Social Security Disability claim- Adult-Major Depressive Disorder

Feb 01, 2016

OUTCOME: Fully Favorable

Henrietta Age: 58 A lady who had worked as a janitor for many years. Unfortunately, she had also been suffering with depression for more than 20 years. Despite years of psychiatric care (both inpati ... ent and outpatient) she found it harder and harder to get along with her coworkers or to do her job without making mistakes. She could not sleep at night like she used to yet she was finding a tougher and tougher to leave her bedroom. Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness set in. Eventually, she lost her job. As things had gone from bad to worse Henrietta reached out to the Social Security Administration for help and applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)and Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB/SSDI). With the help of her daughter, Heidi, Henrietta thought she could prove her claim on her own. She thought that her “records would speak for themselves” and anyway “A lawyer would cost too much money”. Neither Henrietta nor Heidi realized that lawyers who represent claimants before the Social Security Administration do not charge any upfront fees and that the lawyers only get paid if they win. After receiving an initial letter of denial, Henrietta was devastated… The letter told her that she was being denied because she could return to her “past work as a janitor” Henrietta felt like Social Security was saying that she was lying and she knew that that was not true…If she could’ve been working at her old job as a janitor she’d still be working as a janitor! At that point, Henrietta’s daughter Heidi did some more research and found out that her mother could and should get a lawyer. Sifting through the many advertisements and websites was no easy job, she did not want to just settle on the first name that popped up. Based on the research she concluded that her mother needed a licensed attorney; who was conveniently located nearby; she wanted to meet with the lawyer who would be working with her on her case and she did not want to feel like some number in yet another big bureaucracy. Thankfully, Henrietta and Heidi stuck to their plan and found a lawyer who met their requirements. And while the remainder of the Social Security disability process was far from pleasurable, they were able to take some comfort in knowing that their lawyer was truly there for them. Ultimately, after appearing at a hearing and waiting a few more months for a decision help arrived a “fully favorable decision” had arrived in the mail. As Henrietta and Heidi reflect on the experience they now understand why their lawyer wanted to meet with them in person for the intake and preparation meetings; why so much time and energy was spent assuring that the Social Security administration had every medical record; why her doctors notes “did not speak for themselves” and why taking the time to find the right lawyer for them had made all the difference.