If you are on Disability, when did you get approved?

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At what stage of the process, initial, reconsideration, hearing stage, or other? (in the US that is, but if you are from another country, feel free to comment) Or are you in the process of applying for disability?

In Canada you cannot get a Disability Pension until you are 18. I think you can start the application process at 17 but it won't go through until you turn 18. Mostly it was forms, but there was one meeting that my mom and I went to -I don't remember much about the meeting or the forms because I have really low executive function skills and so my mom did most of the talking.

Not sure if this is what you meant.

Im wondering this too

I got on SSI several years ago, but for other health issues. My initial application was denied. The state assistance office people told me this was usually the case, but that you should appeal if you had a good case. They also said it would be best to have an attorney to help, and that the wait for an appeal hearing in my area would take about 18 months. So I appealed the decision, and got a Legal Aid attorney, as I had no money to pay a commercial one. In the mean time I was on state assistance and had qualified for Medicaid. I used the Medicaid to get doctor appointments for all my health problems. I even found out I had cancer, and had surgery and radiation treatment while waiting for my appeal. Medicaid covered all except a few dollars of it, but I used my state assistance to pay those few dollars. The state assistance I was getting was about half what I am getting now on SSI, and wasn't enough to pay all my living expenses. I rent a trailer from my parents, so they gave me a temporary big price reduction until I could qualify for SSI, but I had trouble paying for bills and other expenses until then. I had no big debts and don't waste money on gambling, booze, tobacco products or illegal drugs, but the amount of money from state assistance was really not enough.

After about 18 months I finally had my hearing. My attorney had helped me during several visits over that time. She had compiled copies of my medical records from all my doctor visits that I made while waiting for the hearing. This meant that I had plenty of evidence to present at the hearing. Thanks to my attorney's help, and all my medical records I won my appeal hearing, and qualified for SSI. I think it took a few days for SS to get me in their system and start making payments.

When you have filed for SS benefits, and are appealing a denial, if you later win your case, they have to pay back benefits dating from the date of your application. Because some people have substance abuse problems or are just bad at managing money, they don't give you the back payment in one lump sum. They break it down into several smaller lumps and pay them out over the course of a year or two. If you had a Legal Aid attorney or an attorney working on contingent of getting paid only if you win, then SS deducts the attorneys fees first, to pay the attorneys that helped you.

If you have applied for SS Disability assistance, and have been denied, do appeal, but definitely do get an attorney to help you out. I don't know enough about how to handle any kind of legal case to have handled it on my own, and the same holds true for most other people. You really need an attorney to help you navigate the system. Also, while waiting for your appeal hearing, see doctors for all of your health problems, so you will have evidence to support your case at the hearing.

If you are denied again at the hearing, you can appeal again, and again, and keep appealing, but you need to have medical evidence to prove your case or you will keep getting denied. So see the docs so you will have medical records for your case.

Hope this helps.

Oz, so different.

Approved after going through with the motions (technically, my mother filled them out and spoke for me on the phone and all that).

It was:

forms
two doctors sign said forms (GP and specialist)
go in and see government psychologist at disability place
then approval

ASD is the disorder listed for me.

Just after I turned 16, we went to Centrelink (Australia) to apply for the DSP (Disability Pension), we already had all of the correct papers to do so and within 6 weeks I was on DSP.

I just got my 2nd denial today. After my 1st a lawyer told me to just file the reconsideration on my own because they would probably turn me down. After they completely ignored their own doctors report the 1st time I thought they would take it into consideration the 2nd time. Nope. I guess they only use their doctor's report if it says there's nothing wrong with you. The way it is they just give you a BS reason and let you rot for another 6 months. I guess I'll have to subpoena the states doctor so the court doesn't ignore her too.

The icing on the cake was reading about Georgia teachers getting unemployment during summer break while under contract with their schools. The s**t you can get out of the government if you have a union... Aspie Union anyone?

Im from Australia and it took over 3 months for Centrelink to process and approve my application to go on the Disability Pension and that was in 2004.

I'm in Australia, and the whole process was sorted out within 2-3 months for me. Centrelink required an interview to judge if I qualified for it, but after being told I was too socially inept to attend said interview it got sorted out by doctors form.