I am getting ready to apply for SSDI. February 26 will be my last day. I'm going to use up my sick leave (50 days) and then will be retired on disability. I'm scared I will be denied SSDI. I will send in my application on the February 29th. I'm stage 4 with mets to bone. I'm sick and miss a lot of days, not to mention all of my doctor appointments. I catch everything because my white blood cells are always low due to Ibrance. Will they deny me because I will still be earning a paycheck for my sick leave? I know I will have to wait 5 months or more before I receive my first check but I don't want to be denied on my initial application. What symptoms did/do you have when you applied? Did anyone help you with your SSDI application? I don't know how to answer some of the questions? I am a gifted teacher and I am pushing it so I can finish at the end of the semester.

Kaluha, I found it rather simple to apply for SSDI. I did it all on line. Near the beginning of the application, it has a question if your illness/disability will result in death. Say yes. Because that is the prognosis. You may live many years, but know one can say. You will then receive an expedited review since this qualifies you for compassionate Allowance. I filled out all the rest of the info they requested about my illness, symptoms, and doctors which are my onc and gp. I did not submit any medical reports. Itwas pretty easy and really didn't even take that long. At the end of the application, it told me to contact my local social security office to let them know I had applied for disability and filed the compassionate allowance. I did that, even tho the woman at the social security office sounded like, why the heck are you calling. I received approval for SSDI in the mail within a month or six weeks or so. That was it.

I also had worried that I wouldn't approved but I was. Best wishes with your application.

I never heard of TERI

If you file on line, the prompts will explain themselves as you go along. Once it identifies you as having a terminal illness, it recognizes that information and tells you that you will have your application fast tracked. It will make sense as you fill out each page.

You do not have to be at death's door. I also have mets to the bone. Even tho we are able to function normally on some levels, do not minimize to yourself the fact that you have this disease and it has metastasized. Sometimes I think we do this because after living with it for so long, it *seems* normal, it's become our normal. I don't mean to make you feel bad or belabor the point, it's just the facts of the situation.

the DivineMrsM makes an excellent point. Your application is not the place to downplay your pain, fatigue and limitations. It is important to document these things honestly in your application and to your physician. We have a natural tendency to want to stay strong and not complain. But you have to make SS and your doctors aware of the difficulties you are having with your activities of daily living, focus and concentration, dealing with stress, pain, fatigue, etc.

GatorGirl, you seem to be well informed on all of this stuff. I have 9 year old twins, how do I apply for their benefits?

thanks!

Steven, I like many others are facing this with the terror of how to afford it. I however came into the DCIS already on SSDI due to MS and the destroyed Disc in my Lumbar from a anesthesiology student learning how to do Lumbar Punctures. She managed to poke enough holes in the disc that it simply collapsed as two raggedy sides.. Pain has been my constant companion. I have a 0.6 area they want to do a lumpectomy on and then radiation treatments..I am 53 and I could barely make it with one Major medical issue let alone now another in my life. Then to top it all off the Dr's clerk say disabled and wrote UNEMPLOYED in my Hospital records.. so guess how much assistance I can look forward to. Like you I have some advice to those going thru the system. Don't take it personally, they are trying to weed out the false claims, and yea they will push every button they can to see if you slip up.. Your Best bet is From DAY 1 Get a copy of your records. Make copies for others but never loose YOUR ONE FREE COPY.. Read EVERYTHING carefully, cause if they misrepresent something you are as my Grand Mother would say UP A UNSANITARY TRIBUTARY WITHOUT SUFFICIENT MEANS OF LOCOMOTION... So correct any errors as fast as possible, don't let them even claim BP R arm Sitting if they did it in your left arm standing.. Why you may ask, because if you are in pain Standing and yet you allow them to take your vitals standing and they are normal you have just handed someone a hand grenade against you unless you have them mark by it Patient was in Pain during Vitals. Everything can and will be used against you if they don't see a disability. Your Breasts are not your wage earning, so what about them makes this a disability, ok the fatigue, the illness of the treatments, the stress of the live or die questions let alone the body image. You can get thru this but grow a thicker skin and fight the CANCER not the world. Pick your Battles, which are worth fighting and what can wait a day or two.. YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE YOUR BEST HEALTH CARE ADVOCATE, no matter how much support family and friends are, you know what your body feels like and when something is off. Don't allow some nitwit in a white coat who is PRACTICING medicine instead of being a informed and competent Medical professional try to steer you in a way you don't want to go. My First surgical consult I wouldn't allow to treat my CAT in a life or death event because I know better.. I was told in College that I'd never cut it in the Nursing program, so I quit, I worked saved, became a phlebotomist , did the granny wake ups at 3 am before breakfasts runs and then worked in a plasma center, and entered a LPN program working up until the last semester.

Then as a LPN and EMT I went to work at the doc in a box type clinics for urgent care, but not quite Emergency care.. I had to teach Residents fresh from Med school the 18 mo in room three has Oitits Media... uhh and that is as they pull a pocket size book out.. ear ache doc.. How do you know?? well holing the ear not wanting me to touch them and temp plus no other signs of issue other then holding their ear.. Ohh ok what do you give.. Doc come on Amoxicillin unless allergic parents or never had before you know the bubble gum stuff, How... Their weight which is on the for in your hand and YOU get paid to figure the dose out Not me.. if I ad a dollar.. I have been a Prison Nurse and a Home Vent Nurse. that last is why my surgical lumpectomy will be under nerve block and conscious sedation I am not getting intubated for a lumpectomy, had too many patients that I had to care for on a vent because something went wrong in a routine surgery.. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ROUTINE SURGERY.. it's all abnormal to the human body to cut it open for any reason..

My surgery isn't scheduled yet, I have been checking to see what is causing a lot of flare ups and just plain something isn't right and looking first. I have lost 30 pounds in the last 4-5 months.. no explanation.. Colonoscopy the cancer that has hit generations of my family clear.. now we start on all the labs and the X rays.. I'd love to find nothing wrong.. but something tells me there is something and a 0.6 oval breast DCIS isn't it..

I am not familiar with CTCA but is this coming from a main office or your individual oncologist? You need to have a heart to heart with your oncologist and have him/ her take you off work. You need to clearly explain what you are going through. Bring in a copy of the listing for SS I posted and make sure they agree you meet it, though state retirement is a different standard. Do you have a supportive GP? Any other doctors you see?How many doctors does your Virginia retirement board require? Can you get another opinion? This is very surprising. One would hope oncologists would be supportive of their Stage 4 patient's needs.

I thought CTCA was Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Are you saying they are denying you for medical treatment because they won't accept VA disability health insurance? You will still be able to find good health care, even if you do not go to CTCA. It's always been said that they are a place particular with what insurances they accept. This is a blip in the road, you may have to make the adjustment to a different facility and with a different oncologist, but there are plenty of good ones out there, it's not like CTCA have the only good ones.

Ok. I understand what you're saying now. Does CTCA assign a case manager to you? Is there some type of patient advocate there who can address your situation? Certainly they have had to had many patients file for disability. I also do not think the onc fills out that paper work. It would be sent to the onc's office, the paperwork filled out and the onc signs off and approves it.

I would be firm but respectful when speaking to them at the onc's office. As I mentioned before to someone on this thread, we learn to live with this disease and it becomes a different type of normal, but it is not the life of a healthy, able bodied person. There are also emotional issues to deal with. Do you take meds to help you cope? if so, it is even more proof of the burden you bear in dealing with metastatic breast cancer. We know you are not trying to scam the system. I am hoping you can make a few phone calls and get an approval for filing the claim.

However, it may even be that you have to threaten legal action. Do you have access to free legal advice from your employer? You might want to put a call in to them if you do and see what they advise.

It is all a big pain in the ass and stressful, but you are looking after you. You are your own best advocate and are worth the time and effort it takes to get the results you're after

For those of us who are using LTD from our employers (especially UNUM) the following link provided me with all the answers I needed to know. LTD & STD can be really tricky! So be careful out there! You don't want to end up with an overpayment!

http://www.diattorney.com/can-a-long-term-disabili...