ssdi - ssi?

[Akmauser]

Anyone know about ssdi or ssi?

Wife was in an accident severely limiting her mobility due to a spinal and two knee surgeries. She also has seizures and memory loss, etc. She was recently diagnosed with MS (PPMS) and is rapidly advancing with no remission.

Anyways, she was a stay at home mom and wife for the last 7 years (4 years before the accident), and there is no way she will be able to ever work again. We are very tight with our budget and having issue staying afloat.

She applied a few months ago, but after spending some time reading about ssdi and ssi - it looks like she will likely not qualify for ssdi and a slim chance at ssi.


Thanks for any information!

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Concerning "benefits" , Talk to a lawyer, (a 'good' one with experience) , as soon as possible. Talk to more than one if needed. You will need to get one, probably, so do this as soon as possible.

If benefits are coming , sooner or later, this will save you years of time and trouble (if the lawyer is good, even if he takes that percentage they are allowed, he is worth every penny) .....

Concerning health, seek Yahweh (God) continually, daily, forever. He is the One Who sustains us and meets all of our needs - having provided generously all that is needed before even the world was created.

 

[St_Worm2]

Anyone know about ssdi or ssi?

Wife was in an accident severely limiting her mobility due to a spinal and two knee surgeries. She also has seizures and memory loss, etc. She was recently diagnosed with MS (PPMS) and is rapidly advancing with no remission.

Anyways, she was a stay at home mom and wife for the last 7 years (4 years before the accident), and there is no way she will be able to ever work again. We are very tight with our budget and having issue staying afloat.

She applied a few months ago, but after spending some time reading about ssdi and ssi - it looks like she will likely not qualify for ssdi and a slim chance at ssi.


Thanks for any information!

Hi Akmauser, I agree with Jeff, secure a lawyer who is a specialist in ssdi/ssi immediately. It is ~very~ doubtful that she will ever receive benefits in any other way (though it certainly sounds like your wife deserves them).

It will take awhile, a long while to receive her first benefits check, even if you use a lawyer who specializes/does nothing else, but the first check will be a big one (if she is accepted), because it should include all the months you had to wait from the date of your application.

Your lawyer's fee will come out of that first check typically.

My wife is the youngest of 52 1st cousins in a family of more the 5,000, so she, as the youngest of many, has helped a number of her older family members with this process. We had zero success w/o lawyer specialists (benefits were always denied), but great success once we started to employ them (even with the family members whose benefits had been previously denied when we tried to apply w/o the help of a lawyer). These specialist lawyers really know their stuff, so Jeff is also correct about this as well, they are worth every penny!

I am very sorry to hear about the things your wife is suffering through.

Praying for her, you and your family, and this VERY difficult situation that you have found yourselves in.

Hang in there and trust/fully depend upon the Lord to see you through this time (and lean heavily upon your local church for their help of all kinds as well).

God bless you!

--David

 

[Heart2Soul]

I concur.... you need a lawyer....I have just hired one and I haven't even attempted to file for disability with the SSDI....I was told never go to them first...get a lawyer and let them handle all the paperwork and filings necessary.....mine doesn't charge me...if he doesn't win my case he doesn't get paid....what is that called contingency?

 

[Heavenhome]

Living in Australia I am of no help as far as advice but I think the previous posts will give you all the advice you need.
I am sorry to hear of your all that your wife is suffering from and pray for you and her.
God truly is refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
I know the struggle of making ends meet but He has never failed me nor will He you.

He truly does supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)

May He bless you both and keep you.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

I get SSI for the disabled. Its not easy to get and theres almost a 95% you will be denied the first time. They do this to make people work hard for it to see how bad they want it. Its annoying and wastes time, but I know they do it to help prevent fraud. If your curious the 5% that don't get denied the first time usually qualify under "mental issues".

Except that if she does get it, they will make you fight for it again every so often. And if you lose for some chance (like health got better), they will make you pay back the money you received while waiting to see if you can get it again (assuming you lost).

A lawyer is a MUST. They will tell up front if the case will even win. Depending on the lawyer, some charge a flat rate fee, others take a percentage of your first check, if its a back check its still the same percentage). Though mine didn't charge me anything if I lost. Which gives them incentive to work hard!

You will need to fill out alot of forms so your lawyer can get medical records that are needed amongst other things. Its a long and draining battle but if you can get it, its worth it. When you see a judge sometimes its video conferencing, others times you're with an actual judge in a room. Be honest, keep the answers short. Don't be afraid to show emotions if yours upset.

I should warn you too there will be a job counselor there with a book the size of a car (not literally) who will be asked to look for jobs your wife can do based on what she has wrong with her and what she doesn't. If you have a good lawyer he will say (or ask you to say) why the job they think you can do might not work. Thats a big key, if you can't come up with a good reason for a certain job, they may not approve you.

In my case I am blessed (well not really) to have many health issues. The biggest being migraines 23+ days a month. So there is no job they could find that would take me. As I type I am waiting to hear from SSI about if I still qualify (redetermination).

 

[Akmauser]

Oh, that remind me, my wife has migraines too. Probably just as many +/- a few days as what Nothingisimpossible stated. She has to take injections and those only have a small chance of working. She also lost eyesight in her left eye.

I know there is more that is being forgot about.

Anyways, there is only one lawyer in my state that handles cases like this that we're aware of and she is booked. My mother who has been through this process a few years ago took nearly 5 years to get approved here and the lawyer stated it would've been MUCH faster had it been else where. We've thought about leaving for approval and then coming back once completed, but this state lets me make a decent wage and still have her on medicaid. Her medical bills are well north of $4-5K a month.

I'm worried about landing a new job that pays to much and not having enough money for insurance and deductible. Even with her on medicaid we're paying nearly $50-100 just for a couple of her medications. The last place I worked wanted nearly $800 a month with a $7k deductible, and that would've been nearly half of my paycheck after taxes at the time without worrying about having the deductible.

Thanks for responding everyone. Really means a lot to me! Feeling really stressed and limited in options.

 

[Silverback]

Anyone know about ssdi or ssi?

Wife was in an accident severely limiting her mobility due to a spinal and two knee surgeries. She also has seizures and memory loss, etc. She was recently diagnosed with MS (PPMS) and is rapidly advancing with no remission.

Anyways, she was a stay at home mom and wife for the last 7 years (4 years before the accident), and there is no way she will be able to ever work again. We are very tight with our budget and having issue staying afloat.

She applied a few months ago, but after spending some time reading about ssdi and ssi - it looks like she will likely not qualify for ssdi and a slim chance at ssi.


Thanks for any information!

Anyone know about ssdi or ssi?

Wife was in an accident severely limiting her mobility due to a spinal and two knee surgeries. She also has seizures and memory loss, etc. She was recently diagnosed with MS (PPMS) and is rapidly advancing with no remission.

Anyways, she was a stay at home mom and wife for the last 7 years (4 years before the accident), and there is no way she will be able to ever work again. We are very tight with our budget and having issue staying afloat.

She applied a few months ago, but after spending some time reading about ssdi and ssi - it looks like she will likely not qualify for ssdi and a slim chance at ssi.


Thanks for any information!

I receive SSDI, based on a qualifying condition, the list of these conditions are listed on the Social Security website.

I will tell you what I know, but I'm not an expert.I

These are automatic disaprovals:

1. If a person is working at the time of application
2. The person has not paid into Social Security for 40 quarters (10 years)
3. You have not worked 5 out of the last 10 years

Some general information:

1. There MAY be a required time frame that the person has been out of work before they can apply (not sure)
2. The older a person is the better
3. The longer the person has paid into Social Security the better
4. If you don't have a qualifying condition, it's going to be pretty tough to get approved if the person is under 56, but not impossible.
5. If you are otherwise qualified, and you are going to school full-time, you could be turned down.
6. The rules are very complex, and they overlap.
7. Social Security looks at a lot of different things age, medications, tax records, and medical evidence.
8. During the evaluation process you may be required to see a specialist, paid for by Social Security.
9. If you are disaproved, you can ask for an immediate re-evaluation, and a different claims team will look at your case.
10. If not satisfied, you can appeal in person before an Administrative Law Judge, this could take 1 - 2 years.
11. You will be notified in writing of the decision on your original application within 90 days.
12. Keep copies of everything you send to Social Security, send it in a priority mail box, first-class, certified, return receipt requested.
13. After you apply, then you just have to wait.
14. If you are approved, Social Security will re-evaluate your case, either at 18 Months, 3 years, or, 7 years. You could also get picked for a spot check, but the chances are not high.
15. 90% of people who are approved, never come off disability.

Just some good advise:

Regardless of your wife's condition, do not tell anyone you have applied, and for sure if you get approved. If you are known to be on disability, people loose there minds, and some will deliberately try to sabotage you, they will write letters, sit outside your house and take pictures, send there kids to harass yours, and the list goes on. They will also say many cruel, and hurtful things such as "she can work, she could take tickets at the theater, or, "you just want to live off of other people, my back hurts everyday, and I still go to work" . I'm sure you get the picture, and family can be the worse.

It's a strange bird disability, most moderate sized cities have a Social Security Office, that's where your online application is sent, they put everything together, and it's sent to your state's Office of Disability Services who actually make the decisions. For Florida, everything is sent to TN, Michigan may be in NM, I don't know, but I could see disgruntled people showing up...you know what I mean.

I hope it works out for you, you are in my prayers.