Saturday, February 02, 2008

I Am Certified by the Federal Government

No, not certified crazy, although, over the years, many people have told me they thought I was certifiable. First, the government certified I was old as I started getting Social Security retirement benefits last September at the ripe old age of 62.

Now, today in the mail, I received a letter in the mail. I was approved for Social Security Disability on my FIRST TRY!!! I have been certified officially disabled.
(Click on these graphics to see the animation)
When I retired September 1st, I applied for disability at the same time I applied for my regular Social Security payments (I turned 62 last August). I did retire earlier than I had planned because continuing to work was just too difficult, particularly with all the travel I had to do and instructing all day in a classroom. Most of the time I felt like I was barely functioning. We figured that as long as Cheryl was working we wouldn't have any problem with me just getting the reduced rate SS retirement payments. I really wasn't going to apply for disability, but when I was talking to the guy at Social Security when I applied for the regular retirement, he said I really needed to go try for it. Everything I read, I figured it would take at least two to three appeals and then maybe even a hearing with a judge. I wasn't too worried about waiting for payments because the regular SS benefits began right away for September. I very carefully filled out all the paperwork and had a copy of every blood test, bone marrow biopsy, CT Scan, bone scan, I had gotten since the year before diagnosis when I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I had reports of the diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, deteriorating spinal discs, and of course the CLL/SLL which is the real reason I couldn't keep going. I believe they also contact all the doctors I had listed. Even with all that, I didn't hold much hope. What a pleasant surprise. I really don't know if their decision was based just on the CLL/SLL or a combination of everything.
They determined my disability date as August 23, 2007. I only worked one day in August, and that was the date. So, to get the payments, you have to be disabled five full months and then the payments start the next month and that works out to this February. The only drawback, and it is very minor, once I have been getting payments for 24 months, I will become "eligible" for Medicare. Now for many folks that is a good thing, but my military insurance is so very good right now, I don't want it, but I will have to take it and the military becomes secondary. It also means I will have to pay for Medicare part B as the military insurance requires that. So, I will have that monthly expense. However, as Cheryl pointed out, I would have had to do that starting that August when I am 65 anyway and it is only six months sooner. In the meantime I will be getting an extra $350 a month more than I am getting for regular retirement right now, which more than offsets the monthly part B cost (currently $96 a month).
Disability payments must be reviewed every so often as sometimes people improve and can go back to work. There are three categories they put people in. The lowest is people they will review every 6 to 18 months. However, I have been put in the "improvement not expected" category and I will be reviewed in five to seven years. Lord willing, I will still be here for that review!


This extra really helps because when Cheryl retires in a couple of years, we will need everything we can get. We already have told the grandkids only a couple of years left of nice Christmas gifts from us and then it is McDonald's gift certificates (if they are still $5.00 then).
Hmm, don't know why the pictures aren't animated until you click on them.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I ENTERED A LONG DISERTATION THIS MORNING BUT LOST IT IN THE LOGGING ON PROCESS

Anonymous said...

NOW THAT I SEE MY COMMENT WENT THROUGH, I WILL EXPAND- I WAS DIAGNOSED W/ CLL IN 05'. IT HAD GONE ALONG WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN MY LIFESTYLE UNTIL DEC 07' WHEN ONCOLOGIST #1 WENT BALISTIC OVER MY NEUTROPHIL COUNTS. HE CAUSED MY FAMILY AND MYSELF GREAT EMOTIONAL TRAUMA WITH HIS COMMENTS AND BY SENDING THROUGH A LETTER TO MY FAA MEDICAL EXAMINER CAUSING MY MEDICAL TO NOT BE RENEWED. DISTRAUGHT, I WENT TO MAYO FOR A SECOND OPINION. ONCOLOGIST #2 GAVE ME A LITTLE BETTER OUTLOOK (STILL CONCERN W/ NEUTROPHIL COUNTS), AND WROTE A NEW LETTER TO THE FAA (NOW UNDER REVIEW). DURING THIS PERIOD I BECAME DEPRESSED AND FEELING THAT MY QUALITY OF LIFE WAS COMPROMISED, I APPLIED FOR TOTAL DISABILITY W/ SOCIAL SECURITY, HOPING TO SPEND THE REST OF MY DAYS WITH MY GRAND KIDS AND DOING WHAT EVER I WANTED TO DO. APPLICATION WENT INTO REGIONAL OFFICE THIS WEEK, 03/10/08 AND AS I WAS LOOKING FOR OTHER CASES OF CLL AND TOTAL DISABILITY, I RAN ACROSS YOUR BLOG. AS I READ SOCIAL SECURITY PAGES IT LOOKS LIKE CLL IS ON THE LIST. I HAVE NOT STARTED TREATMENT YET, ALTHOUGH IT IS IN MY FUTURE. I WAS WONDERING WHAT CRITERIA SSA MIGHT HAVE USED IN YOUR CONDITION TO AWARD TOTAL DISABILITY?

John Wagner said...

Dear annonymous. I really don't know what the criteria was as all the letter said was they were awarding me the disability payments. On one of my support sites I think I remember someone saying you had to have been treated and then treated or in treatment a second time, but that was not the case with me. I did have eight rounds of chemo in 2006 and did not achieve remission, but have not had chemo again. When I applied I had not started my IVIg infusions either. As I said in my blog, I sent in copies of everything I had from the last several years and not just CLL related. Perhaps I inundated them with so much they gave up reading and said, he is such a wreck, we will just give it to him. If you send me an email, I might be able to find more information for you from folks on my support sites and send it on. My email is jtw890 at aol.com

bobt said...

Thank you for the page..
I was diag'ed with stage one CLL last Feb. No real symptoms other than slightly enlarged nodes, blood counts and fatigue. Had problems with legs and back for years and just had a spinal fusion sugery to back that didn't work (part of the bone graft & 2 screws came loose) and their best guess was CLL related as this surgery problem is normally in the less than 1% range. A second surgery took out the parts that came loose and still in a long recovery period.

Just applied for disablilty last week noting my back/legs problems, 80% deaf, and CLL. Guess I wasn't expecting much but you gave me some hope.