Good Morning! @Valkat and @BrendaHicks,

If you are applying for SSD, you can't be working as the whole reason for applying is that you are disabled and this will be your income.

Because of the economy it is taking longer and longer to be approved. You will be denied the first time so don't be alarmed. You will then need to hire an attorney that specializes in SSD. Don't worry you won't have to pay them - they will take a portion of the money you get when you are approved and if you aren't approved they don't get paid.

The best advice I have is to call your local MS Chapter and ask them for the SSD Attorneys they recommend. They should have a list. You will most likely never have to go into their office as long as you can get to a fax machine or if you have the ability to scan/email information to them.

Be prepared to send them allot of information. You will want to have your Neurologist write a letter on your behalf that goes into detail the reasons why they feel you are disabled. You should also be prepared for the fact that SS may want to have you seen by their doctors. If this is the case they will send doctors to your area so you do not have to travel far.

I went from making 6-figures a year. Owning a house and nice savings for retirement and a 401k plan. When I got so sick and the doctors as well as my employer helped me to see it was time to go on disability I was devasted. I had a daughter in private school, entering private college and I was responsible for this.

I didn't have anyone to help me through the process and I thought this was a quick process as I was so sick. I also assumed once I was approved for SSD I would have medical coverage... it made sense to me. This was the case 4 years ago, but times changed. Now you have to wait 24 months before you qualify for Medicare. And if you don't know this, Medicare is not free and they don't give you more $$.

Of course, my situation is different. Because I made so much money in my career, I make what they consider a decent SSD income. I don't qualify for Medicaid or any State healthcare benefits.

I opted not to pay for Cobra... had a stroke and wiped out my retirement savings to pay for it. 6 months later had another stroke and wiped out my 401k savings. Now, I paid for my daughters schooling to ensure she was going to be ok. But, I lost my house and before SSD was approved which took a little less than a year, I was homeless for 2 weeks, Doc and I lived in my car.

Today, I am blessed and grateful to live in a 1-bdrm apt. I still have no medical, but I have learned to survive on my SSD and I'm happy. Every day my feet hit the floor I know I'm alive! :-)

So, LONG STORY.... sorry I need to learn to net it out... but, this I hope helps you understand what you might be up against. Everyone I've talked to has gone through the same time frame... so be sure you are prepared. Good Luck and Hang in There!!

I was denied when I first applied for disability. I then hired an attorney and got a court hearing about a year later. I was told the court hearing would take about an hour to get through. I was in there for 20 minutes and the judge couldn't believe I had ever been denied. She was certain that no one had even read my file. After seeing the judge it all moved quickly. I was approved and had my back pay within a month. The whole process was frustrating, until I had the amazing judge that I saw. One thing to keep in mind, at least in Indiana, you don't have to see their doctors. You can use your own doctors opinions and medical records. Check into what requirements are in your states.

Good luck!!

don't wait. get an attorney from the beginning. i was denied the first time then got an attorney. then denied again, appealed, and got a hearing. the judge asked for other info, so then a second hearing. then i was approved. it took 3 years. Once it was approved, i did recieve back benefits from the first time i filed, so that was good. and the attorney's fees are capped at a set percentage and they don't get paid until /unless approved. (a friend used binder&binder attorneys and he got quick results)

at the hearing, a number of issues were considered: age, psychological health, physical health/impairment, and the ability to earn a sustainable/livable wage in your profession (or one similar). they had their own neurologist (via conference call, who had looked at my doctor's records), an employment analyst from the state, i guess, and reports from a neuro-psychologist.

my great blessing was finding my current neuro. she saved my life. i had been through 2 other neuros (the one who dx'd me told me to "go have a nice life!). When my state disability ended and lost medi-cal (california medicaid) when my daughter turned 18 (she was my qualifying child) and so had no medical coverage, my doctor kept me on her books and kept seeing me anyway.

i want to warn you, and anyone who has not been through this: when they send you to their neuro, be prepared for the worst. I was sent to someone who was awful and scary (he saw me when his staff was at lunch, and took me into a dark exam room to "test my vision." I was scared. His report was so useless, that the judge even expressed disgust and threw the whole thing out. (that's why they had to reconvene with a second hearing with a long-distance neuro.) (my doctor, it turns out, knew who he was and said he should be kicked out of the profession. she said he's now in ohio!)

anyway, it was a pretty awful, pretty adversarial experience. but i know this is not always the case--just like ms, experiences vary.

call social security disability (ssdi) and ask about working/wages. i used to teach/ substitute teach and was a counselor. comparable employment was not available to me. the unpridictability of the disease is what took me out of the workforce. I was too sick to work before i was put on Rebif (after the approval). But i can work a little now (i think it's like 700/month in california). I tried subbing, but get too tired. so now i'm looking for something very casual simple. If i earn any money at all, that puts me in a different medi-cal category (working poor, or something) and then i qualify for calif paying my medicare premium and they co-pay doctor and hospital costs.

i'm sorry this is so long. haven't talked about this in a long time.

good luck to you and god bless you.

You can't work for about two years, Most people get denied the first time, I was approved on the my second time. I did work some in that two years but it didn't count against me. Because each time was under a month. If you can do the paperwork by your self it can help.Save you money later on. Put you have to document everything.
My wife was able to do it all for me. She.has worked in the medical field for over 20 years, She know how to right a report.
I did contact a lawyer after I was denied the first time. Every lawyer told me that they couldn't do much on my behalf tell after ssdi. Deniedme a second time. I have a famile member that had a lawyer from the star for him. Well stay strong, It can take a long time to get it . When you do get it you'll get some back pay.
Well take care, God Bless you and your family!

WOW, @CristinaZermoglioCdpe if you were approved in 30 days this is AWESOME!! DSHS and our local SS Office here in Washington tells everyone they will be denied 1st and then they will need an attorney and it will take 6 months to a year. So, 30 days is incredible... this is what I had hoped for. I know 3 - 4 years ago, this is what it was like so maybe they have gotten better again! :-)