Applied for disabily online

I just applied for disability online. Has anyone done this before? I have mental and physical limitations so I just wrote about both on the remarks section. I hope i did'nt screw it up. My mental health seems to be approving a little but my physical pain and problems are getting worse. How long does it take to hear back from them when filing online? Should I call them tomarrow?

i went to my doctors cause they had to verify my disability. don't know about doing it online but hopefully there will be more helpful info from others. the key tho is your doctors' agreeing with you that this is indeed the best way to go. have you talked with them about this?
also there is a company-allsup-that will take care of your applying. i'm sure there are other companies too. they take the monies you would've received after applying until you are accepted. once you apply this money accrues until you are accepted. so that's how you pay them for their help. the good news is that's their motivation in helping you get accepted.
lawyers will also assist you for a fee.
SSD can be difficult to get but i got mine accepted in record time.
so if you use a company/lawyer to help you with all this substantiating to SSD that is the kicker. but after that you receive your monthly check.
hope this helps.
and no i don't think calling them today will help unless you have questions about the procedure.

You did all four steps? Mailed the disclosure statement? It will take at least as long as it takes for them to get the disclosure statement and all your information (after they read your disability application and report (two forms you filled out)).

i did'nt get that till friday. I am not sure on if they want me to send in the dislosure only or my med records too. I might just stay on the safe side and mail a copy of my records with it

They get your med records directly from your doctors, that's why you need to send the disclosure statement; they look to see if you qualify first, based on your application and report. If you haven't worked enough or recently enough, have too much income, etc. they won't get that far, I think.

The process seems so very complicated in the US! I can't believe you need a lawyer or a company to get you approved.

Being disabled is hard enough without needing to pay a lawyer to apply on your behalf for a disability ruling.

May I ask please, only because I don't know how it works at all in the US, if the disability is government run or is it insurance company run?

It seems so difficult to get disability there or maybe it is because I just don't know how it is done and I'm used to another system.

It is very complicated. Has alot of red tape and usually you don't get approved th first time and you eand u having to get a lawyer and appeling the desicion. But to answer your question it is usually money you put in while working. But if you do not have enough work credits to get disability then you get SSI which is gov. run.

Boy that is a tough system that is created to feed itself. How rotten that is. Good luck with it tb

There's two plans, both government-run but one is for those who have worked and become disabled and is part of our Social Security plan; we give money from our paychecks and, if we become disabled while working and have worked all along, etc., usually one gets some disability for awhile from one's job and when that runs out, if one is still not able to work, then one applies for SSDI, Social Security Disability Insurance, and that "continues". However, it gets a little more complicated if one doesn't apply right away or doesn't have a job with obvious disability insurance and there are rules, of course, for how long one has worked and how recently, whether one expects to work again, etc.

Then there's another plan, not Social Security, for the disabled who haven't/can't ever work or not enough to qualify for the Social Security they've paid for by working. It's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and that's a form of "welfare" since the people who apply haven't worked and contributed to Social Security enough to qualify for Social Security. Obviously it is harder to get, especially for mental illness, as one doesn't have much to go on to tell whether a person "qualifies".

Both plans have one's doctors having to do the bulk of the paperwork, detailing the disability. The majority of people have no trouble getting SSDI but, for psychiatric illnesses, it is harder sometimes as "proving" one is disabled can be harder in many cases. In both cases the goal is to get the person working (again) and there's all sorts of special training programs, etc.; I have a good friend who's quadriplegic and they trained him to be a computer design operator (not easy when you only have limited use of your hands!) and got him special tools, etc. and get him a job, but when the economy is bad, he's one of the first laid off since he's slower than most and, businesses have to make money, that's their point, so he goes on and off unemployment (which is different from Social Security or SSI) and then SSDI when that runs out.

Like any insurance/government benefit, it does require a lot of paperwork and time and effort but not really a lawyer, if one has a clear case. The lawyer impression is our lovely legal system which is more fouled up than our government/insurance systems; they aren't doing it for free or because they're "nice"

That is sad. He will be the first to go cause he's slower? That's not right. Governments screwed up.

It's business. He'll be first laid off because he can't produce as much as is needed. If one has to choose between someone who is quick and accurate and someone who is slow and accurate, a business has to choose the quicker one; they don't have the luxury of not making money, otherwise they won't be able to employ/pay anyone at all! The company went from like 125 people when I started there and when our industry had a big downturn around 2003-2004 (the people who hired our firm weren't hiring any firms), it went down to like 40-60 people and then which this economy of a couple years ago, it's now at less than 10 and only my girlfriend is full time!

Businesses get incentives from the governments (tax breaks, etc.) for hiring the handicapped and our company loved Gary and some people went before him (who had been hired after him, and weren't as "good" (fast alone won't do it :-) but eventually there was no choice.

I was lucky, the first Pdoc I had in 1994 when I first had my problems because of the way my career was going & ended up with burnout & other issues, he got the SSDI through immediately with no denial or anything....I had so many hospitalizations, I guess there wasn't much question & then after several years, they made it permanent without having to go through the reviews every few years. SSDI is also based on what your income was at the time you became disabled, so being an aerospace engineer at that time with 15 years experience, it help get a higher SSDI amount.....still didn't cover the hospital expenses though.

My husband got denied on his first application also. We ended up just going through my pdoc (who was also his pdoc) & they got the second application through without any denial & without the need to pay a lawyer or anyone else.

It's really not a problem to do it yourself...you just have to be determined NOT TO GIVE UP.

Hi,

I applied for SSDI over 18 months ago. I got denied twice and appealed. I then had a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge who said he could not hear my case until I had a CE (consultative exam) by a psychologist and had a CE for a physical exam. It took almost 2 months to get notice of both appointments. I just had both CE's on 9/10/2010 and 9/13/2013. I will then have to wait to get notice of my new hearing before the ALJ.

I could never have negotiated my way through a very complex and convoluted system on my own. I hired a company named Allsup who has been fantastic. Of course, they will be paid up to 25% of any retroactive payments (this is in accordance with the law) up to a maximum of $6,000.

I highly recommend Allsup - you can call them for a free assessment of your case. www.allsup.com I strongly recommend that you do not try and represent yourself. For more information go directly to www.ssa.gov
I hope that this helps and good luck!

((((thunder))))

Have you heard anything back from Social Security yet? I applied online about the same time you did, mailed in all my info and have been checking my application status which doesn't change.

Just wondering if you have been contacted by them yet.

I applied for SSDI/SSI 1 1/2 to 2 yrs ago. I was denied my first try and then I got a lawyer (Binder and Binder). I was denied a second time, but my case is different. I have never worked and am young. I went before an ALJ and he gave me a fully favoriable decision. I also recommend getting a lawyer, it just makes the process so much easer for you. I never had to do anything, they took care of it all for me and called me once a month to tell me where my case was and answered all of my questions. Good luck!

I never would have gotten disability if it had not been for hiring a lawyer. The lawyer and I also contacted every therapist and health care person I saw and asked them to write a letter on my behalf. It was ultimatly the letters that were convincing beyong question. But I firmly believe that I never would have gotten the disability if it had not been for the lawyer. I am not going to say it was a quick process. For some it was quick. For me it was not. So please do be patient. good luck to you.

I agree with both posters that having an advocate (attorney) is essential when applying for SSI/SSDI. I applied almost 2 years ago as a condition set forth by my personal disability insurer - they recommended a company similar to Bender and Bender by the name of Allsup. I have been denied twice and have appealed both times. About 2 months ago I had what I thought was going to be a hearing before the Administrative Law Judge. He quickly informed my attorney that my hearing would not be held until my attorney filed a brief informing him why I did not go to a mental status exam back in Feb 2008 (I was in the hospital). My brief was accepted and I attended both a mental status exam and a physical exam (?) last month.

My pdoc wrote a fantastic 4 page report following SSA guidelines for affective disorders and this has been submitted along with all my records chronicling an additional 3 hospitalizations this year alone (total of 6 in under 2 years).

I am so hopeful that I won't have to appear before the ALJ again and that he will render a positive decision based on my records and the report from my pdoc. I felt very anxious for the entire week leading up to a hearing that only lasted 5 minutes! What a serious let down that was! Not to mention that I would have to wait a minimum of 2 months to get notice of the appointments for both consultative exams. Who knows when I'll get a notice from the ALJ as to when my new hearing date is??? It could be months!

What really gets me is that I am not asking for "free" money or a free ride. I paid into the system for over 20 years while working as an RN. My life was productive, passionate and creative. I was a good citizen, caring, kind, and compassionate toward others. In my wildest dreams (nightmares), I would never have suspected that I would end up on a 5150 hold and placed into a locked unit with a diagnosis of Bipolar I back in October 2007.

There is nothing fun about life without one's passion, of feeling like you make a difference in other's lives. Staying home, especially on a very strict budget I find to be be very tedious and boring. Probably the worst thing of not being able to work at this time, is the isolation and loneliness.

I even tried going back to work in November 2009 and due to my general feelings of overwhelm and anxiety dealing with very, very ill patients', a patient issue came up and i was investigated and was told that I could resign or be fired. I have never had problems at work before. I was devastated beyond belief.

Anyway, I will keep all posted as to when my hearing ALJ is.

Laurie

I applied for SSI and they said the average time it takes to make a decision is 120 days. good luck with it all.

Krisakira, yes its true. I know people who were accepted within that period of time. And if by chance they deny you, please know that this is more common than not. If you are denied, please do not consider this the end of the line. you might then consider finding a legal advocate. Either way, please file an appeal. you are entitled to that. And if you are denied again, please do not give up. This is how the system sometimes works. The point is, never give up. Even if they say no once, twice or three times. Wishing you the best

Hopefully I have some good news for everyone who has applied for SSD or SSI online.

I applied the beginning of September. Since then I have received one phone call from the main office and one call from my state office (as of this week). My state office is already working on my medical records and I was told I should receive another phone call within 2 weeks concerning my claim.

I read on the Social Security website that they are fast tracking a lot of the claims that they get so that the case workers can spend more time on claims that need additional review. Here's where I found the info.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/presso...process-pr.htm

This isn't suppose to go into effect until November but I think they must be starting the new process ahead of time. Who knows, maybe this is good news for all of us!