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Alizah64
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Question Nov 27, 2018 at 08:16 AM
  #1
Hi, first time posting.

I was approved for SSDI (Disability) in 2015 for rapid-cycling Bipolar Disorder and C-PTSD. The process took about 6 months.

I'd actually received the diagnosis of "manic depression" (what they called Bipolar then) way back in 1980, as a teenager. While I did have a history of several hospitalizations and a suicide attempt, I had still managed to work full-time in a professional occupation all those years until I was laid off in 2014. In other words, I'd had a significant psychiatric history, but I had also been very high-functioning.

The "high-functioning" ended after my layoff in 2014, which happened at the same time as multiple other traumas and losses. I had a psychotic break, and even with intensive therapy I have not regained any level of functioning. My work actually held me together all those years, and if I COULD be working right now, believe me, I would.

All that said, over the past couple of years it's been the consensus (between my doctors and me) that my original diagnosis was wrong. It was never Bipolar, but severe anxiety, wrong meds and multiple traumas I had never had the chance to heal from.

I know a big reason why my SSDI application was approved was because of my Bipolar diagnosis. Bipolar is one of the few conditions that is understood to be severe, chronic and unlikely to improve, and I was already in my 50s.

But now I'm anxious that if my diagnosis is no longer Bipolar, they're going to think I should be back at work. In reality, I'm at a much lower level of functioning today with the C-PTSD than I was with the Bipolar disorder. But it seems their decisions have less to do with reality and more to do with labels.

I have not been contacted or anything; my case has not come up for review. But I don't know how this works. Will they be checking at some point to see if my diagnosis is the same as in 2015? Or?

Thanks in advance.
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Default Dec 13, 2018 at 06:53 PM
  #2
Sorry i just saw this & i wish I knew what to tell you.i myself got disability for multiple reasons.if you only got it based on one thing it might be harder to keep it.but I still think you shouldn't worry about it

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Default Dec 14, 2018 at 11:12 AM
  #3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alizah64 View Post
Hi, first time posting.

I was approved for SSDI (Disability) in 2015 for rapid-cycling Bipolar Disorder and C-PTSD. The process took about 6 months.

I'd actually received the diagnosis of "manic depression" (what they called Bipolar then) way back in 1980, as a teenager. While I did have a history of several hospitalizations and a suicide attempt, I had still managed to work full-time in a professional occupation all those years until I was laid off in 2014. In other words, I'd had a significant psychiatric history, but I had also been very high-functioning.

The "high-functioning" ended after my layoff in 2014, which happened at the same time as multiple other traumas and losses. I had a psychotic break, and even with intensive therapy I have not regained any level of functioning. My work actually held me together all those years, and if I COULD be working right now, believe me, I would.

All that said, over the past couple of years it's been the consensus (between my doctors and me) that my original diagnosis was wrong. It was never Bipolar, but severe anxiety, wrong meds and multiple traumas I had never had the chance to heal from.

I know a big reason why my SSDI application was approved was because of my Bipolar diagnosis. Bipolar is one of the few conditions that is understood to be severe, chronic and unlikely to improve, and I was already in my 50s.

But now I'm anxious that if my diagnosis is no longer Bipolar, they're going to think I should be back at work. In reality, I'm at a much lower level of functioning today with the C-PTSD than I was with the Bipolar disorder. But it seems their decisions have less to do with reality and more to do with labels.

I have not been contacted or anything; my case has not come up for review. But I don't know how this works. Will they be checking at some point to see if my diagnosis is the same as in 2015? Or?

Thanks in advance.
short answer yes a change in diagnosis can affect a persons SSI/SSDI grant.

it all depends on how the new diagnosis's affect your life.

will they be checking/ reviewing your case to see if you have the same diagnosis as in 2015?

short answer yes.

SSI/SSDI reviews automatically happen every so many years that a person is on SSI/SSDI. sometimes a person is notified ahead of time that the review is happening and other times you may get a paper saying they did a review and whether or not you still qualify.

how it works is when you first applied you signed papers giving them the right to contact your treatment providers, a list of who your treatment providers are and the right for them to contact other agencies like social services, food stamps, medical insurance companies, VA and others. the paperwork lists a whole page of who they contact and you had to sign that paper as part of the application process.

this release of information is permanent. for how ever long you have SSI/SSDI ........or.............until you contact SSI/SSDI and tell them you are revoking the release of information form (which of course would kick you off SSI/SSDI because its a government program and part of their program is verifying your information, if they have no way of verifying your information they can not authorize the US government to issue you a check for hundreds of dollars. think of it this way if someone walked up to you and said they needed close to a thousand dollars would you just hand it over no questions asked or would you want to know that person really needed that money you worked hard for. SSI/SSDI money comes from every working american that is paying taxes and social security out of their pay checks. they want to know where their taxes and money are going to. so the government is going to do its job of verifying each person on SSDI/SSI actually needs that money.)

after so many years on SSI/SSDI they do a review where you will have to fill in paperwork updating your situation or they will automatically look in their files and send review paperwork to those listed on your application.

if they discover you havent reported any changes you will get a closing your case letter with an appeals process where you can go to court and prove why you did not report any changes and how the new changes are affecting your life and they redetermine whether you are still eligible for your SSI/SSDI.

my suggestion is not to try and hide it from them. contact your caseworker and tell her your diagnosis's have changed and ask if you need to do anything... this will cover your behind when its time for your review. they will see on the files you have already reported any changes and how it affects your life.
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Default Dec 14, 2018 at 12:18 PM
  #4
I'm so sorry you're struggling, Alizah64 How are things going right now? Did anyone contact you? Anyway I think once you get approved for disability, it's harder to lose it, although I suppose it's not impossible. Let us know how it goes. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this
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