Social Security Disability-Approved At Last!

Success!!! I have finally been approved for Social Secuity Disability! Although I will never understand why I was denied in the first place, I won my appeal!

This makes such a difference for me, on many levels. First, I will receive monthly benefits, which will ease the financial burden on my family while I am unable to work. As I have been unable to work for over a year, our family finances have been severely impacted and this will help immensely. I can also now be my own donor to my A Little From A Lot fundraising campaign. And that feels good.

Second, I will be eligible for Medicare two years from the date of my eligibility. Down the line, this will make a big difference in my ongoing medical expenses by providing a secondary insurance.

Third, and almost more important, is that I fought and I won. I finally feel validated and that my efforts have paid off to help me help myself. I refused to go away, to just accept "no". I had literally gone to the Social Security Administration office and told them I wouldn't leave until someone helped me figure this disaster out. And I got the help I needed (Thanks again, Michele. You rock!). Although I can tell you that Mr. Window #1 and I will likely never be friends.

It feels good. And I also will hopefully get one of those super cool handicap plackards for the car.....

Lessons learned and my message about SSA Disability to others:

1. Don't count on the system making sense nor to move quickly.
2. Keep fighting. The preliminary decisions are not made by medical professionals. It is apparently not until you are initially denied and move through the appeal process that medical professionals rather than administrators become involved in reviewing your medical records.
3. Don't count on the system making sense nor to move quickly.

One battle crossed off the list. Hooray! But I will be back, when I am better, to keep fighting this system, to try to affect change. It shouldn't be this way. And I know I have been fortunate to have the resources and support to fight the system for this long and this hard. Many people don't have that or perhaps don't know how to do it.