For those of you who have Social Security Disability Benefits in the US, was it really difficult to get?
What if you are ok some days and terrible other days? I have really, really bad periods when my boss notices that I’m doing poorly (she doesn’t know of my diagnosis). She also notices when I’m doing really well. Everyone notices when I’m manic (they don’t know it’s that) and then they notice when I crash.
I’m capable of my job maybe 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time, I just stare at a wall between calls, cry in the car on my break, and call my husband constantly because I can’t cope.
Please give me advice. I would really appreciate it.
For some reason, all I had to do was apply and I got it 3 months later with no fight. But most people I know who are disabled had to have an attorney fight for them. It took my brother in law 2 years to get it.
I’m sza, I got it when I was just bipolar depression. My aunt worked for SSA at the time and helped me with the paperwork. I had letters from two doctors and a therapist. I was approved on the first try.
I got SSDI easily. I went through 7 jobs in 6 years and failed at all of them.
I had no lawyer and they gave me no exam. My medical records read really bad though. I have had many inpatient hospitalizations. My reviews were scheduled for every 5 to 7 years which is supposed to mean they don’t expect you to improve.
I applied in 2014 after I quit my last of 7 jobs. I got approved in less than three months but I didn’t get any back pay because I had been working. They made my disability date the day I applied. And then you have to wait 5 months for benefits. You probably shouldn’t work during that time so you have to be able to afford being unemployed for 5 months.
I started working a little again in 2017 and now I have gone back to work full time and I am not going to get anymore SSDI payments anymore so long as I keep working.
I should have applied in 2010 or so though but I refused to believe I was sick then.
It was good to have for a few years while I put myself back together.
Your payment is based on how much you paid into the program and I had paid a lot so my check was a decent amount. It depends upon your work history.
I forgot to mention that I also had several hospitalizations for depression and suicide attempts prior to applying.
So that probably helped me in the end.
@Blossom
I had to leave my job five years ago due to my illness. It wasn’t until December that I applied for disability, after we ran out of savings and into some serious debt and my husband continued to miss work because I couldn’t be alone.
I’m still in the process. The paperwork is overwhelming for me. I hope I don’t get denied. It will be really hard.
My diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder bipolar type.
I want to work and will go back as soon as I can.
I recommend you work as long as you can! I was forced to stop. The void is unbearable at times. I miss the people I worked with, I miss being productive, I miss having money to spend, I miss feeling accomplished, I miss having somewhere to go every day. Being home is awful.
yeah I got it first try with a couple hospitalizations prior to it and a schizophrenia diagnosis. worked a lot of different jobs from the age of 16-28. but never made much and didn’t pay in a whole lot. I only get $800/mo but I also will qualify for some ssi soon to help out with expenses.
it was a life saver for me, I had a hard time grinding through days at work and didn’t have the energy to come home and adopt healthy living habits. Im much better off now despite not making much money.
I think for me it was a matter of filling out some paperwork and meeting a specialist for a one on one interview. it took about 6 months from the time I applied to the time I started receiving benefits.
it’s worth looking into if your struggling. you can always go back to work if you have to, assuming your healthy enough to work.
I got it the first try no lawyer. Of course I was involuntarily hospitalized for three months. Something like that happens to you you pretty much have social security’s number in my opinion. It’s best to apply right after you come down with the condition and dont go back to school or work until disability is awarded. Honestly since you have been working full time after your diagnoses it could be harder to win. You may have to prove things have gone down hill since that time. You might want to contact a disability lawyer.