I briefly worked for a disability attorney. I learned that good documentation is key and that is where attorneys are helpful. They know what the reviewers are looking for. You will need to sign releases for the medical documentation which is key. The social security disability process can be very discouraging but don't give up. I retired on disability from Hewlett Packard. My disability was approved on my first attempt. A lot of credit goes to my rheumatologist because his documentation was excellent. Hope this helps. Hang in there.

I was denied 2 x. The 2nd one was a joke. They copied and paste the same reason for denial. It was at the end of COVID, so that was the excuse for everything taking so long. I had an attorney the entire time. I finally got a hearing date and I sat in my attorneys conference room on zoom and spoke with judge, who was working from her home office. She was very nice and understanding. We knew we were going to get a favorable response when she didn’t question a vocational expert and spoke with me and a rheumatologist on anther phone line who agreed with all of my documentation that I was disabled. I filed in 12/1/20 and received an award in 5/1/23. It was a long, frustrating process, but that is why they do that, to weed out those folks who don’t want to keep going. I was blessed that I had a Ltd policy from my last employer, so that helped me financially until the approval. I’m still getting that until 2029. When I’m 65. I was 58 when I applied, im 60 now, soon to be 61 on 11/26. Hang in there. Key items, good documentation, attorney from day 1. They don’t get paid unless you win. They typically don’t take a case that they cannot win. Make sure you document everything when you see the rheumatologist. You want it all in your medical record. Consistency. Also what you can no longer do at home that affects your ADL activities if Daily living. What assistive devises you use, cane, wrist or knee braces. Drying yourself following bath or shower, getting dressed. How Braun fig affects your life. Fatigue is a big one. How long before having to lay down to sleep. Sleep disturbances are a big one also. Made me so tired I was falling asleep at traffic lights when driving during day. If I went to store, I had to come home to rest. I couldn’t run multiple errands like I used to. There are many things you need to discuss and and how it affects you. Don’t down play anything. Remember how you lived prior to your diagnosis. Hope this helps. I’ll be praying for all who are going through this process. You paid into SS and it’s your right to receive it if you are disabled. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

You are absolutely right. I got mines for my back. They sent me to their doctor and he said more than the doctor who did my back. I was going to work and on lunch I would leave and get pain shots that didn't work. But make sure you talk about brain fog. That's also important. Have a good day.

I was denied disability. I did hire a lawyer and the bottom line was that it was going to be hard to convince a judge that I was disabled because I do spend a lot of time at Wrigley Field during baseball season - because I do write about the Cubs as a freelance writer. Since I am trying to work, the courts would most likely have denied it anyway. You pretty much, at least in Illinois, have to be almost bedridden. I am getting supplemental payments because I do not earn much money with my writing - certainly not enough to live on, and had I gone in front of a judge, I risked losing that. For me, even though everyone tells me I should have been approved, it was not worth risking the little bit of supplemental income I receive.

There will be a lot of requests for medical records and doctors notes. You will have to sign some papers allowing the attorney to request these records. For the most part, my attorney was handling everything. I did have to contact my doctors when they didn't get records to the attorney in a timely manner and it was quite stressful.

I wish you much better luck than I had.

I just sent in my first application for disability yesterday. I would be interested in talking with you as both of our cases develop to see if there are any ideas we can share!