cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
I finally got my approval letter in the mail this week. I filed in Nov 06 and was denied the first time, so I appealed, and really did not expect to hear anything until next year.
this will go all the way back to sept 2005!!
I used an outside agency that my long term disability company offered 'free of charge'
Im still kind of stunned that I got this, but I had a very good letter from my new primary care dr, who helped to seal the deal. I even did it without the letter from my urologist :-)
Mostly because I had copies of their notes and all procedures that were done, and I handed them over to the new primary.
My Questions are-
Can i keep my Cobra insurance and also get medicare? Or do I have to choose?
Would I be able to sell my home, or would this disqualify me, because this would count as income?
I want to thank bettyg, minocat(i think i spelled that wrong) and anyone that contributed to the newbies links regarding SSI.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
can''t so happy for you; 11 months to get approved; not bad at all, and going back 2 years gives you medicare right away!!
also one other IMPORTANT person who conributed alot to our SSDI PERSONAL GUIDELINES IS CONNIE MC who also is a non-lawyer helping folks be approved.
she had special leters that she gave me permission to post in my lengthy newbie package!
hope others will come and answer other questions.
go also to: www.socialsecurity.gov and look for the answers too; MUCH user0friendly info there and great search engnie.
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
Good for you Can't. You need to change that name to Can? SS disability is to help those disabled live with some income during this time. You've paid in to it and now it's your turn for help.
Now I am a little foggy on SSI and the SSD(?), I know there is two. I'm on the one that pays for some percent of income earned during my career.
This has nothing to do with my house, assets, IRA etc. Until I'm able to work in the capacity that I was at prior to illness and earn a wage I'm considered disabled. I'm on a three evalution.
Just had that 3rd year evalutation and all it was was paper work asking me questions about illness and if I could work. I told them about my attempt to work part-time 2 yrs ago @ 12 hrs a week and my set backs from doing so. They didn't even contact my doctor for his evaluation of me.
Letter told me I'm qualified as disabled for the next three years. Let us know if there are any changes.
I'm sorry I don't know about Cobra. But I believe once you qualify for Medicare you will be able to drop Cobra.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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lymednva
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9098
posted
I kept my COBRA, but they wouldn't let me have the Medicare supplemental policy until I was approved for disability retirement.
Of course, all cases are different in regards to insurance!
I still have the supplemental insurance because it pays a lot of my out-of-pocket expenses for my LLMD, some of which are not covered by Medicare.
I am lucky that he does take Medicare.
Another reason I keep my supplemental insurance is that it has excellent drug coverage.
Your insurance company should provide you with information stating whether or not it provides coverage that is at least as good as what you can get from Medicare.
Check carefully about whether you have SSI or SSDI. There's a big difference.
I believe one is that SSI provides Medicaid and SSDI comes with Medicare.
Congrats on your victory!
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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ConnieMc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 191
posted
SSI = Supplemental Security Income and is needs based. Once you meet the "medical" requirements for disability, you also have to meet the "non-medical requirements" (prove that your income is below a certain level).
SSDI = Social Security Disability Insurance and is based on credits you earned while working. To qualify, you have to have worked 5 out of the previous 10 years (20 quarters) to qualify. Your benefit amount will depend on how much money you have earned and number of years you paid into the system.
If the SSDI benefit is below a certain level, then a person can be qualified for both types of benefits, called a concurrent claim. As long as you qualify for 1 or more dollars of SSI due to a low SSDI benefit, then you qualify for Medicaid automatically. I have a client who gets SSDI based on her work credits but it is low, and as a result, she gets $8 in SSI per month and gets Medicaid as a result.
But if she did not get this $8 in SSI, then her SSDI would put her over the limit and she would not get Medicaid at all.
A person will only qualify for Medicare 2 years 5 months after onset date of the disabiling condition. This is the waiting period. So if someone suddenly is faced with a disabling condition, it is to their advantage to apply for SSDI/SSI right away so they will be eligible for Medicaid during the waiting period.
It happens frequently that a person will apply for both immediately after onset of the disabling condition, then later be approved and be eligible for SSI/Medicaid for that first 5 months. But then Medicaid benefits cease once the SSDI kicks in, and if it has not been 2 years 5 months since onset, they have NO health coverage.
The entire household income is counted for SSI. If a claimant is married and the spouse earns above a certain level (pretty much poverty level) then a person may be eligible for disability-SSI, however the benefits won't be paid.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. I represent clients in their disability claims and have been pretty successful gettinhg some of these Lyme cases through the system successfully.
Posts: 2276 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2000
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