My husband went on SS disability in January of '95. In his case, all it took
was a letter from his doctor. We had heard from other Parkinsonians we knew
that, unlike back problems or other more nebulous conditions, SS doesn't balk
or throw up roadblocks about granting disability for Parkinson's, and we
found that to be the case. Dick didn't even have to see a SS doctor. Once
they received the letter, it was granted without question.
I guess I should mention that we did know one Parkinsonian who had only
been diagnosed 4 years before (my husband was diagnosed in '82), and he was
denied SS disability on the grounds that he wasn't yet disabled by the
illness.
The key factor, I'm sure, was that Dick's doctor wrote a letter
emphasizing all of his worst symptoms and the progressive nature of these
symptoms. I didn't see your original letter, but is it possible that your
Social Security office would accept a letter from your physician without
requiring the physical exam?
Margie Swindler [log in to unmask]
