Okay SSI was denied twice and an appeal was filed. Today a letter of denial came saying daughter with sz can work because even though "you say you have problems with vision, your vision is satisfactory, “you say you have problems with hearing, you have the ability to hear and be understood satisfactorily and have no symptom do not interfere with your ability to work.” The letter keeps saying over and over “you told us” even though they had all the medical records with the diagnosis. It is a shame the systems appears to force people to hire an attorney to get any help with SSI. Meanwhile, people who can’t make a living are treated like they are faking symtoms and it takes longer and longer to get any help. We will be seeing a lawyer soon and I certainly hope this does not keep dragging on. It is hard to make ends meet. I am so frustrated.
Sadly enough in this day and age you have to go through a lawyer in most cases, it should go much easier and faster with the attorney…it is wrong how non represented folks are treated by Social Security.
Week by week, I’ve put off applying because of this kind of thing.
I actually thought I had applied. I needed to get my son on Medicaid to get him in with his current treatment team.
So, they had me fill out 3 sets of paperwork - 1 for federal disability, 1 for state disability and 1 for medicaid, then give them back all the forms to the case manager.
Somehow, they marked the applications as Medicaid only. which he did get approved for. Then, they keep asking me why he doesn’t have SSi.
Everyone was so confused, I told them to forget it and I’d handle it myself.
We received a letter dated May 8, 2017 saying we needed to get a certain doctor to provide records within 14 days and a decision for denial was dated May 12. Go figure. I received a letter asking me to call SSI about some detail and the woman did not sound like she was with it all. I even asked “are you her case worker?” She sounded offended. I’m sure hope she doesn’t get the same case worker again. I hope the attorney can handle all the calls.
I thought Social Security got all the medical records?
I’m guessing now it was our state agency, but my son had to sign releases so they could get them, but they told me not to mail in copies of what I had - that they would get them.
We just had to tell them who he saw & when.
The struggle against the bureaucrats is the same here in the UK. ‘You can walk you can talk, you can see, you can hear, you can use a computer, you can dress yourself, you can put a meal in a microwave, therefore you’re not ill so go and get a job’, is pretty much the message from the UK government for anybody with a severe mental illness.
Don’t worry about the attorney at all, they live for this stuff and their secretaries field the calls anyway (we should all have secretaries!) anyway, once you sign on with the attorney they make you promise that you will handle no more calls and forward all of them to the attorney’s office, such a blessing.
Have you see this page on our web site by a parent that was successful in getting SSI:
After 3 and a half years of appeals and finally getting before and ALJ my grandson was just denied. Not sure really where to go from here. It’s disgusting that anyone with his condition should have to be stressed out like this. No wonder there are so many homeless. They can’t make it through this system. So don’t hold your breath on the ALJ they think he is young and can work.
Don’t give up. I’ve heard of some parents who take 3 or 4 tries before they finally have success. The system is definitely stacked against us - but keep trying!
Thanks our next step is the Federal level. Our attorney says we have all the documentation and we did have a judge that does not grant benefits very often
@dkgreg, I’m sorry you’re having a hard time with ssi. Hang in there! My son was approved on the first attempt. Send all of your daughter records from the doctor and school records too. I will keep you in my prayers! Hugs to you.