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Nurses & Disability


Mito Momma

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I know there are quite a few nurses on here. I was just curious... For those nurses who have applied for disability, were any of you approved? And were any of you approved on the first try?

Thanks!

I am not a nurse (just in nursing school) and just applied for disability. Hopefully someone will apply so i can know what to expect! I have already got a lawyer to help out.

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I was approved on the 1st try. I was so thankful after all the terrible stories I had heard. I had a friend who is a lawyer who helped me a bit but otherwise it was a fairly easy process for me. Hope you all are successful as well. The wait to find out was the most stressful part.

Brye

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I am a nurse and recently applied for social security disablity. I put my application in the first of October. Now the waiting begins. How long did people have to wait on average? If I get denied, I plan to get a lawyer asap.

I was approved on the 1st try. I was so thankful after all the terrible stories I had heard. I had a friend who is a lawyer who helped me a bit but otherwise it was a fairly easy process for me. Hope you all are successful as well. The wait to find out was the most stressful part.

Brye

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Yes, I was a approved after a hearing. My first two applications were on paper (not at a hearing), and my long-term disability company did the paperwork. They left out pertinent information, and my original disability was based on a hip injury which complicated things. But in preparation for the hearing, I submitted all the paperwork that should have been submitted by my LTD company:

- ALL dr's records. Just the sheer volume spoke of my desperation.

- Medical journal articles specifically on POTS and disability

- my record of all visits to drs, PTs, acupuncture, etc. The judge and OT at the hearing agreed no one could hold down a job and go to dr's offices as often as I do.

- Having gotten my diagnosis from a reputable diagnostic center was very key. I was blessed in that my judge's father was a dr at Mayo Rochester, where I was diagnosed. Having gotten my diagnosis there was so helpful.

- I also sent a two-page document called A Day in My Life which describes how my daily functioning is impacted by my illness.

- I kept a personal symptom diary for over a year which I included.

- I had made attempts to volunteer and kept a diary of how I felt before, during, after, what tasks were accomplished, what type of rest or accomodations I needed, etc.

I was approved for 2 years of SSDI after which I'll be reviewed. I worked full-time as an RN for seven years prior to my initial hip injury and worsening POTS symptoms. They found I couldn't perform ANY work in ANY capacity. I thought maybe this last summer I'd try again to work part-time and paid a PT to do a Functional Capacity Evaluation. Again, my function was super limited and my disability company said there was no real work they could find for me to do.

Before I was approved for SSDI, I made it my job to keep my dr's records and personal documentation up-to-date. I felt (and still feel) lousy all the time, but I had to try to get SSDI to pay. I'm sorry you find yourself in this predicament. You CAN be approved on the first try, especially if you have the documentation to back you up. But often young individuals are denied on the first time, so send in your appeal ASAP if that happens. My mom was approved first time, but had metastatic cancer.

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The lawyer I spoke to also said it seemed to him like younger individuals get denied more often on the 1st try. I was 37 at the time though so I guess you never know!

Brye

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How dysfunctional do you have to be to get disability? At one point, I was considering it but fought it hard b/c I love my job (teach nursing)and am doing much better thanks to my cardiologist. But I have a job where I'm off ~4 months/year so I'm afraid I wouldn't qualify if I ever really needed it. Plus, I have worked online teaching so I can pull "some" income from home but not nearly what I'd make fulltime. Can anyone advise?

Thanks!

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