Getting on Disability

[donheld]

My brother had some major heart attacks towards the end of 2009. He is in need of getting some sort on of disability program.
I need all the advise I can get in helping him get on disabilty so any advice you all could give me would be greatly appreciated.
If this is the wrong forum for this please move it.

Thank you all

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. go to Soc sec disability website/google and see if he meets qualifications.

He has to have worked for a few years and paid into Soc. Sec.
Find out if you have a state disability program also. ( Google, again)
HIs dr. office should have some referral info.

does he qualify for any workman's comp services?

[donheld]

2. He's worked many years

I know our state has a disabiltiy program. What I need to know is. 1. does he need an attorney right of the bat, or should he just go to the SS offices and file?

[REP]

3. No. He doesn't need an attorney

He needs to document every single disease, illness and chronic condition he has besides his heart problems along with all his meds and every single side effect he has from them. An attorney will not do this for him; he has to do this for himself.

[H2O Man]

14. One gets an attorney

to appeal if they get turned down. (A percentage of applicants get turned down, not on the basis of their claim. Being turned down in the initial application is intended to discourage people from continueing the process. Do not be discouraged.)

[dkf]

4. I understand that SS disability is hard to qualify for as you must be incapable of

Performing any job. Also it takes quite a bit of time to get, maybe a year.

This isn't based on first hand knowledge though but things I have read.

[donheld]

5. He's eager and willing to retrain for some other job

but he not sure how to go about that or just what to do.

[dkf]

6. There must be some coordinating services he can go to.

Try the state unemployment office and see what training programs they have. Or the state DOL.

[donheld]

7. That is a good Idea.

he really does not want to be on disability. He could try for some kind of aid for his medication etc. and then work through unemployment on retraining?

[Old Codger]

8. A Lot depends

On his age, if 55 or older SS considers him too old to retrain, it will probably take at least a year, they will deny him right off the bat usually, then you have to appeal, sometimes that does it but usually he will be denied a second time, at that point get an attorney that specializes in this. He will be eligible for back pay from the time he first applies so the sooner the better, the attorneys fees are set by SS and are usually withheld from first check... some states are better than others for getting it done faster with less run-around..

[donheld]

9. He's 52

[Lyric]

10. All I can say is good luck. My Mom FINALLY got her Disability...

...but only after FIVE heart attacks, cancer, two bleeding anterior frontal lobe aneurysms (and brain surgery to clip them), severe end-stage emphysema that keeps her on oxygen 24/7, THREE bypass surgeries in the past 3 years (one cardiac, one lower aorta, one for both of her femoral arteries) and two strokes. She's lost the use of her legs, she literally cannot move by herself, and yet she only got approved for Disability after a grueling 3-year nightmare of repetitive paperwork, doctor evaluations, and medical exams--and according to the lady who's been acting as her Social Security contact, that was FAST.

What's worse is that although she IS getting Disability, she is NOT getting Medicare. Apparently there's some two-year waiting period for that. She WAS getting Medicaid in the interim, but they took it away because she doesn't have a valid state-issued photo ID. The DMV here won't give her an ID until Virginia sends her old driving records up here. The problem is that Virginia says that they don't KEEP driving records for this long (it's been over ten years since she had a Virginia driver's license), so there's nothing to send. However, the DMV won't budge. We're at a loss as to what the hell to do at this point.

[faithnotgreed]

12. hi lyric - first i am so sorry your mom has gone through such trauma

and then must wrestle with such inane bureaucracy as you describe here


hope this is ok and its probably not much help but just in case have you tried your states insurance assistance program
i dont know in which state your mother resides but i believe each state has a program with 800 # to help people navigate the health insurance options like medicaid
for some reason i recall a state program called SHIP or some close variation so it may be similar in your state

esp since she was already on medicaid then you have probably already asked them what to do and i would be curious what they advise


also what about state issued ids for those who dont or cant drive
there should be something they can issue or one would think anyway

what does your moms ss contact person suggest

just a few thoughts to share just in case

again i am sorry for what she is dealing with
unimaginable
i am glad she has you to help though i am sure it is incredibly difficult

best wishes and i am sorry i cant do anything to help ....

[dkf]

13. There is usually a state ID process independent from the drivers license.

I think you will probably need a copy of her birth certificate and social security card. Or you can probably try for a passport.

[Lyric]

15. A state ID is what she's trying to get. She can't drive anymore

so a driver's license would be pointless. But even for a state ID, they still want her driver's record from Virginia--something to do with post-9/11 rules. :(

[faithnotgreed]

17. ok - that answers one of my questions too

if you havent already tried this i wonder if the state insurance assistance program could help

i know someone who had a successful experience with their states assistance program - it was run out of a local university (dont know why) but the person helping was someone fairly knowledgeable about the medicare/medicaid system and gave great guidance answering all kinds of funky situational questions and stating exactly who to call
late in the process when there was a confusing roadblock they even gave a name and number of a higher up in some other dept and the matter was then successfully resolved

the last i knew every state had their own office with 800#
it is likely you have already tried this but since the person i know had such a positive experience i cant help but pass that along as a resource

good luck and peace to you both

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. I am going through a similar situation and am a little bit ahead of you

so I will try to give you the best answer I can.

First, I suppose each state has it's own way of doing this so I can only tell you how it seems to work in California.

The first thing you need to do is apply for state disability. In California, this is a fairly easy process. You go to the Employment Development office and ask for the forms. Fill out the parts pertinent to you and have the Doctor fill out the rest and mail them in. In about three weeks, you start receiving disability checks.

This is going to be long so have Patience.

My situation is different than your brother. I am a 59 year old Sheet Metal Worker whose body is trashed from a lifetime of hard physical work. My knees are shot and in March, I tore my rotator cup in my right arm but, due to our Somalia standard of health care for people who are not affluent in this country, I was forced to continue work until last Friday when I could finally put in for disability. No, instead of a torn rotator cup, I have one that has been through the whopper chopper.

I can retire in October at reduced benefits, but I am retiring not by choice but by the fact that I just cannot do this anymore.

I have a friend that has taken the time to explain to me that there is a difference between retiring because you want to and because you have to. The difference is that if you retire because you have too, you are entitled to receive the benefits you have paid into for your entire life. These include State Disability benefits AND Social Security Disability Benefits.

In California, you first get your Doctor to declare you temporarily disabled. As this may take several months, hopefully he or she has declared you temporarily disabled while they evaluate you and you have submitted the required forms. This will hook you up with the benefits and you should start receiving checks. The next step is getting on the permanently disabled list and as I have not gotten there yet, I can't advise you but I assure you that the game is rigged. Rigged so that the rich can milk the system and the rest of us can't.

[DonCoquixote]

16. Remember this

SS always always always denies you the first two times, it's a stall tactic. As bad as it sounds, you NEED an atty to do it, but most SS attorneys will work on contingency (aka if you do not win, I get no pay) and by law, they can take no more than a quarter of the reward. The better attorneys will be prepared to take the case to the feds if need be; I live in Florida, and my case had to go to Atlanta. I can tell you, the result is worth it.