How Many Stage 4 Girls are getting SS disability..
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Congrats nine....so happy for you. I have called my case worker and left messages...no call back. I'm going to call the general number on Monday and see if anyone can tell me where I am in the system. Also, my 2009 earnings are not posted yet....most money I have ever made....I hope that will be included in my calculations.
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Robin did you check the internet? My Dr. told me that recurrent BC is Stage 4....0 -
Sandy
I did check the internet..says no decision has been made yet. I did call and leave another voice mail today.
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Social Security called me back this afternoon. I have been approved. I asked about my 2009 earnings and she said I could send her a copy of my W2 and they would include it and it would raise my check. IRS has not furnished them with 2009 info yet.
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yay Robin! I felt so much better when i got mine approved. I will feel even better when i get my first payment
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Me too Nine, I am supposed to get mine on 7/2 and then on the 3rd of each month. The book I got with the approval said that in the letter it says when you will be reviewed, I don't think mine did, have to re-read t. They told me that it is a month behind so I will be gettinf June's payment then...I gave them my W2 form when I sent the info in and I only made 5000.00 in 2009.....My kids did get SSI and I got child support also, but that is non reportable to the IRS but not to welfare for foodstamps.
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I do feel better too nine. The extra money will sure help.
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I'm here in California, is it different in each state?
I get $1,800 each month from SSDI. None from SSI. I used to get extra $900 per month for my minor child, until she turned 18.
I worked for 13 years.
Hope this helps,
Myra
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I just applied and hope everything goes through quickly. I was diagnosed Oct 07 then lost my job in Nov 08, and have been out of work since. There are many great days but then totally out of the blue I get a side efffect that knocks me off my feet for a few days. Also have been in the hospital 3 times this year since March and that makes it hard to work. After all my years of working and contributing it would be great to get a check. I know unemployment paid about 50% of my salary, I hope disability pays more. These bills keep mounting and I keep needing more services. Sometimes feels like a losing battle.
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Hi Jneumann
Mine was approved in 2 weeks. Hope yours go as quickly and things calm down for you.
Hugs from NY
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Hi, All,
Mine was approved in 3 weeks and I received a check within 6. I applied on line, then the next day a rep called me, we reviewed my application and he asked more questions (took about 35 min.) He said he would try to expedite it and that no paperwork would be required of me. That was it! It was so much easier than I expected. I live in Colorado.
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I applied a month ago and they (or the post office) seem to have lost my medical records, and I can't get through to confirm whether they found them or not. I think I'll go to my dr's tomorrow and make more copies, then hand-deliver them.
*sigh*
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LWD
are you talking SSD or SSI? I have a 5 month waiting period in NY. So, they rush the application thru in 2 weeks and then make me wait for 5 months. Only in NY......
Robin0 -
As I said I applied 5/25 was approved 6/5 and received my first check today....and it is a month behind so what I received is for June. My kids also received 153.00 a piece....(2). Good luck!!0
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Technically, staging IS only done at initial diagnosis. What most of us have here is distant recurrent metastasis.
However, the everyday layperson use of "stage 4" for our condition is so prevalent, even BCO uses it. So, the SS admin uses it too. If your doc says you have distant recurrent metasteses, that will fit the definition of permanent disability for SSDI.
Also, the 5 / 6 month waiting period is a federal thing, not a state thing. You are supposed to live on short term disability or savings until the long term disability kicks in.
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HI MJL
Thanks for clearing that up. I thought for sure it was screwy NY!
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So I applied June 2 and my case is still in progress. My local SS office called to say that they had faxed the medical records I provided to the DDS (disability determination service) but they can't find the originals. The online status shows that it's in medical review. Any idea how long it should take from here?
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Just found out I was approved, and also have a 5-month wait. Blondie, maybe you don't have a wait because of your childrens' benefits? Just a thought.
E
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Wow, I thought I'd been on this thread alread, but...OK. I applied in May 2009 for SS disability.I was phone interviewed in June 2009, it seemed to go so well I was shocked....I was a mess from chemo I got my first check in August, which included some "extra" (back) money (most of which I used to pay for a sleep dentist to knock me out, clean up the crud and fill all those cavities since I'm such a dental phobic and my teeth were a mess, which chemo actually made worse!). Well anyhoo...yup I get that check once a month, it's keeping me off the street (hehehe) and yeah, I got "ticket to work" paperwork in the mail too, I don't recall if it was before or after my actual frst benefits check but OK. I was in no position to work when I got it though, I was too messed up from chemo. A few months ago when things were looking brighter for me (very briefly, about a month or two ago), I was thinking "maybe someday" I could get a part time job...i know I could never do full time again...I could certainly use a couple extra bucks and you can work part time without losing your benefits as long as they're not over somthing like $900 or $980.....but now I'm oo depressed and physically/emotionally wrecked from nasty AI SEs.... :-(
Oh well, we'll see I guess..
~Lena.
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I think it is b/c I was diagnosed with the mets December 8, 2009 and 6 months is June, not sure tho..
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RobinNY:
Sorry, I didn't see your post. I'm taking SSD. I realize I'm very lucky it was approved so fast. They sent me an initial check to include the months since my diagnosis (so, a nice chunk), then a month after that my monthly checks started coming. I decided to apply now since if I had waited until after I started collecting SS at 62, I wouldn't have gotten the increased amount. This way, I get a larger check now, and it will stay the same after age 62. Good luck! Lane
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Got my first check and the boys got theirs also!!
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LWD, are you getting federal SSDI? I applied last year and was approved, with my first check arriving in October, for the month of September, which was 5 months from my last day of work (4/2). But, the amount I received was the normal monthly amount; there was no retroactive money in it. I wonder if there should have been?
All, I am still confused about the "Ticket to Work". Like may here, I can do some offie work, jsut can't put in 8 hour days, 5 days a week. I am confused about (1) how many hours I can WORK vs how much I can EARN - do they care? Because I am an engineering manager, I could reach that $900 cap within a few days of part-time work. Which brings me to question (2) the SSDI monthly check has been a life saver these past months while I continued treatment, but the real saver will be when I qualify for Medicare next spring and can get rid of the $1200/month COBRA payment. Does working part-time jeopardize that qualification?
I tried to get answers from SS but after 2 phone calls each with a 20-minute wait on my cell phone (only phone I have!), I had to give up. A face-to-face visit is probably the solution, but that is a waste of a day for me and my caregiver (who drives).
So, help!
THanks
Karen0 -
a face to face is the solution but I got my answers on the phone....I don't know.
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I've been receiving benefits since March. I work half days as that is all my onc will allow. I also have long term disability through my job as long as I'm working. The long term disability deducts the amount that SS pays from what they pay. They have a get back to work incentive plan so I get to keep the part time income I'm earning. I don't make nearly as much as I used to but I'm a single woman with a house payment and haven't lost my home yet so that is a plus. The medical bills are paid in payments with no interest, that helps too. It was not difficult to get onto SSD but I did have to have five months off work prior to receiving benefits. That was a rough patch but with the help of friends and family I'm surviving it all.
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Hi Karen,
I pulled out the letter I received after I was approved for SSDI. I was mistaken in my earlier posts. I was diagnosed with Stage IV in Feb., 09. I worked part time until Oct., then applied for disability when I decided I needed to stop. I guess there WAS a 5 month waiting period from my date of diagnosis, because they told me I would receive a lump-sum early Dec., which would include the money due for Aug. - Nov., 09. So I guess those first months which I wasn't paid for were the waiting period. So, I DID receive 3 months of payments early Dec., then starting in Jan. I received the monthly payment on thte 3rd Wed of each month.
I have never had to call the SS office, thank God, but I imagine it's a mess. I did find all my questions were answered on their website, if you look hard. I'm not planning to work again, at least for a while, but I think they look at the amount you make, rather than the hours, and you have to let them know when you do work again. I found this on the website. It's kind of like working part time after you take SS at age 62. It sounds like once you've been approved for SSDI you automatically will qualify for Medicare 2 years later. Don't think it matters if you're working part time. Hoping I'll see the day! That will definitely help the finances.
Hope this helps, and good luck. Let me know if you find out something different from what I'm understanding.
Lane
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kwhite,
Hi again. Seems I pick up different info every time I get on the SS website. I read that you can get on a Trial Work Program, where you can work 9 months (not necessarily consecutively), with no limit to the amount you make per month; then possibly get on an extended work plan after that. So, that's goods news. Previously I understood you can only make $900/month. Couldn't even find where I got that info!
Lane
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I am only on page 2 of 28 but am trying to read as much as i can before my kids take over the computer (a 5 yr old and 2 yr old begging for PBS.org!)
Okay so i havent worked enough credits in the time frame allowed (after age 21 and before dx) i've been a stay at home mom for the last 5 yrs (i am 27)
i was told i would need to apply for ssi- does that still have childrens benifits. I also am not looking for a hand out or a free ride. I like everyone else have MOUNTING medical bills- and they are getting out of contol. I just started chemo, my next dose is Monday, so this week i feel fit as a fiddel, but next week i'll be down and out, the floowing week on house arrest (lol avoiding crowds i mean)... My oldest is in full day kinder, my youngest is still at home with me, but in oct will start full day headstart (when he turns 3-qualifies for speech)
Anyways, should i even bother at applying now? I have mets to my lungs (thats vital) but its my goal and hope that they shrink/disappear with chemo...
ADVICE?????
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I can't advise on the SS question. If you haven't done so, ask you oncologist if your treatment center has a social worker you can meet with. They will be able to guide you. In terms of financial aid for medical bills, try contacting
Patient Advocate Foundation (1 800 532 5274 or http://www.patientadvocate.org/).
You might also check out the metastatic breast cancer thread for Young Survivors (women under age 40 with breast cancer).
http://www.youngsurvival.org/bulletin-board/
Hope this helps, others with SS expetise will weigh in.
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I've been receiving SS disability payments for about a year now (since July or August 2009) -- with Stage IV IBC I was almost immediately approved for Social Security Disability when I applied last year in June -- and I'm already enrolled in Medicare! How did that happen?! I had thought it would take TWO years, BUT, one day in the mail maybe a month ago, I received mail from the Social Security Administration/Medicare "welcoming" me to Medicare, along with a Medicare card that says I have Medicare Part A and Part B effective as of 11/1/10! Okay, fine, I won't question it, I'm gonna need it (I'm on Medicaid now, and am going to have to apply for Medicaid again soon since I'm moving to another state)....my sole source of income IS the social security disability so I ain't what anyone would call wealthy! LOL
~Lena.
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