I am trying to get Disability. I have been working on it for 3 years. I was diagnosed with chiari in June of 2003 and then surgery in August of 2003. My symptoms have been on and off ever since up until 2013. After almost 20 years in manufacturing caught up with me. I had to have surgery on my lower back for a herniated disk and found out I had degenerate disk disease. Between the back and Chiari and being Diabetic working is not an option. But being 43 years old makes it hard to get Disability because i’m not old enough.But my lawyer is still fighting it. Is there anyone else going through Disability or already have it and how long did it take and what state are you in.I am in North Carolina.
You won’t get far with disability lawyers especially in North Carolina unless you have a voc rehab file and a “work test” SSI will ALMOST ALWAYS take their word for it without a hearing. In your case it is nearly a necessity as Degenerative disc disease at 43 is not unusual and Chiari (type1) is not listed in the SSA Blue Book so the only way to qualify is through the process called medical-vocational-allowance. Diabetes is not generally qualifying either unless tretment fails and you start to have some other issues. Medical records are not enough and an SSI ordered medical exam usually not sufficient. However an evaluation from https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/dvrs is pretty much the “Gold Standard”
I don’t mean to sound jaded but their is a huge tendency for “lawyers” to mess around and mess around pursuing the hearing process until they have reached the maximum contingency fee and then out of the blue they suggest “lets try voc rehab” and boom it happens and they have a big pay day.
The worst that can happen BTW is Voc rehab can find soemthing you can do suggest accomidations or train you to do something. They pay you alll the way through the process and if they can’t find work you can do 10-20 hours a week (which pays a ton more than the 800.00 disability payment) you are in. If the find work and latter discover you can’t do it, you are in.
Thanks for your reply. I have already had a hearing with a judge and now I am in the appeal process. During the hearing a vocational expert was there that said I could not do the work that I was doing before. My lawyer then asked about other working scenarios and the expert said no I could not do them. It is taking so long and my family is struggling to stay above water financially. I just need things to happen faster. Lawyer says the appeal process will take another 18 months. Is she just stretching to make money or is this true? Is there anything I can do to make the process faster?
Hello, it took me over 10 years, numerous surgeries, and a good attorney. I finally got my disability in 2015, Stat song and keep good records, I am sending positive thought your way.
I am currently residing in NC, but came to NC with disability already in hand. My disability took me 2 years, 6 rejections, and a good lawyer before an Idaho court decided to award me. At that time, I was even MISdiagnosed with “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” It wasn’t until I moved to NC that My Chiari’s was diagnosed by a Cronic Fatigue Specialist in Charlotte, of all places! Took Dr.Black all of 30 minutes to diagnose correctly what ID docs missed for 10 years. By then, however, Chiaris had turned me into a vegetable. Could hardly move, and was nearly brain dead. No chance of vo-tech - even after Chiari surgery.