First, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to my fund. You have gotten me through the last four months of rent and utilities.
But (there’s always a “but”, isn’t there?)
My SSDI appeal hearing is Wed 10/26. My lawyer believes I have a strong case, so I will present this request as if I will win my case.
The SSA will still have to process the judge’s decision, so it could be two months or more before I see any money. Once my checks start coming in, I’ll be able to meet my monthly expenses. In the meantime, I need to raise enough for November, December, and January. My family is not in a position to help financially, although they have provided advice and moral support for which I am grateful.
So I now ask, at the risk of sounding desperate, that each and every Doper kick in $10 or $15 (or more, of course, if you’re so inclined). Those of you who know me (albeit only virtually) know that I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same for any of you. So, please. Help a frood out.
If your claim is denied at the ALJ level, I would advise NOT appealing that decision to the Appeals’ Council. You will face a significant additional delay of at least a year for them to process the appeal. I would just reapply at the initial level.
I do not mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I work in one of the very offices in which ALJs adjudicate these claims. That said, there is a decent bit of variance with respect to ALJs, and even though they largely follow the law, there are some exceptions. I’ve seen a lot of private disability attorneys here promise a lot of things, only to come up short.
That said, you know your case better than anyone. A lot of attorneys won’t even take on a case if they feel it has little merit in front of an ALJ, so there’s that at least.
Again, I do not mean to discourage, more to prepare you for the possibility. Best of luck and I hope you win.
Also, if you are facing eviction, have your lawyer file what’s called a “critical dire need request”, which will mark your claim as such at the ODAR office. It will speed up processing at every level, but I must admit that the largest reduction is from waiting to be scheduled, and you’ve already eclipsed that one. There are a few additional steps after the hearing which would benefit from the critical dire need label, though, so I would advise that you have your attorney do that. You will be asked to provide utility shut-off notices, eviction notices, lack of assets, etc.
My lawyer said it went well. Their employability expert agreed I cannot work. But I have to wait for the judge to hand down her decision, which could be anywhere from two to six weeks, even with the “dire need” tag. And November’s rent will be due before that, so, Dopers, please?
Bumping because, as much as I dislike doing so, I have to beg for a bit more. The November rent grace period is up on the 10th, and I still need $500 to make rent and bills. This will hopefully be the last time I have to ask, so please? Thank you so much in advance.
