Shirley....

At the time I didn't KNOW there was such a thing as a SSA/SSDI
attorney.  I was completely ignorant of the "system's" working
AGAINST the very people it had been created to help.

Barb Mallut
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Edward Kleinmeyer <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, February 04, 2000 6:52 AM
Subject: Re: My experience with SSDI


>Barb, How awful. I still say a good lawyer from the beginning is
vital.We
>can't fight the law on our own,so use the law to fight the law.
There are so
>many loop holes they can find and we don't need the stress.
Shirley
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Barb_MSN <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Friday, February 04, 2000 1:18 AM
>Subject: Re: My experience with SSDI
>
>
>>List-family.... (long SSDI saga follows) <which I'd
>>hesitated to even start writing for ya all to read.
>>But once started, I couldn't stop.  I'd LIKE to think
>>that what happened to ME in this instance
>> DOESN'T happen to all SSDI applicants>
>>
>>It took me 3 years to be awarded my SSDI benefits
>>the FIRST time.  I'd had PD 8 years at that point and
>>was FORCED to apply for SSDI when I had an
>>on-the-job accident and applied for Worker's Comp.
>>
>>To even be considered for the W/Comp case (and
>>the accident had been well documented so there
>>was no question that my claim wasn't legitimate as
>>was my injury.   It was an equipment failure, NOT the
>>PD that caused the accident, by the way.), the law
>>declared I must file for SSDI.
>>
>>Anyway, I eventually was awarded SSDI benefits with
>>the aid of an attorney who was an SSDI specialist, after
>>3 years of stalling by the SSA.   Oddly, by the time I'd gone,
>> before the SSA judge my injuries had healed and
>>it was the PD symptoms - which had escalated after
>>the accident - which had caused me to be awarded the
>>SSDI benefits, plus Medicare benefits.
>>
>>The Medicare enabled me to get my unilateral
>>pallidotomy in 10/94, which in turn enabled me to go
>>back  to work for an additional 2 years, tho that was
>>contract work for MSN, and had I been forced to do
>>a 9 to 5 job away form my home, my health wouldn't
>>have permitted me to do so (you know - good days,
>>bad days, good hours, bad hours ..)
>>
>>Two year after returning to the workforce, the PD
>>started on my left side and  MSN and I parted
>>company. Since I was still considered disabled by
>>SSDI standards, I called the SSA office to reactivate
>>my benefits, which they denied were owed to me.
>>
>>SSA claimed that along with still being disabled, I was
>>ALSO *CURED* of the Parkinson's Disease!!
>>
>>Soooo, I again applied for my SSDI benefits and
>>had to start again back at square one!  THIS time
>>started off with an attorney and it ONLY took 2
>>years to be awarded my SSDI benefits the second
>>time around.
>>
>>SSDI included in my benefits $8700+ for back
>>payment and did an automatic deposit to my
>>checking account.  Then, over the subsequent
>>4 months, SSA proceeded to go into MY OWN
>>PERSONAL CHECKING ACCOUNT and
>>removed the entire amount of money they'd just
>>awarded me.
>>
>>SIX months after that, SSA again deposited money
>>into my checking account to the tune of $4900+, and
>>upon my calling them to find out WHY they suddenly
>>deposited money into my checking account - with no
>>previous notice - I was told THAT was my REAL
>>benefits award due me from that second time around!
>>
>>I asked to have that information IN WRITING, and SSA
>>declined to do that, after assuring me that the money
>>was mine.   Needless to say, I was angry but not at all
>>surprised when SSA once AGAIN "raided" my personal
>>checking account and took back $2,400.
>>
>>After calling the SSA  to find out why they had
>>again played a bizarre and cruel joke on me,
>>they "graciously offered" not to go into my
>>checking account for the BALANCE  of the
>>$4900 *IF* I'd send them a CASHIERS CHECK
>>FOR THE ENTIRE BALANCE OF THE $4900.
>>And if I DIDN'T return THEIR MONEY to them
>>they'd withhold my benefits until that amount
>>had been reimbursed to the SSA.
>>
>>I didn't even argue - just sent them a check and
>>a letter declaring if the SSA *EVER* went into
>>MY personal checking account again, for WHATEVER
>>reason, I'd have well known feminist attorney Gloria
>>Allred on their tail.  I also lied thru my teeth and
>>declared I had contacted Ms. Allred and she'd
>>reviewed my possible case against the SSA and
>>told me I had a valid case against the Social Security
>>Administration and her firm would take the case if or
>>when I gave her the go ahead (I WISH!),
>>
>>Other than depositing an SSDI check once a month, the
>>SSA has left me alone since my last run in with them.
>>(THANKS, Gloria!) <grin>
>>
>><the above is NOT proof read for grammatical or
>>formatting errors, I just did a quick run thru the spell
checker>
>>
>>Barb Mallut
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Greg Sterling <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
>>Date: Thursday, February 03, 2000 7:59 PM
>>Subject: My experience with SSDI
>>
>>
>>I started on SSDI about 2 years ago at age 45.  I actually had
no
>>difficulty in applying or being accepted.  The key is your
doctor.
>>Make sure he has dealt with SS prior and knows how to convey
>>disability to them.  You don't really need an attorney unless
you
>>get to the hearing stage.  Be sure to fill out the forms in
>>DETAIL.  Describe the difficulties you have with personal
hygiene
>>and dressing in depth.  If you have cognitive problems mention
it
>>whenever you can get it in.  Of course describe your physical
>>limitations.  If it's true make sure that you explain that both
>>sides of your body are affected.
>>
>>Check out my website at below url:
>>http://pd_ssdi.homestead.com/ssdi.html
>>
>>Greg
>>47/35/35