Derek1987 Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 So i have a phone hearing coming up. I have been diagnosed with hyper pots and hypermobile eds. I take carvedilol 25mg twice a day Xanax 1mg 4x a day Florinef 0.1mg half a tablet once a day Midodrine 5mg if necessary The xanax is not prescribed by my autonomic dr. Everything else is. This illness has changed my past 2 plus years of life dramatically. What words of wisdom do any of you have who have been through a hearing for SSDI? Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiminOrlando Posted October 14, 2020 Report Share Posted October 14, 2020 I really hope you have an attorney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek1987 Posted October 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 2 hours ago, KiminOrlando said: I really hope you have an attorney. I do. We are gonna prepare later this month. But i wanna prepare as much as possible. If im not approved and the fact my long term disability runs out in march, thats homeless talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiminOrlando Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 I was approved 15 years ago, but based on my autoimmune disease, mostly. At the time, dysautonomia was not really recognized. Hoping someone who was approved more recently on dysautonomia symptoms will look at their approval letter and answer your question. They have very specific criteria for the different diagnoses. This is the stuff your attorney will guide you through. They know how to bring out the right information. My hearing was scheduled, but my attorney wrote a motion for summary judgment asking for the judge to just look at the documents without needing to hear my testimony. The judge did and just approved me. I was relieved. It was a very stressful time. I wish you the very best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 I'll let you know after I have my hearing on November 19th. Lawyer said it would take around a year, but got a letter about a month after I talked to him in August. I guess being able to do everything by phone speeds it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 @Derek1987 - just be honest. I had already lost my job due to POTS after over a year of trying to work in much limited fashion, even just sitting at a computer and using a wheel chair. I was turned down twice but when i had my hearing I simply described what it is like to live with POTS, how something as simple as the ringing of the phone can make me pass out or have a seizure, that I had to lie down in a filthy bathroom in a drug store or restaurant etc to avoid making a scene by passing out in public. I pretty much simply painted a picture of the reality of living with POTS and how it affected my quality of life, financial and personal consequences etc. I had a lawyer but he never once had to speak b/c the judge asked questions and I answered honestly. There was no stress for me involved b/c I had nothing to hide. In the end the judge approved me on the spot and in his letter mentioned that in my case it was plain that the symptoms of my disorder prevent me from being able to work in any capacity. It really is the same for you ( I know how much POTS has affected you ). My advice is: don;t be scared, just be honest. I also told the judge that I don;t see anyone hiring me b/c I am unable to follow a schedule or work reliably and that I would have to disclose that to any potential employer. Who WOULD - in their right mind - hire someone who warns them that they can not even leave the house to go to the doctor without having to spend the rest of the week in bed? And cannot even promise to be able to answer the phone when it rings? Cannot stand or walk or listen to music or watch videos or sit on a computer for any length of time or even make coherent sentences? If you look at it that way you see that there simply is no way for you to work and the judge will see that too. That should give you some peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p8d Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 I never needed a hearing because I was approved upon application. Like @PistolI was honest in my answers. I couldn’t even fill out the form myself I was so ill. Your medical records are vital. You need to have everything documented by a Dr. This video should help https://vimeo.com/434576980 It’s from Dysautonomia International and is with 2 disability lawyers specifically about this in dysautonomia. It was filmed earlier this year so is current. Good luck and please let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 4 hours ago, p8d said: I never needed a hearing because I was approved upon application. Like @PistolI was honest in my answers. I couldn’t even fill out the form myself I was so ill. Your medical records are vital. You need to have everything documented by a Dr. This video should help https://vimeo.com/434576980 It’s from Dysautonomia International and is with 2 disability lawyers specifically about this in dysautonomia. It was filmed earlier this year so is current. Good luck and please let us know how it goes. Actually, I reached out to Michael because of this video and he's now handling my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek1987 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 On 10/14/2020 at 10:40 PM, MTRJ75 said: I'll let you know after I have my hearing on November 19th. Lawyer said it would take around a year, but got a letter about a month after I talked to him in August. I guess being able to do everything by phone speeds it up. Yeah please do. I cant screw this up with my nervousness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek1987 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 18 hours ago, p8d said: I never needed a hearing because I was approved upon application. Like @PistolI was honest in my answers. I couldn’t even fill out the form myself I was so ill. Your medical records are vital. You need to have everything documented by a Dr. This video should help https://vimeo.com/434576980 It’s from Dysautonomia International and is with 2 disability lawyers specifically about this in dysautonomia. It was filmed earlier this year so is current. Good luck and please let us know how it goes. Thank you. Will check this out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ65 Posted October 31, 2020 Report Share Posted October 31, 2020 I applied in 2018 and was denied twice before my hearing with an Adminstrative Law Judge in March. Having an attorney for my long term disability insurance and SSDI was key. Because of covid my hearing was switched from in person to phone and I was super stressed that I would say the wrong thing. My ssdi atty wrote a fantastic brief and the ALJ approved it before the phone hearing and I got her decision letter about a month later. Because we are all so different it’s important for your atty to know how it affects your daily life so i wrote it all out for her and she based her brief on that. A good resource I found online was The Sleepy Girls Guide to getting on disability you can google it. Very informative. I wish you the best of luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 A couple of updates on my process, which I don't whether or not they might help the OP: - Once you find out your judge, you can google them and possibly find out their disability reward rates (mine is at 48%, which is right around average it seems). - Visited the neurologist yesterday and it took nearly two hours to fill out the paperwork my lawyer sent over. I greatly appreciate my neuro taking the time to do this as I think will help a lot. Has your lawyer done anything like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 Did this today and real quickly (will try to post a more in depth report when able): - It was actually fairly difficult for everyone to hear one another and to know who was supposed to talk when. - The note above about the paperwork the lawyer asked the neurologist to fill out may have helped a lot. It basically filled in most of the gaps the judge was asking about in terms of specific diagnoses and testing. - I was asked to describe my symptoms and typical day and was able to get across that there are no typical days. Things change by the hour. - My lawyer emphasized that it's not a total inability to do anything ever that stops me from working, but rather the sustainability of any productive activity. - An expert vocational witness was brought in and the judge asked a number of questions about all the jobs a sedentary person could perform and then my lawyer basically asked two questions: 1) How many of those jobs are still viable if I had to raise my legs 20 degrees most of the day (The answer was none.) 2) I don't remember the wording of this one exactly, but the gist how many days or hours I would be able to miss in these jobs. The decision wasn't rendered today. The judge gave us another few weeks to make we are able to submit all records and paperwork we wanted to. It could be another month or two before we get the final decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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