NY State Disability Taking Forever

nancyu

NY State Disability Taking Forever

nancyu

I filed almost seven months ago for disability.

In the past two weeks, I had two medical appointments with their consultants.

How long have you had to wait beyond that point to hear if you have been approved, or anything?

Anonymous

Nancy..I'm so sorry that no one has had a similar experience or could recommend anything to you. As a former medical social worker, I'd say that waiting 7 months for disability is absolutely unacceptable, especially for an illness as straightforward as BC. Do you have anyone who can help you to navigate the system and find out where and why its held up? You never know...sometimes these things just sit on someone's desk for long periods and they figure if no one is bitching, no one is really waiting.

See if you can at least track down the current status of your application or see if someone at your breast center or doctor's office can help you do so.

~Marin

nygirl1951

Hi Nancy,

Is the disability insurance through your employer? I'm the benefits mgr for a company in NYS and I know disability takes a while to kick in but not seven months! If it is through your employer, (all employees have disability insurance through their employers in NYS), then the benefits manager where you work would be the first person to talk to.

Hope this helps ~

Pam

nancyu

Thank you all for your replies.

 I was not working at the time of my diagnosis - I was 46, had just been divorced and was in transition.  I am living in a rural area and had not even been up here for 6 months when I was diagnosed.  

Someone had told me that I had to wait six months for disability, and I took it as that I had to wait six months to apply, hence the delay and more complicated my case.

 I am going to call Disability today.  They had told me not to call and that I had to wait to hear, typically 3 - 6 months.  Someone at the Patient Advocate Foundation will get them on the phone in a 3-way if I want.  I sent a case update note over a week ago, and also requested an update.  No response.  My graduate work was in public administration (non-profits and academia), so I know how the system doesn't work.

Another frustrating government program is Medicaid.  I am in a special program for people with Breast Cancer, that were ineligible for regular Medicaid due to my income.  I was awarded temporary rehabilitative alimony and am literally on the line.  Therefore, I can not work.  But, I live hand to mouth.  Catch-22. 

 I am in radiation now, and am being put in physical therapy again for my knee.  I will be having at least one more surgery out of the area, probably in January, and my alimony ends in February.  My ex destroyed our credit, and I have depleated all of my assets.  I will be much happier when I can get on with my life.