Disability For PTSD

Anyone know?

Its possible there is going to be weeks delay in the processing due to COVID 19, You can call your local SSA office and ask about your claim...

Yes, they are, but overload = delays

I had a hearing scheduled for April 21. It was postponed and they have to give me 75 days notice for the next hearing. My lawyer said I could be waiting quite a while. It has already been 2.5 years since I first opened the case.

Write what you can if lot of other issue surface then you can always claim lack of patient education. The important thing is the claim the benefit.

I'm sure they're way overloaded and it's gonna take awhile.

Motion for telephonic hearing?

I got a call from SSA this morning, the woman said she is the one handling and deciding my disability application.

She was very rude,abrupt and negative. I didn't even get a chance to answer any questions because she cut me off mid sentence. She didn't ask anything at all about my condition, just wanted to know if I'm currently seeing a mental health professional and as I was trying to explain my financial and insurance situation she cut me off and said there's not anything they can do for me.Then she said they will see what my records say when they receive them.

And that was it,she hung up.I feel like crying right now and feel humiliated over the way she treated me.

I don't even want to pursue this and I don't care whether I get approved or not.By what she said I'm denied anyway,without them even seeing my records.

Fml

Well as hard as I tried not to,I am crying now.I didn't deserve to be treated with such disrespect.I understand that their main objective is to not have people on SSDI but still,there's no reason to treat people that way.

I feel so humiliated.It was hard making the decision to apply in the first place,I wish I hadn't applied at all.

I am sorry social security made you feel that way. They were horrible with me on the phone also. The first thing I did was hire an attorney which has made this whole process easier. I am still waiting on a hearing date. I would not have been able to do this without an attorney. They only get paid if you win.

That is good advice. The lawyers help you take all the unnecessary emotional stress out of it.

I just don't want to deal with it again,at all.

I will figure out an income some other way. It's not worth taking a chance on being treated like that again by anyone.

Today I got forms in the mail to fill out in reference to my work history.

I'm confused.If I was already told that there's really nothing they can do for me why did I get these forms? The person that had called me pretty much told me I was denied.

I think she meant that there was nothing more she could do for you over the phone, besides answer a couple of questions about if your case was still being processed, which she did. She said they would be able to evaluate after they got more info. Dont give up! I know it is maddening and discouraging.

It's a long process. They try to make it as difficult as possible to get benefits. Stay the course and hopefully all will be well.

Thanks guys. I feel much better about it all now that I got my forms filled out and faxed.

I had no choice but to fax them because the deadline is just 3 days away. I'm surprised I wasn't given more time. It costed $20 to fax 16 pages(my printer is also a fax but I never took the time to learn how to do it).

Is a short deadline the norm with SSA?

Yes, they always have short deadlines. However I've had one so short I couldn't meet it and called them to say so and they were fine. But you always, always want to tell them so they don't have a reason to say you weren't complying with the application process. I think mine was late because of a holiday weekend or something that left me 2 days to do a huge form and my disability makes that impossbile. So it actually worked in my favor to have called and to document on the form that it took _____ hours to fill it out. They think the forms should be short and only take a certain amount of time (I think I've seen this specifically somewhere) and it takes me several times that long. I make sure they know that. I think the short turnaround is partially a test.

One benefit of an attorney is they pay the fax fees. I did mine without an attorney and never had to pay to fax anything (because I cleared the late form with them) but if I had to that might have been a factor in the decision.

Thanks BeyondtheRainbow

Honestly I was thinking I was personally given such a short deadline just because the woman that had called me was so nasty and vile to me.

She called again today though and I was surprised at how nice,cheery and friendly she was to me. And understanding when I explained to her I have memory problems.

So maybe the first time she called it was just a bad day for her or something, IDK.

But I am happy to know the deadline wasn't a personal thing towards me,I'm glad I asked.

SSA has all my medical records now and I'm waiting for a decision.I hope it doesn't take much longer now

Online,on my SSA account,it says a medical decision has been made.

Anyone have a clue how long it may take for me to find out what their decision was?

I don't know how long it will take; when I did my application you couldn't follow it online. I just wanted to say I"m sure this is completely nerve wracking and I hope you find out soon. I don't know if this is how it always works but I was called by my local SSA office to tell me I'd been approved.
'

Thanks.

Yes it is nerve wracking waiting to find out.

I don't think they would call to let me know.I do believe it will probably show up on my online account before I receive a letter about it.So I guess I will keep checking it daily.

I actually feel so nervous about it.I keep wondering am I really disabled, do I even deserve to be approved.

I was denied for SSDI as I expected.

I'm not going to appeal it. I don't even care anymore.

The explanation says they did not receive enough medical evidence,that it wasn't sufficient to evaluate my claim and evidence needed cannot be obtained.

What does that mean exactly? That my therapist doesn't think I'm disabled( even though he agreed I am) or he didn't give them what they asked for?

I'm not sure whether to talk to my T or SSA to find out.

Hi Betty,

I’m so sorry to hear that you were denied SSDI. As you may have heard, MANY if not MOST SSDI applications are initially denied - regardless of how good your documentation is.

Please consider appealing your denial. You have a specific and short amount of time to file the appeal. Do not let it lapse or you will have to start from scratch.

You should also take this time to find a local lawyer who specializes in Social Security disability claims. As my lawyer explained, most SSDI cases are won during the appeal process. And these SS disability lawyers only collect a small portion of your back pay received after you are awarded your benefits.

I won the appeal with the help of my lawyer after being denied twice and had to go to a hearing in front of the Administrative Law Judge.

If you believe that you are disabled and deserve to receive SSDI, do pursue your appeal! With the assistance of a good lawyer you will be able to present your best case. If you are unsure whether or not you have a good enough case, the least you should do is talk to a few SS disability lawyers to get their advice. They usually don’t charge for the first initial consultation.

I can imagine all that you are going through. Been there myself, as have many others on this forum.

Best of luck to you, Betty_Banana. Take care.