SSI & LTD Question

sandeefeet

Hi, My mom received confirmation from LTD that she has been approved. Now we've received paperwork for her to apply for SSI. She didn't request this paperwork, it just arrived in the mail. This is all very confusing and speaking to the representatives makes it more confusing. Can anyone who has gone through this process give a basic outline of how we are to do this properly?

Thank you,

Laurie

Anonymous

Hi. I can tell you about my case...I had short and long term disability through my employer. One of the criteria for receiving the LTD benefits was that I was required to apply for SSDI. The reason is once I qualified, they could dump me and not pay any more. So, I had to apply for social security disability. They even hooked me up with an attorney to help. When I received SSDI, my LTD through my employer was cancelled. The bottom line affect was they they no longer had to continue my health coverage. I was covered through COBRA for a while, but didn't get Medicare until I had been disabled on SSDI for two years.

LuAnnH

your LTD carrier probably put the request in.  They probably have a clause that you have to apply for SSDI, my LTD carrier started deducting what they thought my benefits would be from SSDI before I had an awards letter.  Once I got my award letter and sent it to them they corrected the mistake but they want to get off the hook for some of the money they have to pay you.  Once you are on LTD you need to find out about requesting an extension of cobra so that if you need to stay on it permanently that will give you enough months of cobra to keep you covered until medicare kicks in.

Another fact that isn't usually mentioned much is that if you go out of work on disability you can usually keep your life insurance from your employer.  Most insurance companies have something called a certificate of waiver, you fill this out and have your doctor fill out his section and it should be approved.  It will convert your term life insurance from a group policy to a private policy at no cost to you at all.  Some companies have a time deadline so you need to check into it.  My employer didn't know anything about this so I looked it up on the web and took the info to my HR people.  They called the life insurance people, the form was sent and wah-lah I at least have some life insurance to leave my children now.

sandeefeet

Laura and LuAnn, thank you for the information. The LTD rep. did mention that if they didn't get a copy of the SSDI application they would deduct an estimated amount from the LTD benefit.

 I have one more question. When you applied for SSDI did you have to physically go to the social security office or were you able to do the application process online?

LuAnnH

Depending on your stage of cancer.  I am stage IV, since that is considered technically terminal they won't do it online, they call you and do it on the phone.  Any terminal illness application is expedited and must be called within so many days of your first contact.  You can do it online or on the phone if you are not stage IV, just make sure you have all your info in front of you like drs names addresses disease info, etc.  If you are not stage IV be sure to list everything you are being treated for, depression, blood pressure, back problems , etc.  The more info they have to work with the easier it is for the approval to come through.

sandeefeet

Thanks LuAnn, My mom is stage IV, bone, lung and liver mets. I've pulled the checklist online of the info SS requires and am trying to gather all that now. Thanks again for help,  I really appreciate it!!!  I was so worried they'd make be bring her to their office. I'm sure she'll be relieved to know she can do it over the phone.

LuAnnH

They will call, the phone call will take about an hour or hour and a half, it's quite long.  They will then send her an envelope with medical releases she must sign and there will be an envelope already adressed and postaged to return them.  When she mails that they will need her birth certificate.  I was nervouos about mailing it to them but it was back in my hands within 7 days.  Saves a trip to the SS office.  Good Luck, there is a whole thread on this in the recurrance mets thread.  Do you post there?  We have several daughters that post for their moms and we offer lots of support!

sandeefeet

I will take a look in the recurrance thread also. Thank you for the info on the medical releases and birth cert. I just got paperwork back from Cigna that I was starting to fill out and have to get notarized in order to get the whole list of Dr's visits, hospital visits, clinicals, etc. back from '05. They'll probably ask for the records from her diagnosis to now right?  It's nice to know SS will send medical releases. Then I got the form online for the cert. copy of her birth cert. It's nice to know you received your original back so fast. I'll let my mom know but I think my she might be afraid to send the original as it's in fragile and pitiful shape. She was so cute once we moved her here last month, my aunt took her to get her new drivers license and she pulled the birth cert. out, she was ever so gentle being afraid it might crumble.

LuAnnH

too funny, well just tell them to be very very gentle 

sandeefeet

Hi LuAnn, talked to my mom's LTD carrier. My mom is getting widows benefits from SSI so LTD had me call SSI to see if my mom had more benefit continuing with the widows benefits or filing on her own. Widows benefits is better so LTD said there is no reason for my mom to file on her own. She was so relieved!!!

 Thank you again for your support and advise!!!

God Bless!!!