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This is a long post, Unless it interests you, pass it by. Sorry for the length, Thx, the Ratman Tribe of Parkinsonians.... I am having a very difficult time with the SS disability approval process. I left my job last April, filled out the appropriate Long Term Disability insurance carrier forms to my company's LTD carrier's liking, had my neurologist sign off on them and got approved for LTD. After the 4th or 5th month the insurance company "encouraged" me to seek disability status from Social Security so the govt would pick up part of the costs. Well I filled out the forms and then took all the info I had submitted to the LTD carrier and cut and pasted it to fit the format the SS board and our State's Dept of Econ Security wanted. Then, I waited. Eventually, their reply came back stating my request had been denied. Talk about giving water to a drowning man. I felt abandoned; I felt like I was rapidly losing control of my life. At this point, the gist of their reply seemed to hinge on the following mantra >>> we have reviewed your medical record and it shows you have received treatment for your condition and that your condition does limit your ability to work. It does show that you may no longer be capable of performing work such as you have done in the past. However, based on your age, education and past work experience, we conclude that your are still able of performing other work which requries less mental or physical effort. <<< Okay, round 2. I hit up our own John "the scribe" Cottingham for some archival information on what the govt is looking for. To be able to outfight your opponent in such verbal jungle warfare ... you have to think enemy, sleep enemy, eat enemy, walk enemy, be enemy. I tried to take the information I provided previously and shape it more in the way that (I thought) showed my limiting factors and problems caused by my disease. I also asked my neurologist, a excellent and well respected doctor who holds a position in the national NPF organization, to write a letter describing the symptoms I had, the problems my Parkinson's caused me, why I was essentially not able to go the distance anymore. Granted, I have my good periods, but I also have my bad periods and net/net the confusion and exhaustion I experience make it too unpredictable and difficult for me to hold down a regular job anymore.. Now, almost a year after I left work, my appeal comes back denied. I am between a rock and a hard place. At the end of the year's time since I was actively working, my company formally terminates me with all rights and privileges thereto appertaining (in other words... take a walk) . I become a ward of their LTD carrier and am offered continuing health insurance if I pay the group rate myself... of course, all this is also contingent upon my being approved for SS disability benefits. If this approval is denied, I have no idea what happens. What am I doing wrong? What is wrong with the system? I thought the purpose was to provide a safety net and protect the worker. Instead I feel like their goal is to humble and humiliate. After being a computer systems analyst for a number of years it now appears the govt's intent is for me to rachet my income down to match my impaired and continually declining abilities until some dismal level is reached at which I am a drooling zombie incapable of making change. Then upon meeting their criteria I can be cashiered out of the system at 60% of a drooling zombie's salary. Well, as the jazzman Les McCann sings "Compared to what?!?" What the hell kind of a system is this? According to SS, my next appeal is a court process. I think I am now faced with procuring the services of a Disability process consultant and/or a Disability lawer (probably both). My questions: 1) have any of you out there had to go this route? 2) what are the chances of success as such appeals escalate? (ie. does it become harder and harder to win based on their recognition that you have been denied previously?) 3) does anyone have any good and hopefully tested suggestions on how to make this process work? If you deem your information on the above topic and the topic itself worth group bandwidth, then fire away. Otherwise would those who think they can help me please send their responses off line and directly to me? I would appreciate all candid remarks and suggestions you can make. If due to circumstances you wish your information or suggestions to remain private or your identity anonymous I will gladly respect your wishes. I realize that while this is a subject of interest to almost all of us on this list it is also a very sensitive issue. I can still joke about it because I usually joke about anything whether that is a good course of action or not but time is running out and I am in a big, big jam.. Thanks, Don Anderson ([log in to unmask])