[gruvingal]

I received my denial letter last week on my appeal. Now I have to do the paperwork for a hearing. I found out it can be 15 months or more! WTF!!! I still can't believe they denied me. The letter they sent was exactly word for word as the first denial. I have tremors and can't take the meds for it because of other meds I take. I don't think they even got that info or just didn't care. Now I am forced to get a lawyer and pay for it! I am soooooo angry that I could spit! Does anyone have any ideas or info? I feel like I'm falling into a deep pit and will be unable to crawl out!

[RTerroni]

That is true my appeals after denials have often been over 15 months apart.

My hearing in August I believe is for SSI and I was denied for that in December 2012.

[~Christina]

Lawyers work for free and only get paid there portion if you Win your case.

Sorry for the long wait .. mine took forever also.

[Fresia]

I am so sorry to hear about your denial. This is common though and not to take it personally; most claims are denied and very few are approved right off the bat. Do not give up hope though. Most people give up after their denial and many are approved during the hearing phase.

My hearing came four months after my denial, but I know it can take longer sometimes and to be prepared for this. As mentioned above, the attorney works on contingency, that only takes part of your fees if you win. Call around to find out what that percentage of your award is that they are charging/asking for now and also ask about their success rates to help you pick. You are interviewing them as much as they are possibly interested in taking your case.

Hang in there meanwhile and best wishes as you move forward.

[gruvingal]

Thank You for your support! I know I need to look at getting an attorney. I do have a degree in paralegal, but I have been out of the field for too long and the paperwork is too frustrating. It's the same paperwork every time! I feel like telling my DSHS SS worker to just bring up the one I filled out last time, make a few changes and there you go. Nothing has changed except more medical information. I can't really write because of the tremors and if I type for more that 10 min my hands and arms go numb so I'm going in to see her next week to ask for a hearing and she will do the papers. Once that is done I will start looking for an attorney.

[InRealLife45]

Originally Posted by gruvingal

I received my denial letter last week on my appeal. Now I have to do the paperwork for a hearing. I found out it can be 15 months or more! WTF!!! I still can't believe they denied me. The letter they sent was exactly word for word as the first denial. I have tremors and can't take the meds for it because of other meds I take. I don't think they even got that info or just didn't care. Now I am forced to get a lawyer and pay for it! I am soooooo angry that I could spit! Does anyone have any ideas or info? I feel like I'm falling into a deep pit and will be unable to crawl out!

this is typical for SSI applications. Very standard. You have a 50/50 chance of getting approved at the third step (administrative hearing) yes you need a lawyer but really only as a figurehead, they don't really do ANYTHING (at least in my case they didnt). I won at that level bc my hospitalization history was undeniable.

Good luck and make sure you have your paperwork documenting your illness in order for the hearing.

[Hellion]

I had to go the lawyer route as well, but did get approved that way after the first hearing...but yeah it was still really stressful which sucks. Have you submitted anymore medical evidence since you initially applied? Aside from that the lawyer should help with a lot of the other details and can help dig up necessary medical records they do end up getting a portion of the back pay in payment if you win the case, if not though then you don't owe them at all........but hopefully it would work out and you'd get approved.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I managed to get approved during appeal phase but was shocked. I used a disability attorney and he took 25%. When you have nothing....having that resource is a blessing!

[Forget-Me-Nots]

Good luck still haven't heard back from my people on my appeal, this waiting is killing me. I hope it means something good.

The disability approval/disapproval process is mysterious. I don't know if anyone really understands it. But you had to know that there was a chance that this denial would happen. I am not suggesting any particular course of action. I don't know enough about the details of your case and life situation to know whether you should appeal again or give up. But I do believe that you need a more philosophical or spiritual view of life. That fact that you really want to get disability benefits, and really need them, and really deserve them (because you do have a serious medical condition that prevents you from working) does not mean that you will ever get them, or that you will get them easily. Why? Because Society is not just--never has been, never will be. Just read History, and see the long train of injustices. Well, that long train of injustices did not stop when you were born. But, even so, that is no reason for despairing, or giving up on life. People in very poor countries still generally manage to have a fairly enjoyable life, and so can you. Just don't depend on Society or the Government. They are useful from time to time, but not very reliable. We all must strive to become as strong and self-reliant as possible. There are bad people, bad events and bad circumstances to deal with, and all we can do is deal with them, as best as we can. God doesn't do that many miracles. We must take on life head on. In a perfect world, Government and people would not let us down, would not cheat us of what we deserve. But this is no perfect world, and there's lots and lots of cheating going on--cheating that we are powerless to do anything about. We are not Iron Man. We must just be patient and humble and move forward. Only fools fume and plot revenge. We must come up with the best plan we can come up with, and then move forward. That's all I know. Good luck.