I would say step five is my personal favorite but judges having vastly different approval rates meaning you have to hope you land on the best one on the roulette wheel to be approved is close. Your chances of being approved are entirely on your ZIP code. For federal law. You've been denied but don't worry we found jobs for nut sorting and election clerk in a state you don't live in. How does that help anybody? don't worry about it we've done our job.

Oh the ruling is illegal? don't worry just appeal it. how about you just do your job correctly the first time? So many people go homeless or die waiting on benefits that they deserve because it's literally their money and apparently there is no incentive to change anything. That's on top of lawyers not doing their jobs correctly either. Not owing any money until you win sounds great until you realize that these lawyers are overworked with way more clients than they should have so expect boilerplate defenses.

It's just a shame.

I recieved a fully favorable in approval and I have been crying for an hour!

What are the next steps that will happen? I'm new to all of this

I was approved at reconsideration earlier this month. The portal updated to Approved, and I received my backpay direct deposit the very next day. I still have not received an approval letter. Is it true the approval letter will state the reason(s) for my approval and when I can expect a CDR? I was and still am in shock and kinda sad. I’m relieved and grateful because the money will help with my medical expenses & with surviving, but all the money in the world will not make me healthy, again, and that is settling deep into my being. Thank you for all the support & information posted to this subreddit.

Anyone on step 3 and going stir crazy?

It just dawned on me that I’m literally waiting for a yes or no. And that yes or no can come any day, any time.
I have to admit, I check the portal in the morning and at the end of the day.

Anyone out there want to pass the time supporting one another?

I got approved this week and my mom is my representative payee. When she called earlier this week they told her she needed to come in with me to get information. I’m just curious at what information they are wanting and how my mom being my representative payee will work? Thank you for any information, still new to all of this and my mom handles a lot of my financial and life in general.

Just got my date for a hearing with the ALJ next February. Does anyone with Long Covid have any experience with the hearing process?

I have a lot of medical evidence from before and after Long Covid that proves how Covid destroyed my body and my brain, but I prefer to be over-prepared. I have two medical source statements, a brain MRI, several heart scans and monitor tests, a sleep study and a cognitive impairment assessment.

I have time to get a second cognitive impairment assessment to show further decline and will get an updated medical source statement from my neurologist. I will see my cardiologist and pulmonologist before then as well.

Unfortunately, my old PCP, who was a Long Covid specialist retired suddenly a few months ago, and I cannot locate another Long Covid specialist in my county. I will have to find a new one or perhaps another one from his old office in order to have continuity with my health records.

Are there any other specialists or test that anyone recommends to help boost my case?

I am looking for a lawyer at the moment, so I will have representation to help beforehand and to accompany me to the hearing.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

60 year old Oregon resident. Filed SSDI March 2026. Working Pro Se. Received notice for CE Nov 2026. Well i recently have been approved for in home care die to lack of use of hands, well documented by state nurse at in home assessment. I uploaded all this documentation to the SSA portal. Has anybody had a similiar experience and did it help.

So my account now says I will begin getting payments in November. I was wondering how back pay works. They don't deduct the 202 a month for Medicare from it right? It says I have been disabled since January 2023.

I just had my hearing today and I am in shock and had a few questions. For background I am 100% p&t veteran a ton of MH diagnosed and I also have some bad physical disabilities . My medical record is extensive and showed consistent periods of hospitalization and suicide attempts which I guess heavily influenced the judges decision. I went into the hearing thinking no way I was going to get this and I had a panic attack on the call and couldn’t speak. She asked me how my disabilities made things difficult for me and I just panicked. She stopped me and said she was going to redirect to my attorney and I thought oh my god I just messed all of it up. I irritated her and I couldn’t even defend myself. But my attorney just outlined everything and pointed to my record and my doctor’s RFC and then she stopped him halfway through and just said I’m finding you fully favorable. She didn’t even call the vocational expert to speak. And before I knew it she just ended the call. She also said there would be a CFR in 24 months which my attorney said is just to make sure I keep up with my appts.

Has anyone had this happen and it’s really true that they decided in your favor, even without the expert testifying? Is there any chance she will change her mind? Have you had a CFR and would you know if I go before a judge again for it or do they just request paperwork from my doctors or something? Has anyone been approved this quickly? I was too panicked to ask more questions about it but now I’m calm I’m hoping someone can please help me.

I was told over the phone that they were still waiting for medical decision and that they were sending provisional payment. When I checked website today it says social security disability active but there is no benefit verification letter. There was a payment 10/19 and one scheduled for Nov.

I am getting conflicting info. ss appointment taker says he's not sure but no because we were not married the full 9 months BUT we have a disabled child together. She will qualify for survivor's benefits and they are doing a disability application on her as well but I can't apply until they do this. Has anyone gotten past the marriage limit of 9 months? Everywhere it says a shared child can be an exception to the rule.

Currently I have ssdi but this would give me a couple hundred more dollars which would allow us to barely survive. I cannot pay for my nominal mortgage with what ssdi gives me. I am learning no work credits no disability for a child (scary) so she would eventually be on DAC.

So I'm reading that the COLA increase this year is 3.6% which would put my monthly at $1,357 and times 12 thats $16,284 but the Federal Poverty Limit for 2027 is $15,960.

Are they REALLY going to take 200 bucks a month from my check because I'm over the limit for the YEAR by 324 bucks? So I make 324 dollars more than the federal poverty limit so I guess that means I can AFFORD to spend 2400 dollars on Medicare premiums?

Make this make sense. Heck, at this point I'd tell em to keep their cost of living increase, because that 47 dollar increase is gonna COST me 153 dollars every month.

I guess that's what they really mean by "cost of living" increase. My cost of living just went up 153 dollars a month.

I received my Disability Update Report in the mail, but opted to complete it online. There was nothing in the Open Requests section, so I found the form and initiated it myself. It says “Completed” and I have the confirmation that it’s been submitted. Will the system that sent out the paper form be able to process what I’ve submitted electronically, or do I need to do the paper form too?

I applied for SSDI back in April. Denied first round because they never received my records. Waiting for denial reason for reconsideration.
I filed the hearing appeal on the 19th and was denied today. Why so fast?

I think i read something about that to keep our benefits (which I haven't gotten yet) we need to have ongoing medical treatment...

But my condition doesn't have treatments, so am I stuck just emailing my doctor every so often to ask if there are any new treatments? And to tell them that website is still broken? That's all I can think to do.

My hearing was scheduled for 10am today. My attorney had one other case before mine and the judge called in sick. That’s all I know as it all happened so quickly. But has this happened to anyone else? I guess now my attorney is going to try to get it approved again without a judge but I have no idea what a timeline looks like now or the exact steps. My attorney was in a hurry to get ahold of another client and to file motions so I didn’t get to ask much but now I’m curious. So has anyone had a judge call in sick on them when we all show up sick?

Hello all. I'm just looking for input from those who have had successful or unsuccessful hearings. I am a 37-year-old, 100% P&T vet. I'm aware that means pretty much nothing on the SSDI side. I suffer from a long list mental and physical limitations that hinders my everyday life. I have 13 years of medical records, and I still go to the doctor every month. My question is, if I can show the judge and VE that my mental and physical symptoms cause major limitations and functionality of everyday tasks and the inability to hold down and keep a full-time job, how likely is the age still a factor? I've read stories on here of those in their 20's and 30's being approved, yet I've also read those in their 40's and 50's being denied. Based on google research, the Judge has about a 60% approval rate in my area. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

None

Edit : activity

I literally submitted evidence about my ptsd which was my c&p appointment and my va award letter from 2022 and 2022 the 2022 decision dates that my ptsd was 70% severe and all the limitations that came along with it backdated from 2013 which I was 21 years old. Ultimately in 2025 being increased to 100 ptsd in 2025 I faxed this info this past Saturday denied yesterday does this denial mean they didn’t even look at this pertinent information dac benefits

Does social security send out backpay on go2bank card with no chip on it?

I’m in my mid-50s and have been on SSDI for several years. In June, I received the short-form CDR with a low profile rating. I completed it online and received confirmation that it was submitted, but heard nothing afterward.

Tonight, I happened to log into my SSA account to check something unrelated and noticed “Action Required” directing me to complete the long-form Continuing Disability Review Report.

I haven’t received anything in the mail, an email alert, or a new message in my SSA Message Center. I also can’t find a due date, so I have no idea how long this request has been sitting there.

My conditions have worsened since approval, and I’m still receiving ongoing medical care. Still, I’m worried.

Has anyone had something similar happen—particularly a long-form request appearing online without any notification? Did a letter eventually arrive, and how did you find out the deadline? Any thoughts would be appreciated. This has definitely rattled me.

Should remarks be entered and when?

For example, if seeing therapist multiple times week, but only entered it for current month in one of the three spots to allow room for listing other conditions other providers treat. Should this frequency be noted in remarks?

If facilities did not respond for months regarding new ADA accommodation and this led to cancelled appts?

If this breakdown in care resulted in severe disability symptoms that led to needing weeks of stabilization before trying to proceed with organizing and rescheduling medical care, and then could only tolerate one task at a time?

And if provided support staff to assist with medical, but the same lack of resolution and communication repeated with support and led to continued delays and cancelled appts?

For the three appts, an appt listed this month, one from summer and one late last year. There was one early this year, but was trying to list appts with different reasons to cover as much conditions as possible. Therapy has been constant multiple times per week, no lapses.

I guess I'm concerned the appts may look spread out without adding remarks (esp for therapy frequency), but multiple appts this year had to be cancelled or rescheduled and still working on getting back on track.

I'd also love to hear from those who did enter remarks, what remarks did you enter, and what result did you receive for disability update report?

To start off , I was born blind in my right eye and with essential benign tremors . I have never been able to write legible because my hands shake . I dropped out of school after the 8th grade and went to work in a boat yard , I spent the next 26 years as a marine diesel and gas engine mechanic on inboard and sterndrive engine systems . I fell off of a 2 story balcony when I was 3 and was kicked in the face by a horse when I was 5 and I have 2 fused vertibrates in my neck.

after 26 years as a marine mechanic I started having back problems that didnt keep me from working in 2015 I started having issues with my hands, shoulders and neck . I was diagnosed with severe carpeltunnel in my hands , forearms , and wrist along with mechanical locking occasionally in my elbow. my hands and wrist would swell and I could not grip or use tools and lost strength in my arms .

The orthopedic Dr. diagnosed my shoulders and said that I needed to have surgery on both rotator cuffs but I would never be able to return to mechanic work afterwards, I lost medical and my issues went unresolved

I continued to work with extreme pain and with difficulties . In 2025 I injured my knee outside of work and I was referred to a orthopedic surgeon, I was diagnosed with a torn mcl , acl , torn muniscus , a cyst and 3 compartment osteonecrosis with condyle thinning and fractures in my knee joint and femur

after going to 5 orthopedic specialist and a surgery , i developed arthrofibrosis that turned into ankylosis, due to the scar tissue buildup after my manipulation they were unable to repair my muniscus, mcl and now still have chronic torn acl and near bone on bone contact in my knee joint and constant pain and swelling .

My orthopedic specialist determined I had to stop physical therapy because inflammation was causing scar tissue buildup and worsening conditions they said due to my age, inflammation and ankylosis that total knee replacement is not an option .

I have now developed tendon and ligament issues and osteoarthritis in my opposite knee for compensating for my other knee, and i cannot go up and down stairs and have to navigate my home and trips outside with help and crutches.

I cant get from upstairs to downstairs pretty frequently and cant make it out of my house without assistance. The 2 times I tried to go to a store since I quit working a year and a half ago i fell in the parking lot and had to have a store employee help me off the ground and bring me a mobility scooter.

This information was in all my medical records and were backed by orthopedic documents . The clinical assessment only had me lift my arms once and once over my head . The denial came back and said that all my conditions were severe and although they found I could not return to my occupation that because I am 46 and they didnt have enough occupational evidence to determine my skillset they had determined I could transfer to sedentary work .

I told them I was a marine mechanic and that I have never been certified in anything or and formal training and that I dropped out of school after the 8th grade . I cant type , write with my hands and dont have any office production computer skills and my back and upper extremity issues prevent sitting, reaching, and using my arms or hands for more than 30 minutes and my knees prevent me from getting out of chairs or standing and walking more than 10-15 minutes most days I cannot even make it to my car .

I switched to a heavy equipment and class a truck mechanic job after i was struggling to lift heavy marine parts and get into tight engine compartments.

the ssa denied me because I had no vocational evidence to prove if I could or couldnt transfer to a sedentary job , i submitted my union job classificationand duty description there is no sedentary work involved in my occupation. I dont know what to do. How do I submit vocational evidence that does not exist , I don't understand what they mean or need .