Working, SSI, Medicaid ???

[JIM18250]

It's good to read that so many people seem to be able to go back to work and lead reasonably normal lives after sugery.
I've read posts about people running, lifting weights and woking physically demanding jobs.
My surgeon said from the day I woke up that I probably would'nt work again.
He said "just be happy your're alive, I've never even heard of someone surviving, such a massive dissection".
He' also seemed quite suprised that I was still alive for my followup appt 2 wks later.
My ascending aorta dissected from the aortic valve all the way down to my femoral arteries at my knees, incliding the arteries connected to my kidneys, liver , pancreas...etc.
The only activity approved is walking. It's been almost 3 months since sugery and I still can't walk more than 250yds before I have to sit down.
I often come down with an all-over weakness that makes me have to lay down and take a nap.
I also have had big problems with vision, attention, memory, balance, dizziness, and motor skills.
I've Been to the ER twice over weakness and numbness.
The surgeon also said I would have more sugery in the future.
He could not keep me on bypass or anesthesia long enough to fix any more than He did.
I finally got Medicaid, so hopefully now I can see specialists instead of just a Family Doctor, and start Cardio-rehab (they would'nt take me until I had coverage).
I also applied for SSI and was promtly denied. I'm talking to a lawyer on Monday about an appeal.
I'm curious to know....How many out there have had any similar problems
with the same Nuero symptoms, or dealing with medicaid and SSI.

Would appreciate any comment or advice,
--Jim

 

[Ross]

Screw SSI Jim go for all out SSDI or Disability. It'll be two years before you'll be eligible for Medicare, so Medicaid will cover you until then and depending on your income, may continue to cover you in addition to Medicare. Get an attorney that specializes in Soc Sec Disability. It makes all the difference in the world. They get paid out of your back benefits, so it doesn't cost you anything out of pocket unless you agree to a different payment arrangement.

Get your medical records (All of them) keep a copy for yourself and a copy for your attorney and Soc Sec.

No, your not going to be rich and no, your not going to have any livelihood of any kind, but at least it's something to help pay the bills with.

As you can tell, I've been there and done that!

 

[JIM18250]

thanks Ross....yes my lawyer spec in ssi disability...I'm sure He'll go for everything He/We can get.

 

[skeptic49]

Just wanted to lend some support, Jim.

I think everybody gets rejected by the Feds at first. Then you appeal and it seems like it's good advice to have a saavy attorney. Anyway, others know more than me about what you're going through, but hang in there and keep sluggin' away!

Best wishes,

Jim

 

[hensylee]

unless the applicant is terminal, they deny outright at first filing. I know of only one patient who got it on first try and yes, he was terminal. Your lawyer is a specialist in this and he/she will keep things on the right track. Good luck but you might prepare for a few appeals. Best wishes.

 

[Dawn-Marie]

Hi Jim ~ Ditto what Ross said....go for SSDI, as with SSI you wouldn't get much at all. I guess i was one of the lucky ones as i got SSDI on my first try, probably since i got the surgical reports from my doctors and they proved that i was paralyzed from the chest down. It still took several months, but then i got a lump sum of almost $5,000. I didn't even get a lawyer. I was very lucky! They told me that surgical reports are very important as proof of your medical condition, so please make sure to get them.

Good luck Jim!!

Dawn-Marie

 

[Ross]

One thing about SSDI and medical reports, even if the condition for which your applying perhaps doesn't meet their criteria, there is likely something else in those reports that will and get you a favorable decision. Don't even waste time trying it yourself if you've already been denied, get the attorney on it now. The clock starts running when you turn the application in, so don't waste any time there either.

 

[lb151]

I applied for SSI because I had never "worked",,,was at home raising a family. I worked on it by myself for 2 years..after which I got an attorney. I was accepted in 2 weeks and he got paid a percentage of my back money. Along with it comes the Medicaid,food stamps,and help with the phone and electric. I was lucky enough to get into a brand new apt building which is HUD approved. Although the cash every month is very small,I can only live because of the other things that come along with it. I found out that doctor's letters and expertly kept files are a must. Document every phone call and every appointment.
Ross is correct,,you can eek out living,,but I'm here against all odds so I'm pretty darn happy.

 

[hensylee]

when you are approved, you are paid retro to when you began - or it used to be that way. Heard maybe they had put a limit on how far back. Have a friend who was paid about 18,000 after waiting for years, but never giving up. She finally got a specialist to help her.

 

[briansmom]

I'm confused. Are you paid back to the beginning of the disability or back to when you applied and were denied?

Jim,
My son also dissected, but it was not caught for at least a month and he almost died in the operating room (his heart stopped and he was put on life support). He has a lot of pain in his hips and legs now, has lost one of his kidneys and only has an ef of 40 - but he is alive and it is a miracle, so we take what we can get.

 

[Ross]

Q. When do disability benefits start?

A. The law provides that, under the Social Security disability program, disability benefits for workers and widows usually cannot begin for 5 months after the established onset of the disability. Therefore, Social Security disability benefits will be paid for the sixth full month after the date the disability began. The 5-month waiting period does not apply to individuals filing as children of workers. Under SSI, disability payments may begin as early as the first full month after the individual applied or became eligible for SSI.

In addition, under the SSI disability program, an applicant may be found "presumptively disabled or blind," and receive cash payments for up to 6 months while the formal disability determination is made. The presumptive payment is designed to allow a needy individual to meet his or her basic living expenses during the time it takes to process the application. If it is finally determined that the individual is not disabled, he or she is not required to refund the payments. There is no provision for a finding of presumptive disability or blindness under the Title II program.

 

[George]

I understand that there is a list of medical conditions that will automatically qualify you for SSDI. I don't know what is on the list. I have a form of Muscular Dystrophy. I was approved for SSDI on the first try. It took 6 weeks from the day I applied. No lawyer was involved. I did have plenty of documentation of my condition. As was mentioned, I did have to wait 6 months for my first check. In my case, my disability officially began the day I was laid off my job. Fortunately, I was given a year's severence pay. It tided us over until the first SSDI check.
By the way, you cannot be receiving unemployment during the 6 months waiting period before your first SSDI check. You can't be seeking work if you are considered disabled.

 

[Ross]

I understand that there is a list of medical conditions that will automatically qualify you for SSDI. I don't know what is on the list. I have a form of Muscular Dystrophy. I was approved for SSDI on the first try. It took 6 weeks from the day I applied. No lawyer was involved. I did have plenty of documentation of my condition. As was mentioned, I did have to wait 6 months for my first check. In my case, my disability officially began the day I was laid off my job. Fortunately, I was given a year's severence pay. It tided us over until the first SSDI check.
By the way, you cannot be receiving unemployment during the 6 months waiting period before your first SSDI check. You can't be seeking work if you are disabled.

http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-ap10.htm

http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-ap11.htm

The whole thing in more then a nutshell:
http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-0000.htm

Get this book, The Blue Book
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/index.htm