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Dear Joan, Boy could we swop stories! Did you know you cannot be a widow, and disabled, until you are 50? Hilary Blue (4 months and 29 days to go ) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Stan or Joan Snyder wrote: > > Dear Bruce & all: I'm going to try to be as objective about this as I > can. I would rather get in the ring with Mike Tyson & go for 2 rounds > than relive this experience; the outcome would be the same, but at least > with Iron Mike, I'd know who the s.o.b. was who sucker punched me! My > fight with this institution began in April of '93. I was so gullible! I > had a wonderful talk with a very nice lady who filled in all the forms > for me & said that yes-I was the type of person the system had been set > up for; worked long & hard; sometimes 3 jobs at a time. (I was a > bartender & a darn good one, too!) I had letters from past bosses, from > my docs (altho not from my nureo-I was still afraid of him!) & she > assured me that I would be approved without delay. After 14 months of > heart-breaking denials, I went to retain the services of a lawyer who > specialized in SS Disability cases. At our first meeting & until I > signed a waiver promising to give him 25% of my back benefits obtained > by him for me, he was like a kindly, older gentleman who hated to get > involved with all of this "dirty business" but he was, he assured me, > only in it to help people like myself who truly deserved these benefits, > had paid into the system & suddenly found themselves unable to work > anymore. I was to call him if I had any questions-any time night or day, > & he would personally see to it that I was given a green light to > discuss all aspects of my case. The next year was the most degrading, > dehumanizing & demoralizing of my life. As soon as SS found out that I > had retained legal counsel, it was as if I had become the enemy... > & my lawyer went into this duck & hide mode. When I called his office to > ask a question about the mile-high stack of documentation, or to see how > things were going, he was never around & his robot secretaries were no > help. I did get one very official correspondence from him. It was a > severe (albeit nicely worded) tongue lashing telling me to leave this to > him-these things are of a delicate nature and required time. Heck, time > was on his side: the longer that my case dragged on, the bigger his > chunk of back benefits would be. Meanwhile, we were living on my > husbands' income as a City building Inspector; not a bad wage if you > didn't have to pay mortgage & car payments & send 2 kids to Catholic > school! > Finally, on March 1, 1995, I was granted a hearing before a judge. I was > scared to death (which ultimately played ito my favor-my tremor & > symptoms were bad enough that it only took the judge a half an hour of > questioning to come to the conclusion that I wasn't trying to scam > anybody & that I definitely deserved SSD- > but that he could not in good conscience grant it back to 1990 since I > had worked > part-time during the time my husband was overseas with Dessert Storm. I > was floored! That was the first time that I had heard 1990 as the start > date of my disability!! Before I could think, the judge pounded his > gavel, scheduled another hearing 4 months later, & dismissed me. That > lawyer never had a chance-I was so upset & sobbing like my life depended > on the outcome of this mess! I sobbed after the judge, please, please-if > I deserve it now, could you please just say my disability began today. I > wouldn't take anything in back payments...just, please let me get off > this insane merry-go-round of stress & heartache! You can bet that my > lawyer had me hustled out into the hallway in mere seconds. He explained > that > he had my best interests at heart-getting me a large back settlement > would truly vindicate me! BULLS---! It meant that his cut would be MORE! > I said that I was going back in there & tell the judge that I didn't > want anything-if he would just start my payments NOW. My lawyer slinked > into chambers & came out in 2 minutes saying that he & the judge had > agreed on stating that I became disabled 6 months prior, & that I would > receive back benefits from that date. I still wonder if those two were > in agreement about my case before ever entered the hearing room but > no-that would be illegal! It still took about 4 months to start > receiving benefits-the lawyer has to be paid first & the books closed on > the case. Since that time, I have sworn off beating my head against a > brick wall! In his song "Get Over It", Don Henley says: "Let's kill all > the lawyers-let's kill them tonight!". > He was speaking metaphorically & I am not at all into violence, but this > is something I could probably get excited about! I'm kidding, honestly! > So there you have my saga, Bruce. I can only say that I do not envy you > the process you are about to undergo. I can only hope that they made it > a little more "user-friendly" like they were supposed to do with the > IRS. I will wish you Godspeed and remember you in my prayers. > > -- > Joan Snyder (47/8) "Do or do not. There is no try."-Yoda > [log in to unmask] > http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/snyder/page1.htm