SS Disabilty and I have a private disability policy, too

[naturetree]

I have just started the process of applying for disability. I have started both a social security disability claim, and I have a private disability policy through an insurance agency. Has anyone had experience with a private policy?? I think it will still be difficult to get the private policy, too, from what I now know about insurance companies. Can anyone answer any of these questions:

1. I keep changing my initial appointment with social security, because now I keep reading that it's better to get all of the medical records and doctor's statement FIRST. Should I keep changing it or just go to the appointment without all of the records and letter and instead have the info ready for the first appeal?? Does it matter how many times I change my initial appointment with Social Security?


2. The doctor I have been going to is a gyn, because a few years ago, my uro said I know more than him and that IC is a very small part of his practice. I will probably have to write the outline of the letter for my gyn, because she has never done that before. The insurance company asked me what my "return to work date" is!! I don't know what she should say in the letter. Does anyone know how to address this issue of HOW LONG I will be disabled, or how to word this?? I think this is an important part of the letter. I think it would apply to the social security letter as well.

Thanks so much for any help. I am new to this site. From what I've read here, I guess there are others who find sitting uncomfortable, so thanks for sitting to write me.

[skershner3]

In the doctors office where I worked I usually assisted the doctor in filling out all of the insurance disability forms. He would usually say "unknown" when it came to the return to work date, or he would put totally disabled.He usually used unknown. He wouldnt put a specific date. If you put a specific date then the insurance company will send you another form at the end of that say for instance 6 month period and you have to fill the paperwork out again and put another date. Have you applied for SS yet? Is that what you are referring to as your initial appointment? I applied for disability over the phone, had an interview with SS and gave them the information. They then sent me the paperwork that I needed to fill out and the medical records releases to sign, etc. This is the point that I would make sure that you have the medical records in hand to mail back in with your initial disability paperwork and the sooner you get started the sooner you will find out something on your claim. Finding 10 unmailed medical release forms in my case file at the SS office after I got denied taught me a lesson. They have to pay each doctor 11.00 for their medical records which is nothing but to them I think they want to get the case through with as little cost as possible so they didnt send my releases out. You can go ahead, ASAP and apply for disability over the phone. I was told not to do this and people probably have different opinions on this but the initial applying for disability is only an information process so it was easy doing it via telephone. Then when you get the pages and pages and pages of paperwork that you have to fill out, that is when you have to take alot of time, think things over, be specific and get your medical records before you mail the forms, etc. back in. As far as depression/anxiety, etc. I dont know what to tell you. I do know that from what I have read in the disability book that I got, if you have severe depression you can be approved for disability regardless of your age. I am 46 years old and have alot of employment background and it is going to be hard for me I think so I did use the depression/anxiety in my diagnosis. I dont know what to tell you about your private insurance. Your private insurance can and will ask for medical records from your doctor as well. I think if it were me, I would go ahead and fill out the insurance disability forms with the diagnosis of IC and not mention the depression, etc. It isnt like you arent being truthful with them. Believe me if they have a poblem with it they will let you know. Also it is hard for doctors to find the time to write letters like we need for disability, etc. What I did was wrote an outline of my diagnosis, what meds I took for them and how they affected me both physically and mentally and gave this to my doctor and he said that it really helped him in writing my letter. Give him dates of diagnosis and the tests that you had to have to be diagnosed, etc. These are only my opinions and there are alot of people out there that have other ideas about it I am sure. Hope this helps. Good luck. It is really a frustrating process so I hope you the best. eek Susan

[naturetree]

Susan, thanks so much. I almost cried when I got your response. Just because I haven't talked to anyone else with IC for about 5 years--and then I just knew one person. I realize that I have been totally isolated, but now applying for disability, I am finding all of these people on this site. As far as what point I'm at, maybe they changed the form or procedures recently. I did call the 800 SocSec #, and started a claim over the phone--they just asked about 5 questions. They sent me a 10-page green report to fill out. There were no doctor release forms with it, though. Now I have an appointment to go into the SS office with my completed form (they said you could do this in person or over the phone). But now I may change this appointment for the 3rd time, so that I will have collected all of the medical records and a doctor's statement to go with the green form.

[carlin kammerer]

I have been receiving disability through my private policy for one year. My policy states that I must be unable to do MY job. It then pays for 2 years, it continues for longer if I am unable to do ANY job. I was approved right away. I am a respiratory therapist and worked in neonatal intensive care and clearly coudl no longer work. Between the bathroom breaks and the pain. I also sent away for the disability letter from Jill, and my uro sent along a letter. If you want a copy of my letter to show your dr., let me know and I will mail it to you. I am also applying for ss now. I didn't mention any depression on my private policy, but employee health at my hosptial stated that I had to be within 3-5 minutes of a bathroom at all times. Obviously, that was impossible working with patients. My private policy pays for me to get trained in another field, but my pelvic pain is so bad, I can't sit ro stand for very long. I just have no idea what kind of job I could do. Good luck!

[naturetree]

You said you "sent away for the disability letter from Jill"--what is that?

Your message made me more hopeful about my private policy.
Thank you.

[skershner3]

Carlin,
I am in the appeal process of disability. Could you please send me a copy of Jill's letter? I would really appreciate it. My email address is [email protected] I think that I came very close the first time around from looking at my file and this plus a new letter from my urologist might very well seal it up. I am hoping anyway, if you would email it to me I would appreciate it very much!! Thanking you in advance. Susan kissing

[skershner3]

Sorry I didnt get back to you earlier on your disability. If I can help you in any way I will be glad to. I have been up to my eyeballs in disability paperwork since February. I wrote and wrote and documented stuff on the "green form". I mailed all of my stuff in to the social security office certified return receipt. If I were you, and IF you feel that you have all of your paperwork filled out completely I would go ahead and get that interview done. The sooner you do the sooner they can get started on it. They have to make a decision in 120 days. I worked on my information very hard to make sure that I had everything documented that I needed to and when I was confident with that I was more than happy to get it out of my hands. The same way with these appeal papers. I have two new doctors letters, I am having my primary care physician do a residucal funcational capacity exam on Tuesday (a generic form that an attorneys office uses, not the one from SS) and I have the last visit office notes from three doctors that I am waiting on and I will be ready to get them out of here. We are in such a rural area it takes forever to get anywhere to an appointment like that. I made the mistake of driving myself to the psych evaluation and that was a no no. They made a big deal out of it. Of course like I mentioned to them, I couldnt take any narcotic pain meds that day because you can not drive under the influence of narcotic medications - it is illegal. There is a reason for that. The psychologist said that I wiggled around in my chair like I was uncomfortable - well duh!!!!! I was sittin' on the end that is giving me so much problem!! Lord I get so mad sometimes. They are out there to prove you wrong so dont quit fighting. I am going to fight until they give it to me to keep me from aggrivating them. Anyway, I hope that everything good well with you. I dont think that it will do you any harm by not going to your appointment but I just couldnt leave it undone. I just wanted to get it done and out of here. Be thorough though, I mean put alot of time and effort into everything that you do and dont be afraid to tell it like it is, be truthful. Tell them that you cant have sex because you feel so much pain and suffer pain for days afterwards and how that effects you, how you cant go out with friends or family like you did. You are not alone in this - we all suffer the same thing. I have found alot of good information in this group and I am also a member of the Yahoo IC group and you get alot of replies when you ask a question on there. Keep me informed as to what is going on. Love, Susan

[rags]

Carlin,

I am also in the process of applying for ss can you please email me a copy of the letter from Jill. I would greatly appreciate it. To everyone else that is reading If I find any information out about how to make the process easier or just anything that might help I will post it immediatly. My email address is [email protected]

If you can do send the letter that would be great.
Thank you so much!!!!
Tara

[DebraLeeS]

I would also like a copy of Jills Letter
I was denied the frst time I sent in my reconsideration paper and today I got the same papers I had already filled out not 1 time but 3 times,I wonder if they are trying to see if I stick to the same story
My Uro is the best he wrote me a wonderful letter and I have a very good feeling about it this timeRight now I have 4 dr appts a week 2 are istills and 2 are PT I dont know when I would find the time to work if I could!!
Good luck everyone you will be in my thoughts!

[Teri]

Deb~The same thing happened to me so I'd write in the box "see answer to question #13) I felt like thae were trying to catch me at at something. So, to cover my own butt I wanted to make sure I covered it with the same words

[Bella Rose]

[QUOTE=naturetree] The insurance company asked me what my "return to work date" is!! I don't know what she should say in the letter. Does anyone know how to address this issue of HOW LONG I will be disabled, or how to word this?? I think this is an important part of the letter. I think it would apply to the social security letter as well.QUOTE]

Just a note to add to all the very good advice you have been given....My urologist put that I could NEVER return to work due to my illnesses. There were letters in my file prior to me filing for Disability stating that and she filled out papers for my Disability Lawyer when the time came. (I was denied the first time and then got a lawyer who specializes in Disability Claims and he knew all the right questions to ask and had all the right form letters for the doctors to fill out.) You might consider getting a lawyer if things don't work out the first time, which happens many times. I hope things work out for you. (Just make sure you get a really good lawyer who specializes in Disability Claims if you decide to go that route.)

Bella

[domaincat]

Be Consistent! Yes, sometimes I think official people do ask questions and then re-word the same type of questions to see if your answers are going to be consistent. Like whatever you wrote in those forms you had better keep handy in print and remember what you said. Because many months (or even years later), someone may ask you in court or in a doctor's visit those same types of questions and you need to somehow stay consistent so you are honest and upfront. If things change, then by all means let them know. Things usually get worse or may diagnoses are added anyways over the years and keep updating them with further medical records.

Private disability insurance - I had that too through my former job and I paid my share for that. When I got sick and was in the hospital and recovering and seemed like awhile before I could be well again, I called and tied to get on that but they didn't even send me forms or anything. Just said how they had only permanent disability insurance and they thought that what I had was not permanent. Well years later now I think more and here I could and should have requested or demanded forms from them to fill out. I should have perhaps said how in the world do you know what's wrong with me, as she wasn't the doctor and she didn't know what was wrong with me. And then years later when I was on sick leave and lost the job, well it was too late when they sent me my papers to leave to say heah I want my disability insurance, as since I didn't work there as they made me leave right on my sick leave and they knew I was sick, etc. and so then it was too late to request this disability insurance.

[armslee]

LTD Policies

I too have long term disability coverage (LTD) through my employer. I guess I have been considering this as my backup plan if all things fail. While working in insurance myself, I can tell you all to READ YOU POLICIES! LTD's all have a 90 day waiting period. But going 3 months w/o pay is better than forever.