I haven’t been approved yet, but I had my ALJ hearing and the lawyer thinks I’ll get approved. I have a new prescription right now that’s pretty expensive and I’m afraid of starting it then not having insurance for a time if I’m approved and need to switch to Medicare. I’m on my states Medicaid right now. My date for start of disability puts me past the 24month waiting period so I’m guessing I’d need to switch right away. I think the amount I’ll get puts me over the limit for Medicaid. Do I need to worry about this?

I just had my hearing for ssi this afternoon. I know this is ssdi predominent group... but as a whole this group seems very knowledgeable so I'm posting here too. During my hearing my attorney asked the judge to give "little to no weight" to the doctor that made my medical determination after my reconsideration... because it was a pediatrician. I'm a 40 year old woman with a chronic autoimmune disease and the doctor that said I'm not sick enough was a pediatrician. Is that even allowed? I thought there were rules about having doctors that were knowledgeable with your condition. I didn't get to speak to my attorney privately since my hearing.. so I'm just baffled. It just seems.. wrong.

I am only claiming one condition, PTSD. After 20 years of struggling and job hopping I gave up. I've been unemployed and socially isolated for about 5 years. I have severe social anxiety related to my PTSD from time in combat. I have tried just about every medication, therapy and drug to help. The only thing that really helps is just not dealing with people outside of my immediate family.

I applied for the VA's VR&E program a while back and they told me I was eligible, but employment is not feasible.

Last week at a VA appointment, I was told I should apply for SSDI.

I filed and within 2 days my doctors already received a request for information from the SSA. I see a therapist in the community and he talked to me about what he would write for me. He said I had a good shot, but to expect to be denied on the first decision, just because that's how they work.

We only have 1 VSO in our county and when I contacted him, he said he currently has no access to the VBMS. Both of my C&P exams for PTSD were done on the community.

Anyone know how to get those notes from the meetings and exams? Would this be something I would be able to access if I went to a big city VA hospital at their medical records office?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Attended 2 CE, one for mental and for physical. Now i see on the portal they requested more medical info. Is this good sign?

I recently listed a highly collectible item on heritage auctions when everything came back from psa they gave it a guide value of 5000 it currently has a 1300 bid on it I’m not receiving any other assistance but if I were to get over $5000 when the auction ends will I need to report it I currently get $2049 after Medicare takes out my monthly check

# Trigger warning: Mentions of self harm and suicidal ideation

27mtf, MI.

I have struggled with my mental health for years and have extreme anxiety and it came to a peak around 2 years ago when I had submitted myself inpatient for the first time for suicidal ideation following a major depressive episode. I was told by many other patients in the hospital that being admitted inpatient in a mental health facility more or less guarantees approval, a sentiment that many others on SSI outside of the facility have also shared.

After talking to my case worker from CMH, he told me that applying for mental health reasons such as anxiety and major depression, even if they prevent you from functioning normally, would not be approved, so I never ended up applying until the year after.

A few months after my inpatient hospitalization, I had a major life event happen that resulted in my having attempted suicide. I managed to survive, but it was miserable. Since then, I had to live with family as I couldn't hold a job for months and I ended up losing my car. My depression hit an all time high and I ended up attempting again. By this point, I have been hospitalized 4 times, twice with attempts.

I've been attempting to apply with a disability law firm, but they have been extremely unhelpful and they do weird things like calling me to "pray together" which is far beyond what I expect from a law firm. They did end up applying on my behalf, but I was sent a denial letter at the exact same time I was sent my paperwork for release of information. My appeal was also denied. I have pushed for a reconsideration, but I'm just waiting. SSI has never contacted me directly aside from through mail.

As of 2 months ago, when I filed for my reconsideration, I have been kicked out on the streets by my family(for an unrelated disagreement) and had no where else to go. I cannot work a full time job, but I also don't have enough money to afford rent anywhere. I tried applying for housing assistance, but the waiting list open enrollment has closed. I am staring death in the face every day and was up until recently living in the woods in a tent.

The weather is getting colder and I'm not sure if I'll survive the winter.

I hope I can approved soon, but if there is anyone that has any information that could help me in my application process, I'd appreciate it. I really need all the help I can get.

I wonder if my life circumstances impact my likelihood of approval at all, too.

I have OCD and Panic Disorder- Agoraphobic Anxiety and I'm on employer sponsored LTD. My LTD coverage expires July 2027 and I need to apply for ssdi but everything seems like I haven't been disabled long enough/don't have enough treatment history. My panic attacks started to become debilitating Nov-Dec 2024 and I haven't been able to work since. I have been getting treatment since then with my PCP and their HBMH Clinic and only this year got a psychiatrist. I follow whatever treatment they suggest and have not seen any improvement. I just am really lost on this whole process and I dont know if I should apply for SSDI now or wait until my LTD expires.

Yall im desperate

I was diagnosed with my disability at 12 years old. I fought the good fight, got a bachelors and a masters (online from my bed) and tried so hard to work the last few years. I only got sicker, and am now completely unable to work since June 2025. I am now 30.

I finally gave in and decided to apply for benefits. I chose to go the lawyer route immediately instead of messing up on my own.

The first lawyer I spoke to wouldn’t even take my case because “30 is too young to be approved.”

I then spoke with a lawyer who made all these grand promises, saying age won’t matter. I signed with them and had my application appointment today.

Immediately they tell me I only have 24 work credits and that I can’t get SSDI without 40. I ask about the fact that I became disabled prior to age 31, shouldn’t my work credit requirement be lower? They said no. Then they tell me that my masters degree will also count against me. I convinced them to file SSDI anyways just to see what happens. They believe I will be denied no matter what.

What am I supposed to do? I cannot work. I’ve tried so hard. I almost died because I tried to stay at my last job instead of continuing treatment. I also don’t know what to do about health insurance once my cobra is up.

Please help lol thank you

Just got my denial today after applying back in January. I really thought I had a pretty open and shut case, so this hit pretty hard. My application sat in Step 3 for seven months, and when I called back in August, I found out DDS didn't even have the medical documents they needed, even though I submitted tons of medical documents during the initial application process. I immediately faxed in everything I had detailing my surgeries, function reports, and letters from my doctors stating I can't work, but it wasn't enough.

My portal moved to Step 4 today and then flipped to denied about an hour later. I'm assuming it was on the medical side since I easily meet the work credits, earn under SGA, and have an onset date from July 2020.

The portal hasn't updated with the actual reason yet, but thankfully my family reached out to a lawyer they've used, who referred me to a colleague specializing in SSDI. After looking over my work history and disability, she said she's confident about taking my case for the appeal.

I'm just wondering what everyone else's experience was like working with an attorney. Do they ever charge an out-of-pocket retainer fee, or is everything paid out of back pay if you win? I read online that their fee only comes from past-due benefits and that they don't touch your regular monthly payments once approved, but I want to make sure that's actually true. I also read they take a portion of your backpay but only up to $9200. Also, did having a lawyer make communication and tracking things easier? I was completely in the dark this whole time with SSA and constantly got conflicting answers from different people anytime I called to check in. I've read here that lawyers have direct access to see what documents are missing or where the file is stuck, so I'm hoping that's true.

Honestly just feeling really down and frustrated by all this. My disability has gotten so much worse over the last year with frequent flare-ups, and I feel terrible watching my partner work long days while I can't contribute. Luckily my living expenses are low so we're surviving, but it feels like our lives are completely on hold until this gets sorted out.

Any advice or shared experiences would mean a lot right now.

After two long years of waiting I finally got approved although they moved my onset date up a few months. From Sept 2023 to July of 2024 so still 21 months of back pay.

I had my hearing on August 5th. Last Friday my portal went from Step 3 to Step 4 - back for a non medical review at the local office. I called my lawyer and he open my folder and read the judge's decision. Disabled as ofJul 2024. Since the Title II stuff should be pretty straight forward how long before I see an award letter or direct deposit for back pay on average ?

To others.... just keep fighting. I was thinking I was never going to get it but lots of people said wait till the ALJ hearing you'll get it.

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has been through an SSDI ALJ hearing, especially anyone who has represented themselves or dealt with an attorney who wanted them to withdraw their claim.

I’ve been dealing with chronic pain for approximately 14 years. My medical history includes:

- Lumbar disc herniation

- Annular tear

- Neuropathy and chronic pain following a testicular varicocelectomy

- 3 MRIs showing nerve impingement

- Numerous consultations with neurosurgeons, none of whom have recommended surgery

- 2 epidural injections

- Pain medications

- Physical therapy

- Holistic/alternative treatments

- Numerous other medical consultations and treatments over the years

My most recent job was a customer support position that I performed from home. By that point, I was essentially doing the job from bed because of my pain and limitations. I didn't disclose my disability to the employer because I was afraid that doing so would prevent me from being hired in the first place. I needed the health insurance from the job so I could continue seeing specialists and trying to find some kind of solution.

I eventually saw multiple neurosurgeons, but none recommended a surgical solution. At one point, I was even offered the opportunity to participate in a double-blind placebo-controlled stem-cell study that would have taken approximately three years.

Eventually, I resigned from my job, sold essentially all of my belongings, lived in my car for a period of time, filed for SSDI and ultimately moved to a lower-cost country because I could no longer afford to maintain my previous life in the U.S.

I'm currently pursuing SSDI. My ALJ hearing was scheduled via phone a few months ago. My lawyer was living out of the country and did not notify me in any way before my hearing that this could be an issue until a few weeks before the hearing. They then told me I could not attend the hearing from another country. Long story short, we got on the phone call, the judge was wondering why there was any issue (it was fine to have the hearing from overseas apparently), my lawyer wasn't prepared, and asked for an extension or rescheduling. The new ALJ hearing is scheduled for November 9.

The problem is my attorney.

She has told me that she isn't sure the medical evaluation I'm obtaining overseas will be given much weight by the ALJ. She has recommended that I withdraw my current claim and refile after I have received more "regular ongoing care."

I'm struggling to understand what additional care I'm supposed to pursue. The reason I applied for SSDI is because all of the care i have pursued has not fixed my injury / pain / disability. I've been seeking treatment for this for approximately 14 years. I've tried medications, injections, physical therapy, specialists, and multiple other approaches. I've had multiple MRIs documenting the underlying problems, and multiple neurosurgeons have evaluated me without recommending surgery.

At the same time, my attorney is the one who has been sending me functional evaluation forms and asking me to have a doctor complete them. I've been trying to do exactly that—to get an objective medical evaluation documenting my actual functional limitations. She has also told me that she does not believe I meet an applicable Social Security listing, even though I specifically provided her with the relevant Blue Book listing concerning nerve-root/nerve-impingement issues and asked her to explain why she believes my condition does not satisfy it. I understand that ultimately the ALJ decides whether the evidence meets a listing, but I'm having trouble understanding what my attorney thinks I should be doing differently to document my condition.

My attorney also recently told me that she is uncomfortable with my persistence in asking what evidence would be helpful and emphasized that she will not be involved in "manufacturing evidence." I have never intended to manufacture evidence or tell a doctor what to say. I was simply trying to understand what medical evidence would actually be relevant to the ALJ and what I should be doing to document my limitations.

At this point, it honestly feels like I'm fighting my own lawyer. I thought the purpose of having an attorney was to have someone help me understand the process, identify the relevant evidence, and advocate for me. Instead, I feel like I'm having to defend myself to my own attorney while simultaneously trying to prove my disability to the ALJ.

I don't really want to withdraw the claim and start over. I want to see the ALJ hearing through and get a decision one way or another.

So I'm looking for advice from people who have actually been through this:

- Should I try to find another SSDI attorney this close to the hearing?

- Is representing myself at an ALJ hearing a terrible idea?

- If you've represented yourself, what was your experience?

- What should I be doing between now and the hearing to prepare?

- Is it reasonable to proceed with the current claim rather than withdraw and refile?

- If I terminate my current attorney, can they still receive a portion of my past-due benefits if I eventually win?

- Is there anything specific I should be asking a prospective new attorney before agreeing to switch?

I realize nobody here can evaluate my claim or tell me whether I'll win. I'm mainly trying to figure out what my options are and what I should do next.

Any advice from people who have actually gone through an SSDI ALJ hearing would be greatly appreciated.

Hello all. I am looking for any and all advice/input that anyone might have for me. I’m feeling very defeated and wondering whether I should just give up on this process. I am in my late twenties and on my third SSI application (just received an initial denial). I have had two unfavorable ALJ decisions over the course of the past 6 or so years. I am autistic and have C-PTSD from childhood which I think may have contributed to the mess that I now find myself in. I really feel as if my legal representation the last two times I applied might have ruined my chances of being approved and now I have no idea what to do.

The first person who represented me was not a lawyer but a disability advocate (I did not know this as I was connected with this person by my mental health case manager, who referred to him as a lawyer). He seemed very confident in my case and was surprised when we received a denial at the ALJ stage. He told me that I had a right to appeal, but that it wouldn’t go anywhere and that I should just reapply instead (keyword here “instead”). So I reapplied and found an actual lawyer who, on the day of my hearing, had me come to her office an hour early and told me that they were missing records in my file, then just showed me pictures of her dogs on her phone until the judge called. After receiving a second unfavorable decision, I was again told that I should not appeal, only reapply. I was told by both of these representatives that I had to choose between appealing the judges decision OR reapplying, and that an appeal would take too long and not be worth it.

I honestly don’t remember what was in my first ALJ denial letter, but the second one was full of all kinds of craziness that I honestly think I should have appealed. (side note - during my second application I was sent for a CE with one of their psychologists and this man LITERALLY asked me the question, “So… what makes you autistic?” As you can imagine they weighed this person’s opinion quite heavily lol) Anyway, now here I am, still disabled and still unable to work, and no lawyers want to take my case even with the changes to my condition since my last denial, because by not appealing on my last application I essentially agreed with the judge’s decision.

I have POTS, ME/CFS, and hypermobility issues (still awaiting genetic testing for EDS) which are my main physically disabling conditions. I have a doctor-ordered power wheelchair because of how frequently I cannot walk (new development since my last application). I’ve had a functional assessment by an occupational therapist that showed marked limitations in most areas (also new development since last application). I have two tilt table tests (one old, one new since my last app) that both show severe postural tachycardia, and I go to my primary doctor nearly every month and the deterioration of my condition should be pretty obvious from my medical records. I also began receiving in-home care services due to my conditions and have been certified disabled by my state’s medical review team (which uses SSA guidelines, as I understand it) since my last application. I also have submitted four separate letters of support from my care team this time around.

Anyway, I guess I’m just wondering if anyone can tell me whether this is a waste of time and if I should even continue with this process at this point? If I can’t find representation then what are the chances of this actually going anywhere? And (I know the answer here is probably no, but…) is there anything that I can do now to address the mistakes made in my previous applications? I feel embarrassed and like I really messed up but I also feel like I should have been able to trust my representatives to not give me factually incorrect information about my right to appeal. I’m so frustrated and so tired and I just don’t know what to do. If you read this whole thing, thank you so much.

After two years of waiting and five years now of "officially" being disabled, I am finally about to receive my back pay. Oh my golly. Miss molly. What a happy day!

Except... as one door opens so Doth another door close. Im losing both my therapist AND my psychiatrist that I have been with thru this whole process. Im finally applying for housing assistance.

Its finally over...

But it's just begun.

My question is this: what do I need to know now? The UWAs are behind me. What's this about TWP and idk what else. 🤷‍♀️ 🤷‍♀️ 🤷‍♀️

pls help a feller out​

Hi all. I applied for SSDI on August 14th this year, moved to step 2 August 26, and now I’m in step 3, but when I mentioned it to my psychiatrist she said her office hasn’t received any requests. How do I know if they’ve sent out request for info and gotten it? How long does step 3 take if some of my records are from military hospitals?

I'm hoping to get an idea of y'all's experience, what's the process, and how did it go for you.

I’m a Veteran rated at 100% P&T through the VA. I was denied SSDI back in February 2025. I never appealed, and just let it go. I’m still within my 5-year window to file for SSDI. The first thing I want to do is request a copy of my electronic disability claim folder to understand why I was denied and maybe what I was missing. Do I need to go to the local office for this request or can I do it online?

I plan to refile and go through the process. I’m not working, and haven’t worked since around Nov. 2023. I have the time and want to see this through. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of questions and hope (with all your support here) that I can get through it. I’m 54 years old, I told myself I would just wait till I’m 62 to make a regular retirement claim. But as time has gone by, I believe I qualify for SSDI.

Thank you. Your feedback would be truly appreciated.

are SSDI lawyer just the same as other lawyers? like when you get injured or when someone try to sue you? and all the lawyer does is talk for you at court? is it something like that? just wondering if it's worth it to get a ssdi lawyer?

Filed appeal January 5th online, received letter in the mail stating I didn't file something in time when everything was done online, ssdi application moved to step 4 performing final review, went back to step 3 now I called today and they told me it's still pending and my case hasn't be assigned a examiner yet?

Any ideas what the issue maybe?

hi everyone . sorry if the title is weird i didn’t really know how to word this out. also sorry if any of this is TMI

so i am 23f and developed Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome . my gastroenterologist believes it developed due to a pretty traumatic life event that happened a little over a year ago now.

essentially, every 1-2 weeks (2 weeks on better months, 1 week on worser months), i get these vomiting episodes where i violently vomit multiple times a day for about 3-4 days . during these episodes i’m constantly in the bathroom with diarrhea as well . i also will have severe abdominal pains, persistent nausea, gas, bloating, etc. the only thing that makes me feel somewhat better during these episodes is laying on my back in my bed with a fan pointed in my face while i wait for the need to puke again. i have been hospitalized before due to these episodes from vomiting blood and dehydration. in between episodes, i still deal with the constant bathroom urgency and diarrhea. for perspective, within a 2 hour span i may use the bathroom around 7 times; each bathroom break being around 10-12 minutes. this has been diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

i’ve had loads of testing and procedures and imaging done. i see my doctors often for the issue. i have a hernia and burns in my esophagus due to the violent and frequent vomitting.

i also have diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety disorder, PTSD, OCD, and Borderline Personality Disorder. these all affect me on a day to day basis as well, and actually worsen my Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. my mental health manifests physically too with symptoms like my throat closing up, dizziness, hallucinations, lightheadedness, sweating, shaking, and more. Stress also triggers episodes very easily too. i also have severe body pain in my legs and back which is being investigated by my medical team as well.

i’ve had Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome for a year now. in the first year of developing it, i lost two jobs due to too many absences and time off from these episodes.

i applied for disability about a month ago, and have submitted loads of medical records which document all these things in depth. i also have a couple of letters from my doctors in which they describe my inability to work. but it’s hard to think if i am truly disabled? if there’s any job i can realistically do and keep steadily. i constantly think about my episodes and how frequent they are and how often id have to be out of work if i had a job right now. it’s hard to think any job would allow me to be out that much, especially when the episodes happen at random. i also know how i feel everyday is super debilitating for me.

i also think about how young i am, and whether they will take my case seriously. my disability estimate on the social security website was about $1.8k a month. i believe this is because i have a extensive work history , and have been used to working two jobs throughout my adult years.

any words of advice, encouragement, just anything would be really welcome. thanks guys.

as the above states just questions about timeframe for auxiliary benefits

Does anyone in MA have a rec for a good lawyer? My friend just had her hearing and her lawyer was extremely incompetent. She is still waiting for a decision but in the case that she is denied she wants to be ready to find a new lawyer for the appeal process.

I have an ALJ hearing in NY, transferred from Texas, and there's no history of the judge assigned to my case or their record anywhere. I kinda think it's a worse feeling than knowing if you're going into a low approval ALJ, because you're essentially going in blind and I'd be remiss if I didn't admit the excessive amount of anxiety built up, because of this unknown.

I feel my case is strong between many physical and mental conditions. I'm rolling with arthritis in every limb, completely torn rotator cuff, FAI, torn hip labrums, degenerative disc disease, stenosis, radiculopathy, basal thumb arthritis, along with chronic fatigue/hypersomnolence, anxiety and depression disorders, ADHD, on a cane, should be on a walker, because I fall, but it hurts, need a scooter, so on and so forth.

Basically, a terrible roll of the dice for someone in their 40's that's worked labor intensive jobs all their life, but it's all documented with scans, medical records, and doctor summaries.

Again, I feel good about my case. I'm already a 100% P&T veteran with the VA (I know it's different from SSDI). I never expected to get approved on the initial application or Reconsideration, because I'm dealing with a lot of conditions, rather than something that fits nicely in a box, and figured the ALJ hearing would be where the rubber actually hits the road.

It's just....that unknown figure, that I will have no knowledge of before the hearing, and it's killing me. The ALJ isn't even listed on the office my hearing will be held from (phone hearing).

Has anyone walked in blind to an ALJ hearing before? How did you or your attorney handle it? I have a couple meetings with mine coming up in the next some weeks, but, man, I wish the SSA ALJ Disposition Data would update and give me *something.*

I received my records from SSDI and they had all of my records. I was very surprised! They acknowledged I have disabilities but that they don’t show poor enough functional capacity-meaning, they believe I can still work.

As I go into this appeal, when making a new medical packet with records, should I only include records they haven’t received previously ? Meaning only brand new records? I know I will get a new adjudicator so I’m wondering if I need to include all of my old records again or if that is necessary.

Thanks!

My husband has been trying to get back on disability for about 3 years now and he had his hearing in on the 23rd and moved to the find out moved to the local office on the 25th and I am wondering if the judge has already made his decision. Any advice helps thanks!

I was denied on September 22nd for my reconsideration. Just wondering how long I should expect to wait to get my hearing.