dont no what to do?

[precocity]

I am 36 years old and have been with the postal service for 17 years, i make good money and have about 50.000 in retirement. about 6 years ago i was in a bad car wreck and had to have 60 stitches in my head,i was a supervisor at the time but i started having anxiety really bad and had to go back to clerk craft. so my doctor put me on effexor. so then i started doing a lot of weird things missing work excluding myself from friends and family and really not wanting to get out of bed? so then i have been in and out of mental hospitals, and i have been diagnosed as bipolar manic depressive. i am in the union but its really hard to go to work at times? now sometimes i have severe panic attacks? and it is so scary!!!!! now i take depakote, lamotrigine, seroquel and clonazepam..and i have been in and out of work for the last year??? and now my job is going out of their way to fire me.....i think i should file for social security disability but don't know if i could qualify!!!!!
please help me...

[backless]

as long as you are working earning a living you wont likely be considerd disabled,at 36 yrs of age you will also ,be considered trainable for another type of employment ,should you not be able to continue in your job.have you looked into disability from the postal service,I know they have disability that also requires a disabled worker to apply for ss disability to offset the postal services handling of the disability.i also know the fed.employees have an issue with different retirements.if you under the fers plan you would not have participitated in the ss,better check with your union for absolute concrete info about how disability will work,my advice is,you apply for fmla immediatly if not done so already and do what ever it takes to save your job,I have a friend in the postal service and he has medical issues too.The ps as you know is slimming down its workers and the economy being what it is,you dont want to be unemployed,if you were to apply for SSDI,it will take 2-3 yrs to get approved.I say that because more than 80 percent get turned down immediatly,then you need to go thru a reconsiderstion phase or a juudge hears your case.Unfortunatly you age is against you in a big way.That plus you are still working.Its not easy.I would continue to work to the best of my ability for as long as you can.If you were fifty or older,the chances for disabilit MAY be easier.You need to prove your inability with tons of documentation and have DR's willing to state you cannot work in ANY job

[teamRN]

I don't know all the laws/rules of Social Security, but I believe that a requirement at your age would be that you CAN'T WORK IN ANY CAPACITY. If SSD feels that you can be trained to do another job that doesn't require your clerk skills (with management background-even though you're not in management now), they will fight you tooth and nail on that.

However, if you've looked in your heart and more importantly LOOKED IN EARNEST and feel that there is NOTHING that you can do in the work department, then begin to apply. Like backless said, a factor against you is the fact that you currently work. It may not be what you dream of, but it's a job that you hold down.

If you feel that you can work at all, or shouldn't work at all, leave a paper trail a mile long and line up letters from EACH physician you see; asking that they say that you are unable to work at ANY job; if they are willing to. With Social Security, MUCH is about timelines and paperwork.

Because you say you feel like a "mental case," make sure you see a neurologist (get a letter from him) and ask your neurologist to send you to a neuropsychologist (ask him to write a letter). Both letters should state that they feel you are disabled from ANY kind of work. But remember, just because a doctor feels you can't work, that doesn't mean that Social Security will automatically agree with them and approve your disability application.

You need to prove that you can't work; maybe by trying other job that don't require as much attention to detail, by being completely candid with Social Security.

The process I underwent (Illinois) was stage one (where almost everyone is denied). Then there was an appeals process which needed to be complete within 60 days (or something like that). I was told by my neurologist that the only people approved at this stage were the unfortunate few who had one foot in the grave.

Then, the third phase, was an Administrative Law Judge phase. You hired an attorney (they were not allowed to charge you anything; any money owed the attorney came from your "back pay" (as this whole process can take 3 years). The attorney gathers all your records since you first applied to Social Security and sent them in to SS.

You can be of a big help to your attorney and help your case, by sending the attorney copies of your records so she can spend more time fighting your case without drowning in paperwork. Then you and your attorney go before the Administrative Law Judge and the judge renders a decision.

I didn't make it this far; my attorney and the attorney for the judge both felt that my case was warranted and we all agreed to settle without going to court. I've now been getting FULL benefits since 2003.

Annie ;)

[vision-master]

I am 36 years old and have been with the postal service for 17 years, i make good money and have about 50.000 in retirement. about 6 years ago i was in a bad car wreck and had to have 60 stitches in my head,i was a supervisor at the time but i started having anxiety really bad and had to go back to clerk craft. so my doctor put me on effexor. so then i started doing a lot of weird things missing work excluding myself from friends and family and really not wanting to get out of bed? so then i have been in and out of mental hospitals, and i have been diagnosed as bipolar manic depressive. i am in the union but its really hard to go to work at times? now sometimes i have severe panic attacks? and it is so scary!!!!! now i take depakote, lamotrigine, seroquel and clonazepam..and i have been in and out of work for the last year??? and now my job is going out of their way to fire me.....i think i should file for social security disability but don't know if i could qualify!!!!!
please help me...

Get on long term disability from your work. In other words DON'T quit your job. You MUST convince some doctor that you are unable to work. I had my best luck with a GP. Shrinks where fricken bad news...... :mad: Use up all your sick leave and file for LTD through the Post Office. You may have a waiting period of 90 days without pay. Then file for SSDI. Questions, PM me.

With the kind of disorders you have, you really can't work. Been there done that.

[Pookie]

Strongly suggest that you consult with a Social Security Attorney. One that ONLY handles SS cases. They will be able to advise if you have a case and/or a leg to stand on. The initial consultation is free.

Also visit the SS Disability website: http://www.ssa.gov/disability/


"To qualify for benefits, you must first have worked in jobs covered by Social Security. Then you must have a medical condition that meets Social Security's definition of disability. In general, we pay monthly cash benefits to people who are unable to work for a year or more because of a disability."





Good luck! You're gonna need it. *ack

[precocity]

for all the useful information guys and girls:rolleyes: and what is a gp?

[Pookie]

for all the useful information guys and girls:rolleyes: and what is a gp?
General Practioner which is usually a family doctor.

[CanRelate]

Being diagnosed and treated soley by a general practitioner for psychiatric ailments is not generally strong enough for SSA. Unless your area of the country has limited access to appropriate psychiatric professionals.

If you apply, SSA will likely send you for an appointment with one of their chosen docs to be evaluated on the psych issues. An ssa appointed doc you will see once is not as helpful to you as one whom you have seen multiple times in the process of your own health care.

I was approved at near your stated age, for one disabling issue (Major Depression (severe/recurrent))......I was approved on the first application, in less than 4 months, with no hospitalizations. So, it does happen. BUT, your application MUST be written to honestly address the issues in the Listing of Impairments (you could find a copy of this on ssa.gov ) The disability attorney or other advocate helping you with your application should already know to pull that information. You need to make sure section 12 (affective disorders) is read and addressed.

It is ultimately NOT the name of the diagnosis.....but it is how what you have going on interferes/prevents living/working. Don't overlook that you had to be demoted to a less stressful job, and the absenteeism, and also how your nonwork life is affected in these ways. What is your best day? What is your worst day? How many of each is a month? How do your medications and treatments affect your functioning? And so on........

Start writing this kind of stuff down, even if you are not yet to the point of applying. (You'd be denied as long as you are still working (is most cases...))

Another thought: you state your issues came after a major head injury. Make sure to follow-up with the neurologist, or whoever was addressing your issues immediately after your injury so that your lost and still not regained cognitive functioning can be documented with appropriate diagnostic testing.

All the best with this....

CR


for all the useful information guys and girls:rolleyes: and what is a gp?