I got a VERY favorable psyche exam for my disability claim!

This is my fourth appeal so far. If I'm denied again, I have one more step: to sue them. I have no problem taking it to that level. After reading the response above yours, I'm more than angry at our Social Security system... I'm disgusted and appalled!

APPALLED is the perfect word for this mess. Our Social security system is shameful. It's like Thoroughrob said, they will deny you hoping you are just a mealy mouth who will give up without a fight. Well fortunately, you are far from that. YOU WILL WIN!!!!!!!!

thanks hon

Thank you, winterose. I understand about the old age pension. When I first applied for disability, I had 15 years to go before receiving retirement (old age) benefits, now it's down to only 8. I just don't want to have to wait 8 MORE years before qualifying for something. I wish him the best of luck in his appeal. I'll send all the positive energy I can your (and his) way.

Lucky for us, we live in a great school district and they were a lot of help. Her school social worker and case manager actually came to the hearing with us. I don't fault them on her IEP as schools don't like to label kids, but social security insists on it. When I explained it to the IEP team they were more than willing to make the changes. The school district she started in was not so good and it was like pulling teeth getting anything out of them. It was the teacher in her developmental preschool that suggested we get her tested in the first place.

Wow! You WERE fortunate! Every single teacher my son had, from pre-school to the third grade, all requested conferences with me and asked the same question, "What's wrong with him?" Not one of them ever mentioned they thought he should be tested. How I came about it was through my work, typesetting and proofreading medical journals and textbooks. I was typesetting an article about ADHD and, as I was typing the 14 symptoms, I realized that my son had 13 of them. Before I finished typing it, I was on the phone with my son's pediatrician, telling him what I read. He was also a Child Behaviorial Specialist, and said that I could very well be right and made an appointment then and there to have him tested (by him). He determined that my son did, indeed, have ADHD and that's when the trouble started with the school system because they tested him and said there's no way he has it. That's when I took matters into my own hands and had him tested at Kennedy Kreiger. No one with any credibility whatsoever could dispute Kennedy Kreiger's findings, so the school system finally caved and my son's grades improved tremendously. I'm just very fortunate to have lived a few miles from Kennedy Kreiger Institute. I feel so badly for any parents of ADHD or even ADD children who can't get them the proper diagnosis. It's an uphill battle, to be sure!

Thank you, irishidid. I wish YOU worked for the Social Security Administration! They need people in there who are able to empathize with those needing help. My sister was born with muscular dystrophy and got on SSI in her later teens. Muscular dystrophy is a deteriorating disease and they've never even come close to a cure, but she still had to go in every year for a redetermination. Unbelieveable! My son had ADHD so I know what you went through. The school systems don't want to hear it, though, and usually tell anyone involved that the child doesn't have it. I had to take my son to the Kennedy Kreiger Institute (part of Johns Hopkins Hospital) to be tested (AND pay for that testing... over $2,000.00). After two days of testing, they determined that he did, indeed, have ADHD and the school system HAD to adjust their teaching methods for him. It seems to be a fight no matter which way you turn, at least when it concerns ANY government agency, including the school system.

That's exactly right, dragon. We pay into this system all our working lives, expecting it to be there in case we ever need it. Even when I was self-employed, I paid Social Security taxes. I paid them for almost 40 years. I can't believe the hassle they give you, especially when the medical evidence is right in front of them! I've had numerous doctors say that I'm unable to do anything for more than 1/2 hour at a time, and that number has come down to 15 minutes at a time. They still denied me, at one point telling me that I could do this job or that job, and my employer could allow me to get up and walk around, or take numerous bathroom breaks. Yeah, right. Do YOU know of any employer who would allow you to do less work than the rest of the employees? I certainly don't! But, now, it looks like I at least have a good chance of being approved... FINALLY! I haven't been yet, so I'm not counting any chickens. If they deny me this time, you'll all be hearing about it because I'm going national with this story as it will be a blatant case of bias or prejudice or how our government randomly selects some people to deny, no matter what. Thank you, dragon, for your prayers. They seem to be working and, for that, I couldn't be happier or more thankful!

I guess it does, leenie, and THANK YOU! I'm glad that we moved from Baltimore, MD, though. The judge I saw there pretty much denied me on the spot... AND I had a lawyer at the time! The judge I saw here in Virginia at least gave me the opportunity to prove the emotional/mental issues that go hand-in-hand with the physical ones. I know all about workers' comp cases. When I was a legal transcriptionist, most of my work involved them. It seems that, no matter what you're suffering from, they have a "written in stone" percentage attached to that disability. If your disability isn't above a certain percentage, they think you're just fine and dandy. What they don't seem to understand is that there are varying degrees of ALL disabilities. Mine isn't workers' comp. There are no advocates, none that I know of anyway, for just plain old Social Security disability cases, unless you can't afford a lawyer. Then, you can get one through Legal Aid. Those are "lawyers" who haven't passed the Bar (or can't)... needless to say, not many of them are much good. I'm SO happy about this psyche report! I fully expected this guy to write an unfavorable report because, after all, he IS being paid by the very people who've been denying me all these years! Social Security sent me to one of these a few years ago, but that time it was to a psychiatrist, not a psychologist. I totally believe that psychiatrists are much more 'distant', only seeing the mechanics of the brain and not the symptoms. Psychologists are much more caring about the emotional part, or seem to be to me, anyway. Only nine more days and I should know, one way or the other; whether to celebrate or to go find the best lawyer I can to sue the SSA!

I went to Legal Aid here and had the opposite situation. These people have worked really hard to help us through this unemployment. Laura helped me get my food stamps one is helping us with our house and one helped us with our taxes. They are really great Lawyers. And these really are lawyers. They like working for us, the needy people. I also loved the psychiatrist for my SSDI. He was so caring I couldn't believe it. I have a lot to be grateful for Marti. When I read what you and others have gone through just to get what you need to survive and something you worked hard for, I feel blessed. I don't mean I had an easy time of it, but my trials and tribulations were nothing compared to yours. I have been blessed. leenie

Thank you, commander. It sounds like your system in Canada is much like ours, except that, in order to qualify for Social Services (welfare), we MUST apply for Social Security disability and be turned down. Of course, that's very easy to do! I'm not on Social Services because I'm married. (That will probably be changing in the near future, however.) My husband earns well over the maximum allowed to qualify for welfare. I wouldn't even qualify for SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, a part of Social Security similar to disability. To qualify for disability, you must have worked in five of the past ten years. If you haven't, you must apply for SSI but that, too, has a maximum income limit which is well below the poverty level. So, I wouldn't qualify for SSI, but do qualify for Disability since I had worked eight of the last 10 years before applying for it. However, we are allowed to appeal four times. I am on my fourth appeal now. If I am denied again, the last step I'm legally allowed to take is to sue the Social Security Administration (sue the federal government, in other words). I have no problem at all taking it to this level. I am not intimidated by them. I've known too many people employed by Social Security to know that the marjority are morons. (If anyone here is employed by them, PLEASE note that I said "majority", not all.) At least this report is extremely favorable for me. What I find totally insane is that they never seem to really SEE what is written by our doctors. The bureaucrats are the decision-makers, not doctors. In that respect, our system is the same as yours. They seem to think they know much more than any medical specialist knows. At least this psychologist is one that THEY hired. They'd have a hard time disqualifying him or his opinions without looking stupid! I had written to them once, telling them that they (Social Security) should hire me since they had determined that I could work and see just how long it took them to fire me for coming in late because of lack of sleep or IBS, for needing naps throughout the day, for taking off work early to go to doctor's appointments, for missing entire days because of bad flares of my symptoms, for not being able to concentrate, for misspelling a lot or taking 4 times the normal speed to write anything without errors, etc. Naturally, I never heard back from them (and never expected to). At least now I have some hope. I am afraid to get too excited because of being denied so many times before, but there is a little hope peeking from behind the curtains now. Now, about your own situation, I wish you the best of luck! I will be sending you all the positive energy I can, since it appears to have worked for me.

Good day my dear...hope you are well. First, I must correct a couple of things regarding my last post. For example: A person does not necessarily HAVE to be on Social Assistance, in order to apply for and collect an O.D.S.P. pension. This of course would only happen if a person was born with a debilitating disease/condition (either mental or physical), have an affliction, loss of work via accident, loss of job without compensation or employment insurance, loss of limb by accident or through birth, etc. In other words, anything which may inhibit a person's ability to lead a "normal/productive/self-supporting" life...and not necessarily just what I previously stated...although it too is also included. I was merely stating my own particular position in the last posting, is all...you get the picture. You're correct about the morons running the show as it were. (I call them dorks.) You'd think that these people would actually be, MEDICAL DOCTORS! Why they are not is beyond me????? I've always enjoyed working, and believe me, hate how I've wound up on assistance. You see, I had an accident at work...fell from a 20' ladder on a cold hardened steel floor...lay there for about 15 min. till I was found. I wrecked my lower back, and tore my left rotator cuff (shoulder muscle). My employer only told me to go back to work or go home and never come back. When I told my employer that I felt too sore too work, he fired me right on the spot. I then of course, applied for worker's compensation, only to find out, that my employer did not list his company to participate. Neither did he with Employment Insurance. You see, here in Ontario, companies have that option. Needless to say, I was out of work and had no way to support myself. As it turned out, my doctor basically stated that I would be unable to work from now on, due to my injuries...so naturally I had to seek the only source of income I could receive, in order to sustain myself. Believe me, I didn't want THIS diagnosis...I wanted to know when I could return back seeking a job. Well, life didn't work out that way...so here I am. A couple of other things happened while I was healing. One day I awoke, and didn't know who I was, where I was, who's pet cat was in my room, and how did it get there. It was later revealed to me, that I had suffered black-out spells on a number of occasions. OH? REALLY? WHEN? My friend's tell me at least 4 times within the previous year. I often wonder if that's what happened on the ladder that day? We'll never know. Anyway, this too has now been added onto my application, along with my recent diagnosis of C.O.P.D., due to smoking for so many years. So...I can't work, have black out spells (of which they can find nothing wrong with me???), have developed DDD (degenerative disk disorder)in my back, a torn shoulder muscle which will never heal for the rest of my life, and a cronic lung disease.......and O.D.S.P. thinks I'm not "disabled" enough, in their opinion. So dear, I know what you're going through. I DO take my meds faithfully, KNOW my cat's name whom I've had for the last 10 years, and am not to lift anything over 7lbs., but can't go to work according to my doctor. So WHAT alternative did I have? Believe me, I UNDERSTAND what you are going through. I thank you anyway for those words of encouragement. You ARE a dear friend. Cheers; cdrxo

Thank you so much, Sissy! The letter states that the judge will make his decision once the 10 days are up. How long it takes before I hear anything is another matter altogether! I've known some people to get benefits within a couple of weeks after being approved and others who have had to wait months. One thing I do know is that those working for Social Security here in Virginia do seem to be much more on the ball and caring than those in Maryland, where I moved from two years ago, so my chances of hearing the judge's decision, and start receiving benefits, should be sooner than if I still lived in Baltimore. At least, that's my hope! I'll definitely let everyone know when I hear something. I'm hoping against hope that it's an approval and not another denial because, if they deny me again, I'll have to sue the federal government. I HOPE it doesn't come to that.

We've never used a lawyer either. I was told I was crazy to go through the appeals without one, but that would have been my disabled daughter's money paying for it. It still takes a long time though. I think in total from the beginning it was probably five years. We opted to continue taking the benefits and might have had to pay them back if we lost in the end. Luckily, we didn't.

I think you're right about lawyers, pye. When I first hired Binder & Binder, they were supposed to contact Social Security immediately, entering themselves as my Attorneys of Record. When I heard nothing after 6 months, I called them. They said it could take between 6 and 18 months to get a hearing date. So, I waited. At 12 months, I called them again and got the same response. After 19 months had passed, I called them and they told me the same thing. When I reminded them that it has already been 19 months, they said they'd check into it and get back to me. I called Social Security and found out that Binder & Binder were not on record as my attorneys of record! B&B finally called me back and said the same thing, trying to make it sound like it was Social Security's fault I told them that, even if it WAS Social Security's fault, why did it take Binder & Binder 19 months to find this out??? They couldn't answer that question. It actually took them 30 months (2 1/2 years) to get me a hearing date!!! I think that, when I was denied benefits at that time, Binder & Binder quit as my attorneys because I had to threaten them with a lawsuit for gross mishandling of my case as well as misrepresentation before they did anything at all. I honestly believe I have a case against them and I think that's why they bowed out so suddenly. I've thought about suing them anyway, just for all the mental and physical anguish they put me through but I've been through so much already that I don't think it will do me any good to go through all that stress. But, I do like to get the word out about them being really horrible attorneys. The only cases they win are cases that would be approved without a lawyer. I'll make sure everyone knows how this goes. I should know something within 2 weeks. Thank you for helping to keep me focused and positive about this mess... it's what has kept me going!

BTW, how is it going between you and your husband? I hope better but I'm not counting on it.

Thanks, Cats. I keep telling myself not to count on that money because, if I start doing that, I might jinx it! Oh, I'll help out around here with the monthly checks, but not that lump sum! I can almost bet that my husband already has plans for it, though. He's not getting a penny of it... not one red cent! He already owes me too much that he's promised to pay back. If he dares to ask for any of it, I'm going to remind him of what he said to me before we were married, "My money is our money and your money is your money." But, he may not ask. I think his almost 4 months of unemployment shamed him quite a bit, for not saving at least a LITTLE of what he got from the sale of his old house, and also for having to use my PayPal debit card to buy gas so he could get to work before he received his first paycheck. Having to depend on his disabled wife to get to work was more than his ego wanted to handle! How are things? Well, quiet. That's about it. I haven't said a word to him about my youngest son moving in here to help me when my husband is at work, or that maybe my oldest son will be having his mobile home moved onto our property to be close by in case I need him. I'll bring that subject up when I have that approval letter in my hand as well as that check for back benefits! I also don't care how he takes this news. He's still drinking and complaining too much and not doing enough work around the house on weekends. If he can't handle my boys being here for me when he can't be, he can leave if he wants. It really won't bother me one bit! I'll sleep better if he does because of his horrible snoring and sleep apnea. I won't be rudely awakened by his gagging every morning because of his sinus problems. (He has an incredibly HUGE gag reflex... he can't even burp without gagging!) I wish I could say things are better between us but all I can say is that they are quieter right now. Yesterday, I was trying to take a nap and he woke me up with his snoring, or maybe it was because he, once again, as usual, fell asleep with the TV on and it was the TV that woke me up. I got up in a huff and said I was going to lie down on the sofa because I NEED sleep where I wake up on my own instead of being awakened by him. When I woke up, I let him know how WONDERFUL that nap was! It was so quiet and cool in the livingroom! (He likes it hot; I can't stand sleeping in a hot bedroom!) I told him a few nights ago that I'm moving into another bedroom because I just can't sleep well with him. All of a sudden, he wants me to make an appointment for him to have a sleep study done so he can get his snoring and sleep apnea problems fixed. I've only been complaining about them since we've been together! I had to tell him I'm not sleeping in the same room with him to get him to take it seriously. He can't seem to get it through his thick skull that the less sleep I get, the more I hurt. Oh, well. That's one thing I CAN take care of now... moving to another bedroom. The rest, the disability thing, will have to wait until I have the proof in my hands that I've been approved. Then, things will definitely be changing around here! I won't treat him badly like he's been treating me, but I'm standing up for my rights and, if he can handle it, great. If not, he can leave. I'M staying... I've put too much into this house and I love it here. If he loves me like he claims to, it'll show. For now, I'm still waiting to see it. Sad, huh?

Thank you, moon! I know I'm going to feel like I've entered the Twilight Zone or something if I do get approved! I won't know how to handle it! I know this is going to sound really pessimistic but, the way my life has gone, if I am approved, and I finally have that MRI of my brain that I'm waiting on because of the stupid insurance company having to check out whether or not this nerve damage is a pre-existing condition, I'll probably find out I have something terminal. Yeah, I know how that sounds but I'm so used to getting bad news that it's hard to get optimistic... kinda like what you're going through right now. Maybe it'll take a few years to really sink in for you. I KNOW it will for me! LOL

Thank you so much, Chevee. I can feel your prayers and positive energy coming my way and know it's working. I don't think I would have gotten this far without you! As for your need, I believe I know what it is and I am praying for you as well and sending you all the positive energy I can for you to get what you need and deserve. Thank you for being a friend, Chevee.

Thanks, savak. I'm persevering as much as I can, although it's gotten harder and harder as the years have gone by. This psyche report is the first positive thing I've received concerning this case in seven years so it's a bit hard to become optimistic, although it does look good... finally! You're right about them putting people in the position to grant or deny benefits who've never had to go through the things those who need disability are going through. They also have no medical background whatsoever... they're bureaucrats, plain and simple. It's either that or they're cyborgs who have no human emotions or empathy whatsoever. But, being the stubborn Aries gal I am, I've persevered. It hasn't always been easy, to be sure, but I'll have no problem taking this to the next level, suing the federal government, if it turns out that I am once again denied benefits.

Good for you because believe it or not they really expect you to give up.