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Covid and ARDS and not getting approved for SSDI
Hi everyone, my name is Josh. I became sick with Covid pneumonia and ARDS back in 2021. I spent nearly 5 months in 3 different hospitals, I was in comma for nearly 7 weeks and was told I died 3 different times. I had to learn to talk, walk, and eat all over again. Everyday has been a struggle since then. I was on oxygen almost daily, I have came along way since I became sick, but the shortness of breath during regular activity and the fatigue felt for days after doing some sort of activity has been difficult to deal with. Some of the medication I was on for my anxiety had some terrible side effects that gave me awful thoughts that I’d never felt before. My SSD has been denied over and over. I will never be able to do the work I’ve done all my life and I feel so useless. It’s been so overwhelming that it’s caused problems in my marriage and family to the point my wife of nearly 25 years filed for divorce. It’s to the point I really don’t know what to do, I’ve tried finding a part time job to help get back into the workforce but can’t even find that, because of my health condition I know no company will hire me full time. Blue collar work is really all I’ve ever known. My heart rate skyrockets during activity and panic attacks are something I’ve also had to learn to deal with. I was considered a essential worker during the pandemic and so was my wife and oldest son, we didn’t get to hide inside our homes like a lot of people did and it’s taking it’s toll on all of us. I feel like I have just been kicked to the side and forgotten about by the people leading our country. I’m almost 46 and worked my entire life. Americans work and pay in to Social Security and then are denied it when we need it and it’s very frustrating. My life will never be the same and it’s cost me my marriage because of how I’ve been reacting to the situation. I’ve lost medical insurance and can’t really afford any insurance so that has led to my Drs just forgetting about me, I know I’m not alone and others are probably dealing with some of the same issues. I wanted to put some of my story out for others to see and maybe get some support in return. I’d been thinking of joining a Covid support group for a while but just couldn’t bring myself to take the first step. I hope this helps someone else and they realize they are not alone in dealing with what happened to people that have been affected by Covid, I know I’ve felt like no one would understand for a while now but I know I’m not alone in this situation.
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Hi Josh, it was truly shocking and shameful how you have been treated, sometimes it’s just overwhelming to hear about people like you who were so deeply affected by this virus. I don’t have much information to share with you but there’s a lot of people here that have also experienced this nightmare and they found help here with links to help them and also support groups, I know you haven’t tried this venue yet but you really need to get yourself connected, you will get much needed support and help to send you in the right direction. I know that covid is a monster and it shouldn’t be taken lightly, in the meantime you must really protect yourself from getting infected again because you are very vulnerable and you don’t need any further complications, I sincerely hope that you get the help you need so that you can recover your health and life back, best wishes to you.
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1 ReactionHi @ josh80. First thank you for all your years of helping others. Your journey beyond challenging and yet so many here have varied similar stories so you have found the supportive place for successful healing and coping info! If I may suggest one of the most helpful yet seldom referred is a trauma level mental health provider. They have the extraordinary resources and training dealing with patients and requesting services especially for this new illness that is unlike anything else with its multitude of ever changing symptoms and detrimental effect on every aspect of life. 😵💫 Regarding your SSDI denials, documenting your inabilities of daily life critical thru trauma provider and verifying ER, hospital, pulmonologist, neuro physical therapist, ENT, speech therapist, primary care …. Know just getting thru a day exhausting so your healthcare systems social worker hopefully can assist directly with records dept and may offer ECM (enhanced care management) higher level of personal assistance that can
assure steps/follow up done for all aspects of life such as seeking now needed disability
attorney who will recover their limited fee when SSDI awarded🤞While waiting on records, suggest keeping a daily journal of symptoms, reactions, what you cant do or extraordinary time/effort to do anything which also shows the difficulty such as just writing, finding words, and the unseen actual time it takes if can do that at all like taking me almost 2 hours to do this post🙃! . Hope this helpful and wish you the quickest healing journey🌈
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4 Reactions@josh80
How long have you been unemployed? How are you paying for bills now? Would you qualify for Medicaid? Do you need to pay alimony/child support?
When you filed for disability, what were you told as the reason for the denial? Did you hire an attorney to help you file for disability? Disability usually looks at the past 30 years paying into social security and the last 2 years of medical records supporting claim of disability. Do you not have that history to support your claim?
@dlydailyhope been unemployed since 2021. Have all the paperwork and had an a person handling my claim that my insurance company provided which was probably the problem. I think it’s because of me just being 45 but I worked for 2 Fortune 500 companies for almost 23 years. Can’t help I’m still young and to me it’s age discrimination.
@law59 I had a person handing my claim that my long term insurance provider provided for me. I wish I would have hired an attorney from the beginning because now my denials are at the federal level and there aren’t many attorneys that provide that kind of services. It’s been one hell of a nightmare. I had a back injury that may leave me paralyzed on my whole left side and that’s why Covid hit me so hard. One must realize when your employer has very well payed attorneys it’s an uphill battle because they fight you the whole way. It’s a sad reality.
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1 ReactionHi Josh!
Sorry to hear what you're going through majority of us here are dealing with the same and it's awful.
I highly recommend, you contact a SSD attorney right away which will then be able to get your SSD approved.
SSA always declines most cases when trying to handle on your own. It's a nightmare!
Then the attorney will take his small cut out of the back pay which will be from the first day you filed.
Definitely get in contact with one right away.
Praying for you!
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3 ReactionsJust a recommendation, never use an attorney that's recommended from insurance. They're NOT your friend and NOT their to do anything positive to benefit you
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2 ReactionsIf you do not make the cut for SSD meeting that requirements with work credits over the years, the attorney can then can you approved for SSI
Hi Josh—-I worked for SS Disability for 25 years as a doctor approving or disapproving claims based on mental disorders. I can tell you that you should not give up. Keep trying until you get approved. An attorney can be helpful. Social Security doctors are going to look at all of your hospital records and follow up visits to doctors. Also, the Activities of Daily Living Forms and the Third Party Activities of Daily Living are very important. It sounds to me like you are should be able to get SSDI. If you continue to be denied, there is always the option of taking your case to the ALJ (SSA judge). In my state the judges were most often likely to allow the claimant’s claim of disability. Keep trying.
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5 Reactions@josh80
When you were still working but then got sick with Covid/hospitalized, did you file for short term and long term disability through your employer’s STD/LTD insurance benefits? Did you file claims in 2020/2021 before being terminated? Did you file for job protection FMLA family medical leave while still employed?