Obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be a time-consuming and stressful experience. Two out of every three applicants initially are denied. Along with the rapidly declining health of her husband, Irene Denson faced diagnoses of Type 2 diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and various disc problems. She needed help fast in order to pay the mounting bills. Because Mrs. Denson was not eligible for retirement, applying for SSDI seemed to be the solution to her financial problems. Discover how Allsup paved the way for a smoother future for Mrs. Denson and her family.
* This is a true story as told to Allsup.
When vascular disease cuts her career short of retirement age, a Mississippi nurse finds relief and gratitude through Allsup, the disability advocates who stuck with her…
‘Through it All’
By Douglas J. Gillert
Brandon, Mississippi—Irene Denson knows her way through sickness and health. A veteran nurse, she plied her skills at St. Dominick’s Hospital in Jackson, Miss., for 34 years until her own body began to fail.
“I worked in urology, with kidney patients,” said Mrs. Denson, whose voice resonates with southern charm despite the physical battles she’s been waging for a decades. “I had some problems down through the years with back and leg pain, but I could still walk.” Good thing, as her job often entailed long hours on her feet.
Mrs. Denson was first slowed by Type 2 diabetes, which she contracted in 1984. She began taking insulin and oral medications. But bigger problems loomed ahead.
“At work one night, one of my toes turned blue,” she said. “It was painless but felt numb. I made an appointment with my doctor.” Medical tests confirmed she had arteriosclerosis, a vascular disease that hardens the arteries and adversely affects blood flow and also leads to hypertension, which she also developed. “They ended up doing bypass surgery in 2000, a revision in 2001 and a year later, a graft.”
By 2005, however, her ability to move about was drastically reduced. “I developed disc problems that affected my hips and legs,” she said, describing her increasing debilitation. Walking became more difficult, as did even sitting for any length of time. She was nearing 60 and didn’t like the idea of getting any further surgery. She tried to bear the pain and keep going.
It didn’t help matters that Mrs. Denson’s husband, Charles, faced his own declining health. After working for years at a concrete pipe factory, he was forced to retire with a weakened heart, arms and legs. Five years ago, his doctor declared him fully disabled.
The pain of her disease finally forced Mrs. Denson to give up working. In August 2006, she served the final hours of her 34 years at St. Dominick’s, went home and applied for retirement benefits.
Because she hadn’t reached retirement age, the hospital awarded her a reduced annuity in February 2007. She hoped it would be enough for them to pay the bills and get by. She wondered how they would manage.
“When I realized I would not be able to work, even part-time somewhere, I decided to apply for Social Security disability benefits,” Mrs. Denson said. She turned to the Internet for information about Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, where “lots of screens popped up offering me assistance.”
One of them was from Allsup, the nation’s premier SSDI representation company. Allsup has secured disability benefits for more than 130,000 deserving clients and obtained over $12 billion in current and future SSDI benefits.
Mrs. Denson liked what she saw on the Internet and made the call. Allsup accepted her case in January 2007. Allsup employs about 600 professionals to help people like Mrs. Denson receive the benefits that she had paid for throughout her working life with FICA taxes. Founded in 1984, Allsup serves people with disabilities nationwide.
“They worked real hard on my case and I am just grateful,” Mrs. Denson said. She did have to wait through two denials, with Allsup professionals gathering documentation for her case and working to overcome the obstacles to receiving her benefits.
Allsup’s award rate for initial claims is 56 percent, versus and industry average of 36 percent. Still, SSA denies about two-thirds of initial claims, and has an 86 percent denial rate at the reconsideration level.
After the initial application and the first appeal are denied, Allsup assigns a veteran senior claims consultant who interviews the applicant and files for a hearing before an administrative law judge. Allsup pioneered the use of on-the-record decisions by giving judges enough medical and work-history information to approve awards without an in-person hearing. This minimizes stress and a significant hardship for SSDI claimants. Although SSA-wide statistics reflect an award rate of just 63 percent, Allsup is successful 92 percent of the time that applications reach that level.
Mrs. Denson was relieved she wouldn’t have to attend the hearing. Meanwhile, she held off creditors with pleading phone calls while she awaited the outcome of her claim. “You never expect to get where you’re not able to work, and you have to pay bills,” she said. “Most of [the creditors] accepted my plans and waited with me until my Social Security came.”
As is the case for 98 percent of Allsup clients who complete the SSDI process, Mrs. Denson won her
SSDI benefits in March 2008. She was, to say the least, relieved.
Mrs. Denson realizes her life could be a lot different now, if it weren’t for the help she received. “Without Allsup,” she said, “we would still be struggling. They were very patient with me and explained everything.”
She misses the days when mobility was no problem, fondly recalls her prized vegetable garden of peas and okra and “those big, juicy tomatoes.” She’s glad, however, that at least the bills are caught up and the family was able to buy a car with an automatic transmission, “so I can do some driving.”
Mrs. Denson has since referred others to Allsup, including her sister. She added that Allsup is “an easy sell. I am just thankful,” she added, “for what they did. Through it all, they were with me.”