Barb, As was I. I have a sister that had gone thru the process a few years
earlier and I was going to do this on my own till she said (if you do you
may be old enough to draw social security before you get it.) I figured she
knew more about it than I did so I followed her advise. I'm the oldest of 10
living kids and she was my 13th. birthday gift!!! Like I really needed that.
There were already 6 of us,1 set of twins and I was Mothers right hand. She
turned out to be a blessing. It's fun being the oldest,they listen to me
just as well as they did Mom&Dad. HA!HA! Just kidding. I love them all,from
a distance.  Shirley
-----Original Message-----
From: Barb_MSN <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, February 04, 2000 10:48 AM
Subject: Re: My experience with SSDI


>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