new member with questions

Hello all
im Tasha. 36 diagnosed with bipolar GAD and insomnia. Was officially diagnosed around 7 years ago but the last year has been hell. Pretty much been out of work since june, im still getting paid though because im salary. Been on job11 years. Did a 6 month stay in mental facility in april due to taking too many pills. Im currently seeing my PCP and therapist and have psychiatrist appt this week. Question is I know im not ready to return to work :/ just been lying to myself and drs saying I think I can. I have a meeting with job this week and I'm terrified of what's going to happen. Can I get disability? ? If so how?? It all seems so confusing and scary and stressful to me... Please help!

You can apply for social security disability but they will deny you right away. They do everyone. Then you have to get a lawyer and appeal. The lawyer doesn't charge unless you win and then they take a percentage of your back pay. It can take up to a year and a half to get a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. In the mean time your lawyer will get all your medical records and build a case.

I filed my appeal with the help of a lawyer last Dec. I have not heard a thing since. I am in limbo. I found out that social security only got one years worth of records and even then not all the mental health records when they first denied me. That is BS. I have twenty years worth of records. The only way is with a lawyer. the good news is they don't charge unless you win but the bad news is it takes foooorevvvver.

Do I have to be out of work receiving zero money to file? If so how can people live like that? ?

If you have a documented history of hospitalization, mental health treatment you can apply for SSDI and a lawyer will have to make a case for you. Speak to a lawyer and he will tell you if you have a case even if you're Dr. is not 100% convinced. My Dr. was not completely convinced (eg. he was very stubborn), but I could not function or work. My work history showed that I could not hold a job and my symptoms were severe.

Everyone gets turned down for SSDI (because SSA is backed-up) so you appeal after 6 mths and wait another 6 mths for a court date. I got partially favorable decision (SSDI and one yrs back-pay) then appealed again and got back-pay going back two yrs when my work history started to fall apart. The Judge could not read my Dr's notes but that did not matter, I had a good case and long treatment history (including previous SSDI) and won. Get a good lawyer. (They take 25% after decision.) I was lucky that I had a parent who financially supported me thru the process. I had an excellent lawyer in Philly. (My lawyer told me that he would rather take a mental health case than a physical health case because the latter is harder to prove most of the time.)

Some employers offer short term and/or long term disability insurance that can qualify for, that your doc writes a letter indicating that he/she considers you needing to be out of work for a longer period of time; that the reimbursement is at a reduced rate of your regular salary, anywhere from 50-75% of normal salary but it something more than nothing that is what sometimes some people survive off of in the interim. Check with your employer if they offer this.

The first thing you need to do is be very honest with all those involved in your psych care about where you are at. If going back to work seems overwhelming, tell them that.

As long as you are receiving some job based income, I think you would have a hard time getting SSDI. They (SSA) look for a history of job failure.

You are having a good paper trail of serious psych difficulty. I would endorse the suggestion that you find a law firm to advise you. The ones that advertise on TV as being specialists in disability are a good place to start. It doesn't cost anything to call them, and they can give you very valuable feedback.