SSDI ?s

Long story short, my problems have made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for me to hold steady employment.

Because of this, I no longer have health insurance as of the 15th and I can't afford COBRA. My husband makes just enough to scrape by, but we can't afford private insurance, and at the time he was offered insurance through his employer we were covered through mine (the game plan wasn't for me to quit and I was disillusioned and thought I had my problems under control...ANYWAY) so he is not eligible again until open enrollment which is at the end of the year. (SUCKS considering it is JANUARY.)

I have thankfully found a sliding-scale clinic to visit and I have my first appt on Tuesday. I don't quite know how we're even going to be able to afford that, but I guess we'll just have to figure something out.

ANYWAY, I know I will receive a diagnosis(diagnoses?). Depending on what it is/they are, how easy is it to get approved for SSDI? Is it considered a short-term payout with an expectation that the applicant will get better, or does that depend on diagnosis? Does one have to re-certify or provide new documentation essentially saying, "Hey, I'm still ****ed up in the head!" every now and again?

I'm just trying to gather as much information as possible from people who will probably know the ins and outs of this the best. I cannot afford a lawyer to advocate the application process/approval for me. So far, I just know that I need a diagnosis first. That I am working on...and I know that I won't walk in on my first appointment and walk out knowing what I have.

I'm sorry...I get wordy sometimes. :X

I would like to know as well. I applied and I'm playing the waiting game.

From what I know, disability is intended for people who are going to be disabled for a long while/permanently.

Depending on your condition, you will have to re-certify. For me, it was after 3 years.

How easy/hard it is to get really depends on the person & health condition(s). I've heard that most people get denied on their first try, but that was not true for me.

When I applied, I got a response within 4-6 months I believe, and I was approved. After 2 years on disability, I was eligible for medicare

I applied for disabilty, and i got approved right away. I have SSDI. I would say from beginning to getting my check it was 5-6 months? Maybe 4? I cant remeber but i do remember it was pretty darn short.

I was reading EVERYTHING i could get my hands on and was preparing for a huge battle as i was just waiting to get that denial letter in the mail.

I also was getting unemployment the same time I was getting disabilty, but the max fir that is a year in my case is what i was told. The only issue i have is they make me have a payee which is when they determine you cant handle your own finances right now so they issue the check in the payee's name. Im in the process of trying to get that taken off & being in charge of my own finances.

I know everyone is different and i was so confused and super stressed before and waiting, but hopefully it will work in your favor....

Also, i too was seen at a clinic for a little while and they work on a sliding scale. At first they wanted $20 a session x 2 visits per week, but i was going to stop cause i cldnt afford it and they lowered it to $5 per session.

I hope everything works out and if you have any questions, feel free to Mssg me.

Be aware that if you become diagnosed when you do not have insurance may make you disqualified for insurance in the future as a "pre-existing condition". I realize that the new health care law may change this but I will only believe it when I see it.

With respect to SSDI, remember that you have to have a work history (I think it is 10 years) to qualify and additionally they look hard at medical records. Since you have not even been diagnosed, the medical evidence may not be sufficient at this time.