I would like to draw everyone's attention to the NEW Disability Starter Kit that is online at the Social Security website. It is important that ALL of us have a look at it.
There are kits to download for Adults and for children.
The reason that it is so important is that it gives us a much-needed HEADS-UP!!! as far as what kind of recordkeeping we need to be doing.
We all want to think we will make a full recovery from the Lyme Disease Complex of Co-infections (LDCC) or that our children will.
But there is that nagging possibility that some of us won't.
Then when we are at our Most Feeble (speaking for self) we will have our first look at the requirements to get Disability payments and have the Shock of Our Life and say "Gee I wish I had known, I would have kept track all along!!"
The detail required is sobering, not rocket science, just *regularly* recording things such as names of doctors, dates seen, for what, etc.
It would be difficult to go back and reconstruct this including for family members who might be at a distance, or doctors who might be retired, or staff that no longer remembers you or is not so cooperative or has thrown out datebooks or archived files, because one has "moved on" and etc.
It would take perhaps months to do all of this and payments may be backdated to the day of the completed application *if* granted, which the applications usually are not first time around due to *lack of detail* which delays the date that payments are calculated from.
Payments do not necessarily coincide with the date of the start of your disability.
Please take a look at these new streamlined Disability starter kits. While it may seem daunting, the important thing is to notice what details are required, then get a notebook and start recording that information.
Do not rely on computers. We all have those computer horror stories - keep hard copy too.
I would like to see *all* LDCC people get what they are entitled to. If we did, besides the personal need, it would certainly alert the government to allocate more research dollars when the cost of ignoring the disease starts to rise, as with AIDS.
PS keeping a notebook can also be useful if you ever decide to take some aspect of your case to court...
Colleen Nicholson Research Assistant to Dr. Burrascano, MD Founder, Military Lyme Support
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bettyg
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this is what i have been doing since i was APPROVED FOR SSDI:
i use 1 normal size wall calendar as ALL MEDICAL APPTS.
1. i get drs. cards from them with COMPLETE ADDRESSES, FAX, NAME, PHONE, ETC. on them.
2. they are taped to the upper part of calendar where the photo is.
3. i write in time/date/dr. name for EACH appt.
4. if LABS/XRAYS/NAME OF MEDS PRESCRIBED, i write that below drs. info for EACH DATE.
5. MY noting xrays, labs...which ones, meds come in handy when getting the pills, medicare, health insurance payments, etc.
6. this drs. calendar goes to every appt. i go to ... so i can note next appts., etc.
i hope this helps you; it sure has me!
i also went to disability starter kit site; when clicking on some links, it's TIMESNEWROMAN but upon looking more ..... there is a TEXT VERSION....click on that; it's ARIAL, larger print for folks like me!!
you can print it off from text version .. Betty
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