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Phil Tompkins wrote: > > Many thanks to John Cottingham and Allan Netick for digging up the > SSA reference to PD as an "impairment". I'm trying to determine what > is likely course course of events I may face and what choices there > may be. I'm possibly starting to poop out. > > It's clear that PD alone is not a sufficient cause for disability, > especially if one is working at a satisfactory level. I'm curious > about what might be the most frequent causes of receiving SSA disa- > bility for people with PD whose work is mostly mental. It must not > be PD alone, but PD plus some consequence of PD, such as fatigue and/or > inability to concentrate. This has been so in the few instances I'm > familiar with. For example, I know of one lawyer who was no longer > able to stay awake at meetings. (Lucky man. In another type of work > situation one can get fired! :o) ) > > Also, since PD is a gradually progressing condition, there must be > a grey area in which it is not clear whether one qualifies for > disability or not in spite of the statement in the SSA Handbook that > you are determined to be either "disabled" or "not disabled" (you > will not receive a "percentage" of disability rating). I'm not > sure what this means in practical terms, except that there may be > room for subjectivity and chance. > > I also wonder about the lack of discussion of fatigue in the books > books on PD that I've seen. Fatigue is supposed to be frequent among > people with PD, but when I look for a discussion of it in the books > by Drs Duvoisin and Lieberman, there is barely a word on the subject. > It's most often mentioned in connection with depression, but I think > it can occur without depression. What would be the medical causes of > the latter? > > Phil Hi Phil, I've been lurking, I prefer observing, on this list for a few weeks now. I've found the information to be very useful and enlightening. Hearing others tell about some of the challenges they face and how they deal with them is uplifting. You know, the old "I'm not the only one!" thing. Now, you've posed a question, re: SSA, on which I may be able to offer some useful input. I'm 55 years old, diagnosed with PD eighteen years ago. My doctors at that time suggested there was a strong possibility that I would be unable to return to work. I didn't go back to my job, senior staff underwriter for a major casualty insurance company, and after the required SSA waiting period, applied for disability benefits. I expected problems with SSA, but, thankfully, have not had any. None at all! SSA granted the benefit based on the reports of my doctors alone. They didn't even have their doctor examine me. I've heard many horror stories about people who have been denied SSA disability over the years. Some sounded worse off than I was (or thought I was). This doesn't really shed any light on the "inner workings" of SSA, but I hope it will be of some encouragement to you. My wife, Karen, and I have found comfort in knowing that God IS in control and He is NOT surprised, as we are, by the things that come into our lives. SOON! Gaylon "Originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.... to the Suncoast of Florida..... by way of Central Ohio."