Fibromyalgia & Disability Benefits?

[Vee Marie]

Has anyone in here with Fibromyalgia had success being approved for SSA Disability Benefits? If yes: any helpful pointers?

I just got off the phone with an advocate who told me that Fibromyalgia is the single most difficult disability to get approval of SSA Disability Benefits for. She told me that without a doubt my first - and most likely second - requests will be automatically declined.

Does anyone in here have any info / advice / experience to offer? Any and all replies would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!

[Gentle Rains]

It took me 2 years and the 2nd attempt to get disability for fibro. I think it was all in the lawyer I used.

[Vee Marie]

Thank you for your replies Gentle Rains & Sue - you've confirmed what I was told. Ugh.

[MANDY]

I APPLIED LAST OCTOBER AND IN DECEMBER THEY DENIED IT ..I LIVE IN NY ..ONE OF THE HARDEST STATE TO GET DISABILITY BUT I REQUESTED A FAIR HEARING AND HAVE A LAWYER ..THEY DONT HAVE U PAY UNLESS U WIN THEN THEY TAKE 20% OF MY BACK PAYMENTS. HOPE THAT I GET IT THIS TIME AND IM POSITIVE I WILL BECAUSE OF THE LAWYER WILLING TO TAKE MY CASE THEY MUST KNOW THEY HAVE A WINNING CASE BECAUSE THEY WOULDNT TAKE A CASE IF THEY THINK THEY WILL LOSE. GOOD LUCK WITH IT THOUGH HUN ...IT DOES TAKE A LONG TIME BUT IF U APPLY AND THEY DENY REQUEST A FAIR HEARING ASAP SO THEY DONT CLOSE UR CASE AND THEN U WOULD HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN. HOPE I HELPED YA SOME.

[Enid Weiser]

Dear Mandy,

Best of luck with this.

-Enid

[Vee Marie]

Thanks Mandy for the head's up re: requesting a fair hearing asap - I knew that that was one of the steps ... I just didn't know that it had to be asap and that the case would get closed without it. Thanks much!!

Also: sending many best luck wishes your way - please let me know how it turns out for you! -Vee.

[Michelle]

Hi Vee Marie,
Just a quick note... did you get a lawyer and is your case in the process or did you win? I have SSDI, because I worked all my life and payed into the system etc........... but I never heard of a fair hearing, I thought they all were, LOL. But if you are still waiiting, I do have some ideas and tips.... thanks.

Michelle

[Mary Castle]

I still do not know or understand why I was awarded disability the first time I applied in 2006(?)! I do have fibro as well as osteoarthritis in both my cervical and lumbar spine; fibromyaglia, degenerative tissue disease in my sterum, and also chronic, recurring major depression. I was also already in my early 60's when I applied. And I will also add that I used the company, Allsup, which is located in Illinois. In many ways, I think the adjudacator got tired of making calls to my home phone only to be told "you need to call Allsup!" The last time he called was just shortly before I was to go to the clinic he had planned to send me to for X-rays of my back. I had had MRI or ct scan of various sections of my spine over the course of several years and, because he was so familiar with the medical facilities in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area, he was able to determine via our conversation where I had had the more recent tests performed, and he then cancelled my appointment for X-rays of my back. It was shortly after that that I received the letter stating that "they" had determined I was totally disabled as of my last day at work in 2004. Of course, since I did not file for awhile, I did not receive benefits for the entire time but rather dating back one year from the day I filed. And I can also say, that I did not nor do I now feel that the fee that Allsup charges is excessive. It is the same amount that the attorneies can charge -- 1/4 of any back pay, which is the rate established by SS.
I do get a bit carried away when I have to see the shrinks -- their silly questions just about push all of the wrong buttons because I have heard them so many times, that I have a bad habit of tossing out more info than they really want. I also devised a method for counting backwards from 100 by 7 -- I actually will subtract 3 from 100, thus arriving at 97 and then it is 4 which is 93 --- using that method, I can rattle off much more than they want to hear. Also, if they should ask me questions about who was president at such and such time --- usually the answers to the questions I have gotten have been Lincoln and Truman. Because I have weird family connections to both of those presidents, I tell the shrink that Lincoln used to stay at my great, great grandmother's home while he was still riding the "circuit" in the outlying areas west of Springfield, IL (that is true!) And for Truman, I mention the fact that from either the 1920's or 1930's until his death in the 1960's, President Truman bought 3 galloons of Honey on a regular basis from one of my great uncles. Plus, during the late 1960's and early 1970's, I worked at the largest law firm in Kansas City, MO. and President Truman had been a very good friend of the senior partner at the firm and when he stopped for a visit, the entire staff called the former President "Uncle Harry!". That's just trivia, but I know it must really irriatate the shrinks. So they rush me out of their offices and I guess say "yes, she has some problems.!"

Sorry I can't give you more info, but I still have no idea why I was declared disabled the first time.

Mary

[Carla Giacoio]

Mary
they definitely consider your age when deciding whether to approve you. They also consider your education, and believe it or not, having a college degree works against you. They figure you can still work at a desk job even if you're tired/ sick.

I was fired from my job for being sick in 1992, and was turned down on my first attempt. I didn't have the energy to reapply- it took a lot of paper-gathering and I didn't even have enough energy to shower most days. So I spent all my savings, and once i could work part-time i did, and moved back in with my parents. (I've never been able to go back to working full-time without ending up in the hospital.)

It wasn't until 2004, after the stroke, reapplying, getting denied again, then hiring a lawyer and waiting 2 and 1/2 years that I finally got approved.

Meanwhile one of my friends, who was about 8 years older than me, applied and was approved right away. But she had degenerative disc disease, and I think they consider that more permanent and more disabling.

One other thing that works in your favor is a big fat medical file with years of history of problems. Even though my problems were severe in 1992 (including kidney failure), they had only been going on for a year or so. By 2004, that file was thicker than a library dictionary.

My advice is, if you've already applied and been denied, consult a disability lawyer.
Carla

[Shelly Binkley]

It took me two years and two denials when I got a lawyer who only got paid if he won. They gave me SSD for 18 months (ends June 2010) and told me to see a psychiatrist or psychologist get better, and get back to work! And they did take in account my neck and back problems (DDD in lower back etc....), migraines, Obesity, Fibromyalgia, Colitis, etc...but they didn't care about my health problems, they don't really want us to have this money! Also, from what I understand if you get approved they do a follow-up check on people every few years depending on how old and what the health problems are, and if they think you are better to go back to work then they cut you off. Some people will get approved without a lawyer depending if they are 50 plus and if they write codes and type out their applications. Makes sense! I didn't do anything correctly filling out my paperwork hurt my chance to be approved without a lawyer. Plus I didn't know to use medical codes too. Advocated books are very helpful, I didn't get one until after the fact! OH another thing is all the natural doctors that diagnosed me were not taken in consideration in my court case, so I would strongly suggest you to see what doctors SS looks at in their SS cases. I was diagnosed with Lupus in 1998 and it was thrown out of my hearing, but just recently the same doctor that diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia also diagnosed me with Lupus. Not that this helps my case, you see my doctor "had" Fibromyalgia and he works! Just know that every case is for sure different! I hope this makes sense!