Disability How Far Back?

[susanep]

How far back can we go in sending info toward proving our disability. The reason I ask is that their was a psychiatrist I seen over 10 years ago who has a lot of info on me, but by now he may have closed my file.

Just trying to find out more today on my disability for the school retirement part (tiny pension to live on till then) I cried while talking to them, because they always act like there is one more thing we havn't sent in when we have.

With 20 dollars to our name it's getting a little frustrating, but I know that is what they are betting on when it comes to the one from my job. I could go ahead and take the regular pension without showing disability, but it would be less by enough that means hardly making our house payment to being able to keep something else from being turned off.

We already listed some small things for sale. I cried, but I was due for one. I am continuing on as others have. Please know , I am not trying to complain. Just need to vent a bit for my next deep breath.

Thanks All
susanep

[eyeamdry]

Susan, if you are using a psychiatric or partial psychiatric disability, it might be important to go back 10 years.  For example, if you've had psychiatric visits fairly regularly for the past ten years, be sure to go back that far.  If you had a short time back 10 years ago and then no more psychiatric visits/problems, then it might be hard to use it.  However, if you've had even a few a year, I'd try to make it usable. 

When you're doing this, TRY FOR ALL YOUR POSSIBLE PENSIONS ETC.  There is no guarantee of anything, but if you only try for the easy part, that's all you'll get. I got disability, but even more importantly, that meant I had insurance on me and my husband for the rest of our lives.  I want to say again:  my eye dr who messed my eyes up with Lasik surgery told me that I'd never get social security.  Well, he was wrong and so were a lot of others.  You go girl, keep your head up and don't let people talk negatively to you.  Lucy

[Bopeep]

Susan, Im so sorry to hear you are having such a problem. I guess I have no idea of the harshness you people in the states have to endure if you get ill.
I couldnt imagine having financial difficulties on top of sjogrens.
I cant offer any advice at all being in NZ but I just wanted to say, keep your chin up Susan and know that always somewhere there will be another door open and youll see the light of day again.
Take care stay positive and do listen to Lucy. I know people here go for pensions and the authorities dont let you know all the benifits your able to collect.
Im sending lots of hugs and kind thoughts coming your way.

[Epson]

When did you stop working?  That will be a major factor in when your disability starts and the amount will be determend by length of time working and earnings.  That seems reasonable to me, I was happy with it and found the process to be pretty strait forward and I didn't use a lawyer.

[irish]

Susan, I don't know how far back you will need to get information. It depends on what you have gotten already. It seems like you would have a heck of a lot regarding your inability to work as you have been so ill over these past years. The school will have records also.

If that old psychiatrist has info that relates to your physical health condition it could be pertinent. Can you get a court order to get information from the recent psychiatrist who quit work. It seems so strange that she won't forward anything to you. I know that she is afraid of being sued. If it is like nurses she should have bought a liability insurance that covers her for all the past years that she practiced or at least a certain number of years back.

Also, did you Family doc every get any correspondence from that lupus psychiatrist? There might be some info hidden someplace in other docs records if she sent stuff to him.

I am so sorry that you are having such a tought time with this. You deserve it for sure and all I can tell you is to search for all the help you can get and keep on being in touch with your case worker. You have a lot of issues and you also have the inability to work which should mean something. Make sure to get a letter from the school telling all the days you missed. Also, I hope that you have kept a list of all your doctor visits so they can match them up with the work you missed. I'm praying for you. Hang in there. Go to the food banks, whatever you need and don't have any pride. You did nothing wrong!!!Irish

[susanep]

Thanks everyone. I won't give up. I will be sending off a bunch more papers tomorrow to my case worker for the state social security disability, and going by this new regular gp we had all our past records sent to, and having him sign some things tomorrow.

We are applying for anything possible. Everything on the state social security disability for Tennessee does seem very straight forward. I will keep on the pension lady to do with the school pension. I never thought though about having the school send to me the days in the past years I have missed. I will do that.

Yeah maybe the psychiatrist is afraid of a lawsuit. Is it a law they are to fill out a needed paper by us even if they have closed their office? She moved to another state, and she won't dare give out her new address, but the old one probably does forward on . That is the way that works also.

My husband got a hold of her on her only reachable phone now in the other state today to ask for her to send his file, because he is reapplying for his disability. She said she would send it this weekend, but not before.

Should we wait until we are first turned down to get a lawyer for the Tennessee State Social Security Disability? We thought we would wait until we did in case we were approved on the first try.

Thanks so much for the prayers, and well wishes, it means a lot.

susanep

[irish]

Susan, If possible I would do it all now. Get all the help you can from the records. First of all though I would read through the old psychiatrists notes and see what he has to say. Just to make sure that he mentions the old routine "all in your head" song and dance. Hopefully, he will mention the trouble you have with the activities of daily living.

ADL's as they are called refer to the activities that one does on a daily basis. Activities such as dressing without help, eating without help, ability to bath and do oral care alone, ability to cook, ability to toilet oneself. Also, the amount of time you are able to be on your feet to do chores before resting is something they need to know. What type of cleaning are you able to do before you have to lie down. Can you scrub floors, vaccum. Remember that if you have a couple of times that something is hard for you to do make sure to mention it. We never know when we won't be able to do a certain activity again. The fact that certain things become difficult periodically prove that your condition is unstable.

List anything that causes you even the smallest amount of difficulty. The problem is that we get so used to being infirmed that we lose track of what we used to do without even thinking. Bathing used to be a slam dunk event and now we have to wait until we feel strong enough to do it or until our balance gets better. So many aspects to this whole application process. Good luck. Sounds like you are keeping busy. I think it is rotten that we have to be sick and then do all this work to apply for disability. Irish

[susanep]

Thanks irish, You're a blessing. I  hope you are having a better day today. Still praying for you.

susanep