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You better get a different lawyer. I understand that a lawyer is limited to how much he can charge for pursuing a disability case. It sounds like you got a royal whatever. There are lawyers that specialize in SS disability cases FIND A GOOD ONE!! Bob Anibal -----Original Message----- From: Stan or Joan Snyder <[log in to unmask]> To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]> Date: Sunday, August 09, 1998 1:12 PM Subject: My experience with Social Security Disability >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 >