Phil; I am now on ssd. I was approved in Sept. I first applied in Oct 99. I was turned down the first two times. I have a ltd with ex employer which they advised me to hire Alsup which is med. law firm. We apealed for a hearing and I was approved by the advisor,never even had a hearing. The maximum an attorny can charge you is $3,000.00 and this comes out of your ss settlerment. You have to have been disabled 5 months before you can apply.The most important thing to have for this to work is to have a good doctor on your side. You have to a letter in your file from him telling everything you cannot do when your meds do not work and how often your meds don't work. Feel free to call me if you want more info. 803-781-5417 Good luck, Mike truluck 46-41-35