromyalgia, but my main claim is from bipolar disorder) and she explained that the SSA investigates every disorder listed on the claim forms, even if it's not a primary concern. I told her that my fibromylagia isn't what I feel is making it impossible for me to work and she said that was the only thing they were evaluating me for since the bipolar would have to be evaluated by a psych doc. So she proceeded to check my tender points and that was it. I asked her if I was going to have a CE for the Bipolar if that would come after her report was in and she said that if I hadn't already received an appt. notice for a CE with a pdoc that my own doc must have provided what they needed.

So, good, bad or indifferent it's over~ and for that I'm grateful!

Rose, That is such good news, so many worry's can now take a rest. Hope you have had some good sleep the last couple of days.

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.