After a ton of preparation and much waiting I finally had my disability appointment yesterday.  I think it went very well.  Because I had made an appointment I only had to wait for about twenty minutes in the crowded waiting room that was ripe for Swine flu conditions. The woman who interviewed me was nice, I told her I was nervous and she said in an non-bitchy way, “Well, you’re going to be here for about an hour and a half so you might as well relax”.

She took all of my documentation (doctor’s letters, chart notes, lab tests, etc.) and scanned them into the computer.  She said some people come in and she asks them what medications they are on and they can’t remember and she has to put down “Don’t know”.  She said a lot of people don’t even fill out the worksheet that they ask you to fill out.  I am hoping these are the people you hear about that get turned down on their first try!

She told me that I may get letters asking what I do all day and I told her that I had already answered that.  She said that sometimes if someone’s documentation is complete a decision can be made in a week instead of the three months or so that they usually tell you!

I was really glad that I had everything written down.  She didn’t ask me too many questions but when you are nervous you forget things.  I even had to think about the date I got married!

For anyone about to apply for disability I would definitely recommend NOT doing anything on-line, making an appointment and doing your whole interview and handing them your documentation in one fell swoop.  It just goes more smoothly and hopefully everything I have done will result in a positive outcome!  I was definitely encouraged by Social Security to merely apply on-line.

I am not going to write about everything I included in applying for disability since I have not been approved.  I can’t claim any expertise, but if I do get approved I will definitely point people in the right direction as to where I got my advice from.

No one wants to admit that one can no longer work.  I certainly don’t want to take an approximately $50,000 pay cut (from when I was working) but at this point I will be very grateful if I do get approved and feel that in some way I am contributing toward supporting my family again.  We really need it too.