Requalification for SSDI

HI Debbie,

You've been disease free since 8/08.  You don't say if you are physically able to work or not.  If you're asking if we know of any way to decieve the government I'm not interested or sympathetic.

HI Debbie,

You've been disease free since 8/08.  You don't say if you are physically able to work or not.  If you're asking if we know of any way to decieve the government I'm not interested or sympathetic.

Congrats on being NED!  Fortunately I am also in the same boat but decided to go back to work.  Regardless stage IV mel is and will always be an automatic qualifier for SSDI.  Just present your records to state that for some reason you didn't revert to a lower stage – lol!  I wish….  If for some quirk of nature you are denied, appeal the decision and you should be approved.  Just because you are NED isn't reason enough to be declined for SSDI.  You have been through Heck and back to be where you are today.  If you feel you still need SSDI then by all means take it, that is what it is there for.  That is what I was told by my case worker.

As for A…… Try not to take things personally.  Perhaps A just lost a loved one and can't bear to read about someone in your situation?  Perhaps someone tee tee'd in their cornflakes?  I am sure you realize how out of line the response was and in general how supportive this community is of each other.  We all have our bad days and I am sorry you were the target of such a response.  Yes, unfortunately there are those out there who don't realize the impact mel has on us if we aren't under "active" care, using a wheelchair, or have chemo hair.  We all know it can come back and devour us within weeks if it chose to do so.  We are NEVER cured of this damned disease at our stage….

Many have been in your situation, you can search the archives.  Best of luck to you.

(Cyber hugs)

Kim

(Hoping my scans next week are still NED)

Congrats on being NED!  Fortunately I am also in the same boat but decided to go back to work.  Regardless stage IV mel is and will always be an automatic qualifier for SSDI.  Just present your records to state that for some reason you didn't revert to a lower stage – lol!  I wish….  If for some quirk of nature you are denied, appeal the decision and you should be approved.  Just because you are NED isn't reason enough to be declined for SSDI.  You have been through Heck and back to be where you are today.  If you feel you still need SSDI then by all means take it, that is what it is there for.  That is what I was told by my case worker.

As for A…… Try not to take things personally.  Perhaps A just lost a loved one and can't bear to read about someone in your situation?  Perhaps someone tee tee'd in their cornflakes?  I am sure you realize how out of line the response was and in general how supportive this community is of each other.  We all have our bad days and I am sorry you were the target of such a response.  Yes, unfortunately there are those out there who don't realize the impact mel has on us if we aren't under "active" care, using a wheelchair, or have chemo hair.  We all know it can come back and devour us within weeks if it chose to do so.  We are NEVER cured of this damned disease at our stage….

Many have been in your situation, you can search the archives.  Best of luck to you.

(Cyber hugs)

Kim

(Hoping my scans next week are still NED)

Hi, Debbie

Congrats on your disease being stable at this point, but as you well know, a remission of Stage IV Melanoma with a time span of 27 months is not an all clear by any means.  I am only saying this because what you will be faced with on Disability Review is that on the one hand you are happy to be in remission, and on the other, you have to convince Social Security that you are not yet stable and are not able to return to work.  That is at direct odds with the hope that all of us at Stage IV hold dear…….we don't want to be defined as a disease,we want to have a life beyond disease, but the complexity of the disease itself requires us to be vigilant and protective. beyond pigeon-holed statistics.

As a side note to the Anon Poster, it would be a good idea for that person to seek a medical evaluation for recto-cranial inversion………………that is to say being in the state of having ones head up ones ass. 

I am including a link to a site that is written BY  Lawyers FOR  Lawyers in lay terms  to shed some light on the process and the thinking behind Disability Reviews, I would urge you to read it carefully so you can get a working knowledge of the Review process.

I am not a lawyer, nor am I giving legal advice, but I have been through three reviews and what follows are my thoughts and experiences with those.

In your mind, heart and soul you must truly decide within yourself if you are or are not , able and willing to return to work in your previous capacity because if you can not convince yourself, you will not be able to convince anyone else.

What is NOT mentioned in the link is that although SSDI is a Federal program, the review  is initially evaluated/handled on a state basis and forwards a recommendation to SS which then makes a final determination.

.  In my State , SS kicks the review process to the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, your State may have a similar agency.  As a result, there are 50 different State level standards of evaluation, which leaves lots of room for interpretation.

Your doctor schedules, lab schedules, scan schedules all come into play.  There is also a form that is sent to your Attending that will probably have three boxes and they check one.

These boxes are:  1) Improvement expected  2) Improvement possible  )Improvement not expected.  Which box your Doc checks is critical.

Disability Law is complex, but hope this information helps.

Cheers,

Charlie S

http://www.jamesdisabilitylaw.com/continuing-disability-reviews.htm

Hi, Debbie

Congrats on your disease being stable at this point, but as you well know, a remission of Stage IV Melanoma with a time span of 27 months is not an all clear by any means.  I am only saying this because what you will be faced with on Disability Review is that on the one hand you are happy to be in remission, and on the other, you have to convince Social Security that you are not yet stable and are not able to return to work.  That is at direct odds with the hope that all of us at Stage IV hold dear…….we don't want to be defined as a disease,we want to have a life beyond disease, but the complexity of the disease itself requires us to be vigilant and protective. beyond pigeon-holed statistics.

As a side note to the Anon Poster, it would be a good idea for that person to seek a medical evaluation for recto-cranial inversion………………that is to say being in the state of having ones head up ones ass. 

I am including a link to a site that is written BY  Lawyers FOR  Lawyers in lay terms  to shed some light on the process and the thinking behind Disability Reviews, I would urge you to read it carefully so you can get a working knowledge of the Review process.

I am not a lawyer, nor am I giving legal advice, but I have been through three reviews and what follows are my thoughts and experiences with those.

In your mind, heart and soul you must truly decide within yourself if you are or are not , able and willing to return to work in your previous capacity because if you can not convince yourself, you will not be able to convince anyone else.

What is NOT mentioned in the link is that although SSDI is a Federal program, the review  is initially evaluated/handled on a state basis and forwards a recommendation to SS which then makes a final determination.

.  In my State , SS kicks the review process to the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, your State may have a similar agency.  As a result, there are 50 different State level standards of evaluation, which leaves lots of room for interpretation.

Your doctor schedules, lab schedules, scan schedules all come into play.  There is also a form that is sent to your Attending that will probably have three boxes and they check one.

These boxes are:  1) Improvement expected  2) Improvement possible  )Improvement not expected.  Which box your Doc checks is critical.

Disability Law is complex, but hope this information helps.

Cheers,

Charlie S

http://www.jamesdisabilitylaw.com/continuing-disability-reviews.htm

The bottom line is you are still diagnosed as stage4 melanoma and any onc will say long term survival is poor…( although we hope and pray otherwise)…sounds like a disgruntled person didn't get their disability…) and was giving you a hard time…other stages have a higher rate of survival…

The bottom line is you are still diagnosed as stage4 melanoma and any onc will say long term survival is poor…( although we hope and pray otherwise)…sounds like a disgruntled person didn't get their disability…) and was giving you a hard time…other stages have a higher rate of survival…

Debbie, I am in the same boat you are except I am in the midst of the appeal process which has dragged out for months. I have been NED for 3 years stage IV. If you would like to e-mail me I can tell you about all the research I have done (thank you, Charlie S. !), the contacts I have made, the letter my oncologist wrote and the conversations I have had with the person processing my appeal.

I took for granted that a stage IV diagnosis would make me eliglble for life and that I could go back to work part time and keep my medicare/medicaid and SSDI. It has been very confusing and difficult, but I think there may finally be some light at the end of the tunnel…best of luck to you and let me know how it goes.

Debbie, I am in the same boat you are except I am in the midst of the appeal process which has dragged out for months. I have been NED for 3 years stage IV. If you would like to e-mail me I can tell you about all the research I have done (thank you, Charlie S. !), the contacts I have made, the letter my oncologist wrote and the conversations I have had with the person processing my appeal.

I took for granted that a stage IV diagnosis would make me eliglble for life and that I could go back to work part time and keep my medicare/medicaid and SSDI. It has been very confusing and difficult, but I think there may finally be some light at the end of the tunnel…best of luck to you and let me know how it goes.

Debbie, i hope that you are able to find the information you are looking for.  dont know if you developed lymphedema due to your melanoma surgeries, but that is another condition disability considers when re-evaluating.

on to the anonymous poster –  i HATE that there is an option to post cowardly hurtfull remarks on a support site.   I understand the need for it in some ircumstances, but not for people just to be hateful.

the people who make comments like that are, in my opinion, not only cowards for hiding who they are, but miserable little people. i realize they may be under alot of stress or have just lost a loved one….but that does not give them the right.

im so glad that you got positive helpful responses to your question in the end, but i feel the same way you do about posting here anymore,

why bother when youre going to get met with some rediculously hateful comment.   i used to post all the time but now, very rarely. i come to check up on people i care about but thats about it anymore.   its a shame too, because a new person just being diagnosed who is looking for help would never return…and there are some amazing people here with an enormous amount of information to share.

just my 2 cents…..

good luck on your review Debbie

Debbie, i hope that you are able to find the information you are looking for.  dont know if you developed lymphedema due to your melanoma surgeries, but that is another condition disability considers when re-evaluating.

on to the anonymous poster –  i HATE that there is an option to post cowardly hurtfull remarks on a support site.   I understand the need for it in some ircumstances, but not for people just to be hateful.

the people who make comments like that are, in my opinion, not only cowards for hiding who they are, but miserable little people. i realize they may be under alot of stress or have just lost a loved one….but that does not give them the right.

im so glad that you got positive helpful responses to your question in the end, but i feel the same way you do about posting here anymore,

why bother when youre going to get met with some rediculously hateful comment.   i used to post all the time but now, very rarely. i come to check up on people i care about but thats about it anymore.   its a shame too, because a new person just being diagnosed who is looking for help would never return…and there are some amazing people here with an enormous amount of information to share.

just my 2 cents…..

good luck on your review Debbie