Question about disability
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
Question about disability
My attorney is on vacation so I can't get an answer from her. Has anyone else had experience with this that can share with me what this might mean?
I received the attached letter from Social Security. It left me a bit confused about whether I have won or if there is still a problem because of some of the wording. The following two paragraphs are what are confusing.
"We have found that you meet the medical requirements for disability payments. An explanation of our findings is attached...
We have not yet made a decision about whether you meet the nonmedical requirements but we will make that decision soon. Then we will send you a second notice explaining our decision....."
What are they referring to when they say "nonmedical requirements"? The only things I can think of would be verifying my social security number, work history, and age maybe and one would think after fighting with them for nearly 7 years now they would have already verified all of that.
I put this under mental health as the disability I have been fighting for has been for mental health reasons.
Thanks for any experience you can share with me.
I received the attached letter from Social Security. It left me a bit confused about whether I have won or if there is still a problem because of some of the wording. The following two paragraphs are what are confusing.
"We have found that you meet the medical requirements for disability payments. An explanation of our findings is attached...
We have not yet made a decision about whether you meet the nonmedical requirements but we will make that decision soon. Then we will send you a second notice explaining our decision....."
What are they referring to when they say "nonmedical requirements"? The only things I can think of would be verifying my social security number, work history, and age maybe and one would think after fighting with them for nearly 7 years now they would have already verified all of that.
I put this under mental health as the disability I have been fighting for has been for mental health reasons.
Thanks for any experience you can share with me.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 414
From the SSA.gov website:
Non-medical requirements for Social Security disability benefits include:
Proof of age;
Employment;
Marital status; or
Social Security coverage information.
Non-medical requirements for disability
Non-medical requirements for Social Security disability benefits include:
Proof of age;
Employment;
Marital status; or
Social Security coverage information.
Non-medical requirements for disability
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,827
I'm just spitballing here as I have no exprience at all with US social security.
I think - if bureaucracy is the same the world over - they need to check all the clerical stuff and other things like your income etc.
They never give out anything if they can help it....but if they've admitted you qualify medically I think thats a good sign
D
I think - if bureaucracy is the same the world over - they need to check all the clerical stuff and other things like your income etc.
They never give out anything if they can help it....but if they've admitted you qualify medically I think thats a good sign
D
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Pa
Posts: 4,872
nandm,
I worked for ss many years ago. What that letter means is that the place that makes the medical determination, either the state agency, or the hearings office, medically approved the claim. They cannot comment on the other part of the claim, the non medical part because that is not their jurisdiction. After the claim is medically approved it is sent back to social security to review that part of the file, and if any additional information is needed, they will request that from you.
I know it has been a long time for you for this decision, just also wanted to say congrats.
Edited to add: Since they were processing the medical part of it, then the non medical part was most likely met. Not many things would have affected that. What they mean is that they might have to take additional claims from you for children, etc, or they need additional info, like your birth certificate.
Doesn't seem you have anything to worry about.
I worked for ss many years ago. What that letter means is that the place that makes the medical determination, either the state agency, or the hearings office, medically approved the claim. They cannot comment on the other part of the claim, the non medical part because that is not their jurisdiction. After the claim is medically approved it is sent back to social security to review that part of the file, and if any additional information is needed, they will request that from you.
I know it has been a long time for you for this decision, just also wanted to say congrats.
Edited to add: Since they were processing the medical part of it, then the non medical part was most likely met. Not many things would have affected that. What they mean is that they might have to take additional claims from you for children, etc, or they need additional info, like your birth certificate.
Doesn't seem you have anything to worry about.
Life the gift of recovery!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
Thanks everyone for your replies.
Yes, it did mean that they approved me. The non medical was just checking to verify whether it would be SSI or SSD, my work history, how much back pay, the monthly award, ect....
They are still in the process of verifying that I did not receive SSI during the time I was waiting on a determination so that they can determine how much back pay I am due but they have started the SSD award. My first payment will arrive next month. Fortunately I should get enough back pay to pay off my attorney and the outstanding student loans I have. After that there will be very little left but that is ok because I have finally won this fight.
It is finally nice to know that they can see that yes, what I am dealing with is quite real and has been very devastating to my life. For the past 7 years each time I would get that denial letter it would feel like a punch in my gut because it felt like one more person thinks that just because it is in my head it is not real and therefore I should just get over it. It left me feeling like a failure at life, like somehow I was just too weak or too lazy to just get up and do what seemed to come so naturally to others. I don't know how many times I wished that I had just lost a limb or two instead of having a mental illness because then at least people could see my pain and disability unlike with mental illness which unless one spends a significant amount of time with a person can often be hidden. In fact most people that know me don't know that I fight with mental illness, only my closest friends and family.
There is so much stigma and disbelief attached to mental illness in this society. There is the "it's all in your head so just get over it" mentality which tends to be the prevailing mentality. They think because they can't see it therefore it must not be real. What they don't understand is that it is that when mental illness hits it is just as real as losing an arm or a leg and just as devastating. It often destroys lives, not just of the person with the mental illness but of those around them who love them. I went from being a productive in demand employee. To someone who can not hold down a job. I had to put my nursing license into retirement after a 20 year career. I was no longer able to work as a paramedic after 12 years of doing that. I wound up having to declare bankruptcy because I had no way to pay the bills that I had. I lost pretty much everything. Fortunately what I did not lose were several close friends, my partner and close family members and for that I am extremely grateful. I don't understand how anyone would think I would throw away the career I had for this insanity. Mental illness is not a choice, sometimes it just happens and the only thing we can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and not give up hope that life will get better.
I am so thankful to see that finally mental health treatment will now have to be part of a health insurance package because of the ACA here in the US because I firmly believe that our over all health is linked to our mental health. I know my physical health has gotten significantly worse since the onset of my mental health illnesses. Maybe someday medical science will one day be able to develop a test which will show mental illnesses and the severity of them with just a simple test. In the meantime though I guess we are all at the mercy of a bunch of people who judge us based on their preconceived ideas regarding mental illness and hope for the best.
Yes, it did mean that they approved me. The non medical was just checking to verify whether it would be SSI or SSD, my work history, how much back pay, the monthly award, ect....
They are still in the process of verifying that I did not receive SSI during the time I was waiting on a determination so that they can determine how much back pay I am due but they have started the SSD award. My first payment will arrive next month. Fortunately I should get enough back pay to pay off my attorney and the outstanding student loans I have. After that there will be very little left but that is ok because I have finally won this fight.
It is finally nice to know that they can see that yes, what I am dealing with is quite real and has been very devastating to my life. For the past 7 years each time I would get that denial letter it would feel like a punch in my gut because it felt like one more person thinks that just because it is in my head it is not real and therefore I should just get over it. It left me feeling like a failure at life, like somehow I was just too weak or too lazy to just get up and do what seemed to come so naturally to others. I don't know how many times I wished that I had just lost a limb or two instead of having a mental illness because then at least people could see my pain and disability unlike with mental illness which unless one spends a significant amount of time with a person can often be hidden. In fact most people that know me don't know that I fight with mental illness, only my closest friends and family.
There is so much stigma and disbelief attached to mental illness in this society. There is the "it's all in your head so just get over it" mentality which tends to be the prevailing mentality. They think because they can't see it therefore it must not be real. What they don't understand is that it is that when mental illness hits it is just as real as losing an arm or a leg and just as devastating. It often destroys lives, not just of the person with the mental illness but of those around them who love them. I went from being a productive in demand employee. To someone who can not hold down a job. I had to put my nursing license into retirement after a 20 year career. I was no longer able to work as a paramedic after 12 years of doing that. I wound up having to declare bankruptcy because I had no way to pay the bills that I had. I lost pretty much everything. Fortunately what I did not lose were several close friends, my partner and close family members and for that I am extremely grateful. I don't understand how anyone would think I would throw away the career I had for this insanity. Mental illness is not a choice, sometimes it just happens and the only thing we can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and not give up hope that life will get better.
I am so thankful to see that finally mental health treatment will now have to be part of a health insurance package because of the ACA here in the US because I firmly believe that our over all health is linked to our mental health. I know my physical health has gotten significantly worse since the onset of my mental health illnesses. Maybe someday medical science will one day be able to develop a test which will show mental illnesses and the severity of them with just a simple test. In the meantime though I guess we are all at the mercy of a bunch of people who judge us based on their preconceived ideas regarding mental illness and hope for the best.
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