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Thank you. I have been afraid to fire my lawyer because I was afraid he would sent me a bill. I'll start looking for another lawyer. This is actually for my husband, and to be honest, I tend to be on the timid side, so it's hard for me to fight for things. > ---------- > From: [log in to unmask] > Reply To: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network > Sent: Wednesday, October 3, 2001 11:37 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: various points re: SSDI (attorneys and proof) > > Hello, > > The core of a successful application for SSDI is complete, accurate > information as to the disability and the effects upon the job and job > performance. [If you are being evaluated on a private disability program > every month, someone, your doctor, or the administrative people for that > program, think you need to be evaluated every month. Look carefully at > what > the doctor has written and provide an addendum as to continuity of the > condition. They may be waiting for you to get worse as well as to get > better > before your status has changed. Ask questions and....] > > Get a good attorney. An attorney who does not work on your case, > who > continually avoids you and your phone calls, etc., is not a good attorney. > Call your local bar organization (attorney professional grouping) and > check > in the yellow pages of your phone book for lawyer referral programs. Some > states have lists of those fancy-dancy $500/hr attorneys who take certain > cases for free or at reduced rates as part of an ethical or pro bono > obligation as well as lists of attorneys who do disability cases. You > want > a specialist, and look for one very carefully. Ask, ask, ask. There are > PD > organizations and support groups which may be able to help. > > Nancy, dont be afraid: fire your attorney and get a good disability > specialist for your state and SSDI. Attorneys are changed all the time, > and > it does not hurt you or your case if you get rid of your current "lawyer." > And dont worry about the bill: if he has the gall to give you a bill, dont > pay it and explain why and then indicate that if he continues to try to > collect on the bill, you will report him to your state's professional > responsibility board. It is easier to get new attorney, and then contact > old > attorney's office to make arrangements re: transfer of your file to your > new > attorney. New attorney may even take care of that, and all questions > about a > large bill, as a courtesy to you. Dont wait, dont walk: run to the best > disability specialist you can find. Money here is well spent, and many > attorneys who work with SSDI take their fees out of the back-pay, lump-sum > settlement you get from SSDI anyway and do not require you to pay in > advance > (except possibly for expenses, if any). > > A friend of mine does many SSDI applications and appeals. He said he > would > work on the appeal for me, as a professional courtesy, but I had to do the > application. I grumbled and groaned, but I did it. I was a criminal > defense > lawyer, and I did not want to do the application. In retrospect I was > being > lazy. My application was approved in less than two months, and some time > was expended because I had to wait for a copy of my birth certificate to > arrive from out-of-state. All of my medical and diagnostic work was > completed; I attached a copy of my neuropsychological exam, and various > neurological reports to the application itself. I made certain all the > information I wanted social security to have was with my primary > neurologist, > and I put him first in the list for release of information. For instance > I > fed information from a speech therapist to that neurologist so that social > security would get it. I made certain that I had complete and accurate > information for release of information; I called each entity and I said > social security is going to contact you and I just want to make certain > that > there will be a rapid and complete transfer of information without any > glitches. I made certain that I knew what social security would get from > each entity and what that would show about my disability and my ability to > continue to work. And it worked. And my application was approved by SSDI > very quickly. My state disability, because I was a state employee, built > upon SSDI but took much, much longer to be approved, but those delays were > not caused by me. I had a state disability insurance policy which > requires > that I apply for SSDI and state disability as a means of minimizing costs > of > the disability insurance, and of the disability payments, for the state. > > BTW if there had been an appeal, and there was a hearing, I would have > gone > without meds and without make-up, brought a driver with me, and done > whatever > I could to show that I was sick, that I had PD, and that the PD interfered > with my ability to work. Rayiln you did exactly what you had to do on the > second try and without counsel.. You should feel proud. I admire what > you > did. Katie > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn