Need An Article Describing Pots

[bellajulz]

Hi All,

I was denied by my LTD company for benefits and I have one more chance to appeal it. I was hoping for any suggestions and was also looking for a article that I could print out and send to the appeal board describing pots. So far I think the best I've found is what is listed on this site, I just want to be sure they understand just how severe pots can be. They have stated that they believe I can still work even though my docs have stated that I am a hazard and am permantely disabled.

I was going to use an attorney, but so far they all want a cut in all my future benefits which I cant afford to do. Any suggestions would GREATLY be appreciated.

A little history on me...

I have had pots since October 2008, I'm a fainter and have recently figured out that I have hyper pots... :ike everyone else I have good days and bad days, though I do not faint as much since I can recognize before it's going to happen and can lay down since I'm home almost ALL of the time.. lol..

Thanks in advance!!!

[HopeSprings]

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/117/21/2814.full

Sorry, that's really disappointing. I just don't think people (even Dr's) get how serious this is. You may have this article already. I like it because he describes how BAD this can be - see below:

"Symptoms may be of such severity that normal activities of life, such as bathing, housework, and even eating can be significantly limited. POTS patients have been reported to suffer from a degree of functional impairment similar to that seen in conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, yet these patients are all-too-frequently misdiagnosed as having severe anxiety or panic disorder.^4,5"

[Clairefmartin]

I love Dr Raj's article, even mentions hyper pots....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1501099/

Best of luck!!!

Claire

[bellajulz]

Thanks to you both!!! Very much apreciated...

[martiz]

While articles may be helpful, I don't think they would be useful in approving your claim. What you need is proof that the articles apply to you and that can usually only be done by testing.

I had a neuro psych evaluation done and felt that was important to my case. The other test that is sometimes done is a functional capacity test but this can be detrimental to some people so you would have to weigh that carefully. This test might work better for POTsies because you won't be able to put your hands over your head, your heart rate issues, fainting, etc. Unfortunately for ME/CFIDS or Fibromyalgia, the test doesn't measure functionality the next day or the day after, when symptoms appear, so the test is usually detrimental.

Have you considered Allsup? I was planning on using them. They can only take the portion allowed by the government. And they don't take a portion of future earnings (that's robbery!)

http://www.allsup.co...ation/fees.aspx

Don't forget that there is a time limit for SSDI(used to be 5 years). So, don't let your appeals expire.

Disclaimer: I didn't get my disability for POTS so hopefully others can give you advice. And I didn't go for LTD with my employer. I went for SSDI.

Marti

Edited March 10, 2012 by martiz

[martiz]

Also, I am not suggesting that you don't use the articles but add some medical documentation to offer objective proof.

[jem15]

My situation was a little reverse to yours, but I'll share some stuff in case it helps. I qualified with my company's LTD plan, but then they also had me apply to SSDI (cause if SSDI pays you, they dont have to pay you as much). SSDI got denied a few times before going through. The LTD co. assigned me free lawyers to fight SSDI, ha, and it still got denied the first 2 times, and then was going to a hearing, and two days before, they called me to cancel saying it finally got approved.

Anyway, the lawyers they gave me were part of a national group that does disability law called "The Advocator Group", you can look them up if you want. Advocator.com It may be worth looking into the lawyer thing again..They only took fees out of the retroactive benefits, and technically my LTD ate the cost of that, not me.. I don't know if it works differently for LTD co. vs SSDI.. but that was my experience.

Also, I was told by the lawyer there, and also on another site "Chronicbabe.com", if you look up Jeff Rabin, I think his name was.. he was offering some people tips on there for free, again in reference to SSDI, but maybe he knows about LTD co too.. anyway, I wanted to bring in Dr. Raj's article, the Dinet POTS brochure, etc... and they told me it wouldn't help me and that the judge didnt want to see that.. Now, ha, I might still bring it if I were you, just to refer too, especially if you're fighting this yourself.. .but what they said was, it's not the name of the condition or research about the condition that they care about, it's how that condition specificially affects your functioning and ability to work full time in ANY job. They felt the doctors' letters specifically stating how your symptoms affect you, have the best chance of working. In my case, that's eventually what helped and the judge quoted their words in her decision. Having it said from multiple doctors helps too.

Now, it seems like you have that information already, so I don't know if LTD co.'s are the same as SSDI sometimes in that they just try to deny you a couple times first? Or if they just stink... I've heard LTC co's can be really shady sometimes and that's why I was surprised I got thru 1st time with mine.. I don't think it could hurt to bring the articles, but really hit hard with your doctors' letters. And if they don't specifically state things with the wording you need, explain to them the severity of the situation and ask if they'd write a short note explaining how the symptoms aren't just disabling, but also specifically how.. like she can't tolerate sitting in a chair for extended periods, needs frequent breaks to lie down.. has trouble with sustained activity of any kind, etc..

Best of luck to you! Hang in there, I know it's a grueling and draining process, but fight like heck if you really need it. I have no other choice but to be on disability, no other way to support myself, no one to help me, so I had to get it.. and i'm still in constant fear that they'll just arbitrarily take it away, ha,but will deal with it then.. Anyway, just wanted to let you know I feel your pain, and it's worth fighting and putting in all the work. Even with lawyers, I was the one who did most of the work getting the dr's info , having them write the stuff correctly.. i even gave them notes reminding them of what needed to be included.... in the end i'm glad i did cause it was those letters that won the case... Whether you can get lawyers or not, hang in there being your own advocate!