Finally, after almost 4 years of fighting for disability...
Finally, after almost 4 years of fighting for disability...
I won! It took me forever to open the envelope because I was so exhausted and discouraged from the entire process, and was terrified it was another denial.
It will be back-dated to November 7, 2008, which was when the last round of appeals was denied.
After having two attorneys not worth a tinker's damn, I finally went to Legal Aid of Kansas, crammed into a tiny office at the courthouse building one county north of me.
I have a thank you note to write to everyone in that little office who fought for me.
It will be back-dated to November 7, 2008, which was when the last round of appeals was denied.
After having two attorneys not worth a tinker's damn, I finally went to Legal Aid of Kansas, crammed into a tiny office at the courthouse building one county north of me.
I have a thank you note to write to everyone in that little office who fought for me.
Yep, I am glad you 'hung in there.'
I know that fight so well and I know how long it took.
I am so happy for you!!!!!!!
You starting getting your monthly check before you get your back pay. Back pay may take up to 2 months, but sometimes is within 3 week of first monthly payment. Be aware it may not be as much as you figure. Even though it goes back to 11/8/08 there is something in the 'rules' of SS that they can discount the first 6 months, and then they have a few other things, like they figure the payment based not on the current payment but what the payments would have been before any increases. However, in your case that won't be too bad because there have been no COL (Cost of Livng) increases for '10 and '11.
I really am happy for you, knowing that XXX amount is coming in every month as a 'base' gives one a real working budget. I know when I was finally approved, the 'stress level' went way down, and the 'relief level' went way up. When the 'back pay' finally came in I was able to 'pay back' those that had helped me financially during my long 'fight' and still have a cushion which went into savings, also giving me a 'more secure' feeling.
Whether it is SSI or SSDI you will now have insurance coverage also, either medicare and medicaid (to cover prescriptions) or medicaid (to cover it all). That in itself is a 'God send.' To this day, if I had to pay 'out of pocket for my medications, between my diabetes, heart meds, and pain meds, it would be almost $2,000 a month.
I am just so happy for you!!!!! I know the fight so well. SS has the attitude that if they 'deny' long enough most applying for disability will either get discouraged or die. You did neither, nor did I.
Love and hugs,
I know that fight so well and I know how long it took.
I am so happy for you!!!!!!!
You starting getting your monthly check before you get your back pay. Back pay may take up to 2 months, but sometimes is within 3 week of first monthly payment. Be aware it may not be as much as you figure. Even though it goes back to 11/8/08 there is something in the 'rules' of SS that they can discount the first 6 months, and then they have a few other things, like they figure the payment based not on the current payment but what the payments would have been before any increases. However, in your case that won't be too bad because there have been no COL (Cost of Livng) increases for '10 and '11.
I really am happy for you, knowing that XXX amount is coming in every month as a 'base' gives one a real working budget. I know when I was finally approved, the 'stress level' went way down, and the 'relief level' went way up. When the 'back pay' finally came in I was able to 'pay back' those that had helped me financially during my long 'fight' and still have a cushion which went into savings, also giving me a 'more secure' feeling.
Whether it is SSI or SSDI you will now have insurance coverage also, either medicare and medicaid (to cover prescriptions) or medicaid (to cover it all). That in itself is a 'God send.' To this day, if I had to pay 'out of pocket for my medications, between my diabetes, heart meds, and pain meds, it would be almost $2,000 a month.
I am just so happy for you!!!!! I know the fight so well. SS has the attitude that if they 'deny' long enough most applying for disability will either get discouraged or die. You did neither, nor did I.
Love and hugs,
I've had so many challenges, and not just with disability, but with college too, and it's almost like I've gotten used to just getting past one crisis or hurdle, and I hit another one.
Part of me wants to get on my knees and weep.
A huge part of me is numb right now.
I haven't been able to afford to see my pain management specialist for spinal injections, so I've been dealing with a fair amount of pain more than normal.
My Neurontin was increased to help, but it made me so stupid-feeling that I couldn't do school work so I had to decrease the dose.
I haven't been able to afford physical therapy either, which really helps with deep tissue massage.
I guess this is another way to prove the saying, "Don't give up before the miracle happens."
When the 'medical cards' finally came in the mail is when I got down, literally, on my knees (which just having slowly gotten out of a wheel chair was hard, lol). I guarded those cards with my life.
Every Drs office 'has to make copies' of them for the file. I didn't want to let them out of my possession, so I made lots of copies, and would take a set with me to each doctor's office. Would let the appropriate person see the actual card and hand them the copies for their file. I was 'so PARANOID' about losing those cards.
Today, many years later I am not quite that bad, but I still keep a close watch on them. Will not go sit down, but wait at counter to get them right back, lol
Again, you have done good!!!! You graduate next month, you stayed the course with SS, you have kept to your boundaries with your different family members, etc WOW
Maybe, come the end of May, with everything falling into place, throw yourself a party. Take that 3 day holiday weekend and make it 4 or 5. I know it would be hard to actually 'get away' because of the fur kids, but ................... you can plan to do some really really nice things for YOU. You have certainly earned it!!!!!!!!!
How about checking out any 'spas' in the nearest big city and going for a day of 'pampering?' Just a thought.
Whatever floats your boat. Me, when I had gotten through the worst of it, I went and bought some beef tenderloin steaks and some very large shrimp 10-10 to a #, cook them on the barbecue, shared with my dear friend Norma Jean (who had been my 'rock' through it all) and the fur kids. Got a few new pieces of clothing (I hadn't bought anything new in at least 6 years). Had a spa treatment.
I purchased some books (this was way before the kindle, lol) new that I had wanted and then indulged myself with reading, reading, reading, and no they were not 'recovery' books, lol they were by some of my favorite authors, lmao
Anyway, again I am so so happy for you, I am just grinning from ear to ear.
Love and hugs,
Every Drs office 'has to make copies' of them for the file. I didn't want to let them out of my possession, so I made lots of copies, and would take a set with me to each doctor's office. Would let the appropriate person see the actual card and hand them the copies for their file. I was 'so PARANOID' about losing those cards.
Today, many years later I am not quite that bad, but I still keep a close watch on them. Will not go sit down, but wait at counter to get them right back, lol
Again, you have done good!!!! You graduate next month, you stayed the course with SS, you have kept to your boundaries with your different family members, etc WOW
Maybe, come the end of May, with everything falling into place, throw yourself a party. Take that 3 day holiday weekend and make it 4 or 5. I know it would be hard to actually 'get away' because of the fur kids, but ................... you can plan to do some really really nice things for YOU. You have certainly earned it!!!!!!!!!
How about checking out any 'spas' in the nearest big city and going for a day of 'pampering?' Just a thought.
Whatever floats your boat. Me, when I had gotten through the worst of it, I went and bought some beef tenderloin steaks and some very large shrimp 10-10 to a #, cook them on the barbecue, shared with my dear friend Norma Jean (who had been my 'rock' through it all) and the fur kids. Got a few new pieces of clothing (I hadn't bought anything new in at least 6 years). Had a spa treatment.
I purchased some books (this was way before the kindle, lol) new that I had wanted and then indulged myself with reading, reading, reading, and no they were not 'recovery' books, lol they were by some of my favorite authors, lmao
Anyway, again I am so so happy for you, I am just grinning from ear to ear.
Love and hugs,
I think I'll also ask Amber out to eat and we'll hit Texas Roadhouse over in Wichita. She loves the steaks there, but I haven't been yet.
The other thing I would really enjoy is a trip to the Sedwick County Zoo. I haven't been over there since they opened up their big cats habitat. I may have to take lots of 'sit' breaks, but that's okay.
This is wonderful news!!!!
I'm so excited and relieved for you all at the same time.
I have had that goal of buying my own home and got turned down over the last year more than I care to remember for financing. Finally marched my self into the little Rural Development office here in town and applied on my own. Red tape and paperwork up to my eyeballs, 3 months later I got the news that my loan had been funded. I was stunned into silence. My mom kept asking if I was excited, and I told her I felt mostly nauseated.
You fight for something for so long and you begin to feel like the fighting part is all that you'll ever see. I'm so used to scrapping and surviving I've got sad-sack syndrome. Success just doesn't feel real to me when it comes along.
I did a walk-through on my little bungalow yesterday (we close in a week), and it still feels like it's happening to someone else.
Dev, I hope now this means you will be able to get to those rehab appointments and get those injections. You still have a lot of successes yet to come and you want to be ready for dancing when they do!!!
Gentle pain-free hugs,
Alice
I'm so excited and relieved for you all at the same time.
I have had that goal of buying my own home and got turned down over the last year more than I care to remember for financing. Finally marched my self into the little Rural Development office here in town and applied on my own. Red tape and paperwork up to my eyeballs, 3 months later I got the news that my loan had been funded. I was stunned into silence. My mom kept asking if I was excited, and I told her I felt mostly nauseated.
You fight for something for so long and you begin to feel like the fighting part is all that you'll ever see. I'm so used to scrapping and surviving I've got sad-sack syndrome. Success just doesn't feel real to me when it comes along.
I did a walk-through on my little bungalow yesterday (we close in a week), and it still feels like it's happening to someone else.
Dev, I hope now this means you will be able to get to those rehab appointments and get those injections. You still have a lot of successes yet to come and you want to be ready for dancing when they do!!!
Gentle pain-free hugs,
Alice
Oh my God! You so hit the nail on the head with that! Thank you for putting so eloquently into words what I was fumbling to express!
I'm so happy for you, that things are finally falling into place. Soon, you will have to change your subtitle to "College Graduate Extraordinaire" and you will have the Freedom for Freedom for a little financial support and hopefully that also means pain relief. The sun will look so much brighter when some of these stresses are behind you. Kudos - MAJOR KUDOS - for hanging in there, through the tough times!
Sending celebration!
CLMI
Sending celebration!
CLMI
I'm so happy for you, that things are finally falling into place. Soon, you will have to change your subtitle to "College Graduate Extraordinaire" and you will have the Freedom for Freedom for a little financial support and hopefully that also means pain relief. The sun will look so much brighter when some of these stresses are behind you. Kudos - MAJOR KUDOS - for hanging in there, through the tough times!
Sending celebration!
CLMI
Sending celebration!
CLMI
(((DeVon)))- fantabulous!!!! I tried to get Elvis to do the happy dance, with me, for you, but he's not in the mood, tonight
Though not having been through, near, what you have, I totally understand (((Alice's))) sad-sack syndrome. I learned not to ask "what next", because I feel like I jinx myself, but I have gotten to where I feel like absolutely NOTHING is gonna happen without one helluva fight. My financial aid situation changed at school (no longer applicable for one grant because I haven't graduated from high school within the last 7 years...um, try 32 years ago? That door closed, but another one opened.
Since we get stronger with every challenge we face, I think we should all be superwomen, by now...especially YOU!!
Hugs and prayers,
Amy
Though not having been through, near, what you have, I totally understand (((Alice's))) sad-sack syndrome. I learned not to ask "what next", because I feel like I jinx myself, but I have gotten to where I feel like absolutely NOTHING is gonna happen without one helluva fight. My financial aid situation changed at school (no longer applicable for one grant because I haven't graduated from high school within the last 7 years...um, try 32 years ago? That door closed, but another one opened.
Since we get stronger with every challenge we face, I think we should all be superwomen, by now...especially YOU!!
Hugs and prayers,
Amy
Oh wow! Congratulations Freedom! This must be life-changing and in a good way! I just can't stop smiling - this thread is so positive!!! Alice, you sound so excited and Freedom will be get to see photos of you in your gown?
for sharing your good news.
for sharing your good news.
Amber will be taking her camera, plus they have a professional photographer there. I'm guessing the photographer will be taking the pictures as people cross the stage, or perhaps a group picture?
HOW EXCITING!
You deserve every last cent, Freedom.
Thank you for sharing it, as well. Just another reminder not to give up. "More will be revealed."
Peaches and I are sending you many hugs, and I am grinning from ear to ear.
Hooray!
You did it!
I am so happy for you!
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