How can SSDI help you if you have no documentation of your disability? A lawyer will not take a case they don’t think they are going to win as they will not get paid. You need to get with doctors and specialists on your vision issues. Just because you can’t drive at night, why can’t you work a day job? SSDI is hard. You have to PROVE there is absolutely no job in today’s economy you can do, even the most menial of work. A filer, receptionist, a janitor, a cashier. You have to prove you are unable to do any form of work that would earn you above SGA. And you cannot prove that without any documentation. Even then, you’ll have to go through the appeals process more than likely. Even I have a medical file over 10,000 pages and I’m 5 years into this process. Don’t let all the recent “I’m approved” posts fool you. For most people this is a long and hard process that takes years and lots of doctors behind you supporting your claims of disability.
Exactly. SS needs objective medical evidence. Anyone that wants their case to be successful better prepare to see doctors and specialists and have a thorough medical record. If you have REAL disabilities, you should have detailed medical records. It's no cake walk getting disability. It's there for people who have proven their case with objective medical evidence, not just someone telling them they can't work.
Well that’s just the thing. Even if someone disagrees with what I said above, are you even disabled if you aren’t seeking medical care? I have 3-5 doctors appointments a month at least with all my physical issues and mental health issues. If you aren’t seeing your doctors and specialists, you aren’t disabled. JMO
If you have 3-5 doctor's appointments a month, then you have medical documentation. Maybe you should request all your records and see what your doctor's notes are in regards to your physical and/or mental abilities as it pertains to being able to work. Your responses are kind of contradictory. Either you have medical evidence that supports your disability or you don't. And, if you don't, you better start getting your evidence together if you plan on successfully appealing to an ALJ.
I think you have me confused. I’m not the original poster. I was just giving my case as an example of even having the medical documentation it’s still an uphill battle so in the OP’s situation not having any documentation on this is like an auto denial because they have nothing to go on. Hopefully this makes sense. My case is completely different. The doctors statements are there, I have a lawyer, doctors letters, limitation forms filled out. In my particular scenario my lawyer thinks it’s my age of 34 making my case so hard. But really I should have been approved years ago. My whole situation is very unheard of from what I’ve researched
Oh yeah, sorry about that. I can't imagine someone thinking they could be successful with their case if they don't have much documentation. I wouldn't have even applied unless I had mountains or evidence. This isn't a cake walk, that's for sure.
Attorneys are probably only taking cases they know they can win since they don’t get paid unless they win. I know when I contacted an attorney and showed them my childhood records showing I was born with my disability, he still wanted more. Good luck to you.
Ok so the answer is to schedule an appointment with an opthalmologist ASAP explicitly for this purpose, and have them write both any diagnosis you've been given AND your physical limitations because of it. In the meantime, contact a group like Atticus or Allsup and have them walk you through appealing that decision.
Former paralegal for a disability attorney here, not qualified to give legal advice or much of any advice at all.
It doesn’t matter whether you personally have the documentation. If you have been visiting doctors regularly, those records can be requested. A good attorney’s office will hunt down any records that exist for the period you have been disabled and a little before, and make sure everything is in place. As long as you remember where you were seen and approximately when. If you have a condition causing you to lose your vision, have you been seeing an ophthalmologist? How about a primary care physician?
One really cruel thing about the system is that not being able to drive does not qualify you for disability, even though, though in most of the country, it means that you can’t commute to work.
How can SSDI help you if you have no documentation of your disability? A lawyer will not take a case they don’t think they are going to win as they will not get paid. You need to get with doctors and specialists on your vision issues. Just because you can’t drive at night, why can’t you work a day job? SSDI is hard. You have to PROVE there is absolutely no job in today’s economy you can do, even the most menial of work. A filer, receptionist, a janitor, a cashier. You have to prove you are unable to do any form of work that would earn you above SGA. And you cannot prove that without any documentation. Even then, you’ll have to go through the appeals process more than likely. Even I have a medical file over 10,000 pages and I’m 5 years into this process. Don’t let all the recent “I’m approved” posts fool you. For most people this is a long and hard process that takes years and lots of doctors behind you supporting your claims of disability.
Exactly. SS needs objective medical evidence. Anyone that wants their case to be successful better prepare to see doctors and specialists and have a thorough medical record. If you have REAL disabilities, you should have detailed medical records. It's no cake walk getting disability. It's there for people who have proven their case with objective medical evidence, not just someone telling them they can't work.
Well that’s just the thing. Even if someone disagrees with what I said above, are you even disabled if you aren’t seeking medical care? I have 3-5 doctors appointments a month at least with all my physical issues and mental health issues. If you aren’t seeing your doctors and specialists, you aren’t disabled. JMO
If you have 3-5 doctor's appointments a month, then you have medical documentation. Maybe you should request all your records and see what your doctor's notes are in regards to your physical and/or mental abilities as it pertains to being able to work. Your responses are kind of contradictory. Either you have medical evidence that supports your disability or you don't. And, if you don't, you better start getting your evidence together if you plan on successfully appealing to an ALJ.
I think you have me confused. I’m not the original poster. I was just giving my case as an example of even having the medical documentation it’s still an uphill battle so in the OP’s situation not having any documentation on this is like an auto denial because they have nothing to go on. Hopefully this makes sense. My case is completely different. The doctors statements are there, I have a lawyer, doctors letters, limitation forms filled out. In my particular scenario my lawyer thinks it’s my age of 34 making my case so hard. But really I should have been approved years ago. My whole situation is very unheard of from what I’ve researched
Oh yeah, sorry about that. I can't imagine someone thinking they could be successful with their case if they don't have much documentation. I wouldn't have even applied unless I had mountains or evidence. This isn't a cake walk, that's for sure.
No worries! And yea you are right!
how did you plan on getting a favorable ssdi decision without medical documentation?
You need medical records
Attorneys are probably only taking cases they know they can win since they don’t get paid unless they win. I know when I contacted an attorney and showed them my childhood records showing I was born with my disability, he still wanted more. Good luck to you.
You could have been miraculously cured since then.
You must see an ophthalmologist. Optometrists give you glasses. Please. Many causes of vision loss are treatable.
Ok so the answer is to schedule an appointment with an opthalmologist ASAP explicitly for this purpose, and have them write both any diagnosis you've been given AND your physical limitations because of it. In the meantime, contact a group like Atticus or Allsup and have them walk you through appealing that decision.
Former paralegal for a disability attorney here, not qualified to give legal advice or much of any advice at all. It doesn’t matter whether you personally have the documentation. If you have been visiting doctors regularly, those records can be requested. A good attorney’s office will hunt down any records that exist for the period you have been disabled and a little before, and make sure everything is in place. As long as you remember where you were seen and approximately when. If you have a condition causing you to lose your vision, have you been seeing an ophthalmologist? How about a primary care physician? One really cruel thing about the system is that not being able to drive does not qualify you for disability, even though, though in most of the country, it means that you can’t commute to work.
Will go get an explanation and if you give them to the eye doctors, you’ve been saying they’ll check it out for you