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HI Joan, My condolences in your battle with Social Security. They have a knack of doing just what you don't want them to do. I had no trouble getting social Security Disability and I didn't want it believe it or not. After battling with my major disability carrier and needing to hire an attorney to prove my partial disability just 2 1/2 years ago and going on full disability about 1 1/2 years ago, the Insurance company last year insisted (and had the right by contract) that I apply for Social Security Benefits. They have a coordination of benefits clause which deducts my social security from my benefit check so essentially the insurance company saves the amount SS pays. I delayed applying for a few months, then because of being caught out of town because of a canceled plane missed my first scheduled interview and then after rescheduling- while being honest but not pushing or certainly not exaggerating my symptoms- I was approved for benefits. The benefits were backdated for about 6 months so I got a large check which I had to forward to my insurance company. But the real kick in the butt was that since I had another policy with a different company (privately owned since I had changed employers and the new employer provided the major policy) and it also coordinated some of the benefits. Therefore getting social security, which I didn't want or need actually costs me several thousand dollars a year. I am grateful to be in the position iI am in but couldn't Social Security have given the money to someone that needed it??? This must fit under a corollary of Murphy's Law (or is it Parkinson's Law?). Charlie Stan or Joan Snyder wrote: > Hello to all: On new year eve, I received notice that, despite my long & > desperate battle to finally receive SS disability just 4 years ago, my > claim was up for review. Since then, I have been on that emotional > roller coaster that can only be called terrifying; me against a huge > governmental agency. The first thing that I did was to call the case > worker assigned to my case. She assured me that this was just procedure > & that all cases were going to be reviewed. With somewhat a bit more > confidence, I asked my sister fill in the papers for me as she is the > head of employee benefits at a large accounting firm & had my husband > deliver them to the local office. At the scheduled time, my local > caseworker called me to tell me that everything was in order. She said > that she had never seen a form so fully documented and filled in quite > so well.She also said that she could see no reason for me to worry-it > was obvious that SS Disability was designed for someone like me. She > would send my forms to the state where they would be reviewed & that a > decision would be made in 6 months time & she was sure that this was > just a formality & that I need not worry. Feeling somewhat at ease, I > kinda put it on the back burner & got on with my life. Then on Jan. 27, > came a big brown envelope from the Dept. of Human > Services: Office of Rehab Services, Disability Determinations and I > thought WOW, we filled in those forms so well that they were able to > make a quick judgment. WRONG! inside was another stack of forms with a > cover letter stating that they were deciding my disability claim & > needed to know how my condition makes it difficult for me to carry out > day-to-day activities. All this, now, when just several years ago, I was > forced to hire a lawyer & ultimately had to go before a judge who said > that my case should have never gotten that far! Anyhow, this set of > questions seems to me to contain some "weird-er" questions than usual. > Some of them are: (under general information) Do you have trouble > concentrating or thinking? If so, give examples. & Do you hear > voices/see people who are not around? If so, do they interfere w/ your > activities? If so, describe. (under a section called Getting along w/ > People) Do you enjoy people and like to be with others? Do you feel > afraid of people? > Now, I feel as if I'm walking through quicksand-I have answered these > questions to the best of my ability but I'm afraid of the consequences: > if I enjoy people & like to be with others am I a social butterfly > looking for someone to pay my way or am I just a PWP with lots of > friends who come over to bring dinner for my family, take me out for > awhile (I have practically given up all driving!) & must sit & listen to > my horribly slow & soft voice & remember how much fun I used to be? Can > I tell them that I don't fear people but am becoming more & more > paranoid that "Big Brother" is watching? Can I make them understand how > I woke up 1 am to be able to type this & won't be able to sleep again > until the pills kick in to make it quit hurting enough so that I can > finally quit shaking? Can they read this on the www and say that I'm > functional enough to write this, so I should be able to hold down a > full-time job without knowing how long it has taken me to get this out. > I realize that there are abuses in the system that they are trying to > fix, but I have to tell you-this is one rollercoaster ride that I wish > would finally end! > -- > Joan E. Snyder (47-8-10) <[log in to unmask]> > "In the depths of winter I finally learned there > was in me an invincible summer" Albert Camus > http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/snyder/page1.htm -- ****************************************************************************************** Charles T. Meyer, M.D. Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin [log in to unmask] ******************************************************************************************