[The Grey Wolf]

I recently got a lawyer to help me get disability benefits I'm wondering about how long does it take

[Raindropvampire]

It's really just a crapshoot. For my hubby it took about 7 years from the time he got a lawyer. My mom's friend who is faking everything got it within 16 months. My MIL who has Lyme disease and other various problems got it within 4 months. My mom's boss's husband has been fighting with them for 10 years.

Don't know how true it is but our lawyer says the state you are in has a TON to do with how fast you get it.

[Yoda]

I applied in Feb and was approved in Sept. (I was last able to work the preceding Sept).

My employer hired a team of attorneys to represent me so they and my pdoc/T did most of the work.

[gayleggg]

It took me six months and I had a lawyer, too.

[The Grey Wolf]

So is it unreasonable to think of me getting the benefits within a year?

you see I'm on my moms insurance for now but I can only stay on there until I'm 26 I will be 25 in June so I'm worried about me losing insurance if I had the disability benefits I could get Medicaid

I really want to help my mom out with the bills she works hard and she struggles to pay them it makes me feel sub human not being able to do anything about it I would probably just give her the disability check for bills to take some of the pressure off of her

I really hope it doesnt take that long I'm honestly not sure how much longer I am going to last

[Disorder7]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe it varies from state to state, but I've heard you have to be disabled two years before you can get Medicaid. You might want to research that for your state.

You might want to look into Obamacare. If your income is low, you probably won't have to pay anything for it.

[The Grey Wolf]

I have insurance because of obamacare I mean I was able to get back on my moms insurance which I lost when I turned 21 because of obamacare I know some people don't like it but it worked out OK for me I finally was able to have surgery and get a diagnosis

I live in NC my uncle has tried for years but he hasn't got lawyer and he is procrastinator which I am not my uncle has had 17 heart attacks and has a bunch of stints in his heart

[Raindropvampire]

My husband got approved for Medicaid right away. They took one look at all his medical files and statements from his Pdocs, Ts and GPs and he was approved within 5 days.

The disability was what took forever.

Disorder I think you are thinking of Medicare. Once my hubby was approved for disability they sent him a packet. In the packet it said he'd stay on Medicaid for two years then it would switch to Medicare. I don't know IF he has to switch or if it's optional.

Depends on state and backlog. Many benefits to having a lawyer besides that they know the system. They know the judges!! Took me 6 months but it was a physical injury at work. So I had already had surgery + tests + recent dr. reports. Your attorney will also go over questions at the hearing. If he doesn't ask him to. For example..I know a person with kidney failure who was denied. The judge asked him how long he sat at his computer. He said 4 hours. He meant total off and on during the day but that's not what he said. The judge denied saying if he could sit for 4 hours before a computer at home, he could sit for 4 hours before a computer at work. Good luck.

[~Christina]

In my State of Tennessee the average is right at 3 years if you have to take it all the way to a hearing. Many people win on there first completion of paperwork. Depends on your diagnosis.

As Cavaliers stated... You do have to be very mindful of how you answer any questions on paperwork as they are designed to trip a person up.. The basic same question can be asked many different ways , but the answers must all add up or it can be a quick denial.

Good luck

[Perna]

Yes, the state has a great deal to do with it but your own health history and personal background, etc. probably the most.

Successfully Applying for Disability Benefits in North Carolina

[Rose76]

The reason it varies from state to state is because the federal government subcontracts the process out to local state agencies calked Disability Determination Services. There are websites that will give you comparisons of how long different states take.

A lot depends on what you are submitting as evidence that you can't work due to disability. If you have a long paper trail of getting treatment, that helps. If you have failed at a series of jobs, and you can relate those failures to your disability, that helps.

[Seeker101]

I finally applied for SSDI the last part of March. Because I do have a problem leaving the house, the agent at the local SSA office called me to ask a few things on my application and she took my SSI application over the phone. What I find interesting is she said "when you're approved." She said when, not if. And she said it about 3-4 times. Right now I need to complete the additional information sent to me from the determination office. And I do have a tail of scorched earth dating back to age 16. That translates to 22 jobs over 35 years.

To address some of the questions others had about Medicare and Medicaid......
When you're on Medicaid and on SSDI, when you come up to the 2-year mark, the government requires you to go on Medicare. You will want to accept and enroll in Part B. Medicare automatically puts you in Part A. Be aware that the monthly Part B premium in 2015 is $104.90. And it usually goes up every year. There's that. They're automatically taking over $100 of your disability.

You'll also be required to get a prescription drug plan, and depending on your mix of medicines, you will want to use the Medicare tool on the Internet to find the best plan for you. For example, if I had Medicare now, I would go into the donut hole (coverage gap) simply because of the Abilify that I'm prescribed.

And finally, you WILL want to get some sort of Medicare Supplement insurance which will work with the Parts A&B. You will have 6 months to get the supplement. Most people who are on disability are never told about this, and that's why I'm putting it out there. It is that important.

Here's hoping this info helps.