Obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be a time-consuming and stressful experience. Two out of every three applicants initially are denied. Evalyn Fox was no exception. She was denied three times when she applied for SSDI after being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She shares her story here.
* This is a true story as told to Allsup
When this Texas woman quit her job because of a heart condition, it was...
No April Fools’ Joke
Texarkana, Texas—Evalyn Fox had always taken pride in her health. In fact, she’d hardly been sick in her life. So, on a dark winter morning in 2001, she was stunned to find herself driving, full-speed ahead, toward the hospital.
“I didn’t know what was happening,” Mrs. Fox said. “I walked into the emergency room at about 5 that morning, and the next thing I knew, I woke up to a person gently rubbing my arm, speaking to me in a very soothing voice. At 5:15 I had gone into cardiac arrest.”
As she awoke, the nurse’s sobering words sunk in.
“She said, ‘Mrs. Fox, you went into cardiac arrest. We brought you back.’ ”
Now 62, Mrs. Fox is still stunned by the memory. Married for 45 years and mother to one son, this Weatherford, Texas, native worked most of her life in accounting. She’s a self-professed “people person.”
“I really enjoyed the work,” Mrs. Fox recalled. “I loved the people. I’ve always been very outgoing and made friends easily. My husband always teases me because I’ll go into a store, and someone I just met will start telling me their life troubles,” she jokes with a slow, Texan twang.
“I think there’s a sign on my forehead that says, ‘Come talk to me!’ ”
Unencumbered by health problems throughout life, she never anticipated the changes that were about to unfold. After the 2001 heart attack, Mrs. Fox spent the following six weeks in recovery. She had every intention to continue working, but soon learned that would be no easy task.
“I tried to work for a while, but I just realized I couldn’t handle the stress and pressure of it anymore. Plus, I tired so easily. I was no longer a pleasure to be around. Everything just got on my nerves!”
With medication affecting her thinking and reasoning abilities, Mrs. Fox soon realized she could no longer continue working. Over the 2002 Easter weekend, she reluctantly decided to leave work.
“On Monday morning, April 1, I went into my boss’s office early, and placed my keys on his desk. I said, ‘This is no April Fools’ joke. I’m leaving.’ It was the only job I ever had that I couldn’t give two-weeks notice.”
Mrs. Fox’s boss expressed sympathy, leaving her position open in case she could return.
“I kind of thought all I needed was a little time off and then I could work again,” she said, “But I ended up telling him I appreciated that opportunity, but I wasn’t coming back. Doctors had advised me against working, and I knew I couldn’t handle it.”
Despite her efforts to escape stress, it followed her like a shadow.
That same year, Mrs. Fox was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease that blocks the air passages in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
In 2003, doctors installed an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) unit, a small, surgical implant consisting of a pacemaker and defibrillator that is used to monitor abnormal heart rhythms. Continuously monitoring the heart, an ICD detects potentially life-threatening abnormalities.
In 2004, Mrs. Fox embarked on her mission for assistance, attempting for the first time, to file for disability benefits at the Social Security Administration. “They seemed to think I had a good chance of being awarded,” Mrs. Fox recalled. “But of course, I got turned down.”
The process of filing for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) without professional help was not only exhausting, it also angered her.
“Social Security (SSA) denied me three times,” she explained. “Their basic idea was that they thought I was lying to them. I was so angry because they thought I was misleading them. I thought, ‘How can they say that when I have all these medical reports, clearly stating my condition?’ ”
Frustrated, Mrs. Fox decided to stop fighting the system. “I just didn’t have what it took to keep fighting,” she said. Actually, it was only the beginning of her battle against the federal bureaucracy.
A year passed with no relief in sight. But, in October 2006, fate twisted once again.
“I was online one day, and don’t even remember what I typed in,” Mrs. Fox recalled with a chuckle. “But whatever it was, Allsup popped right up. I went to their site to check them out.”
Her research was thorough. Before calling Allsup, Mrs. Fox checked with her local Better Business Bureau. “I wanted to be certain Allsup was a legit company with no complaints filed against them.”
Founded in 1984 by former SSA representative Jim Allsup, the company is the nation’s leading disability advocacy company. With a success rate of 98 percent, the Illinois-based company has helped more than 120,000 people with disabilities, just like Evalyn Fox, obtain $10.3 billion in entitled SSDI and Medicare benefits.
The Better Business Bureau recognized Allsup’s high standards when it presented the company its Torch Award for excellence in customer service.
More importantly, Allsup passed muster with Mrs. Fox. Even with Allsup’s help, however, she would face challenges. The company prepared her for additional denials and an even lengthier process.
After two more denials, Allsup tried again. Her case then moved to the next level, which involved appearing before an administrative law judge, who would decide the outcome.
In February 2009, six years after her initial filing, Mrs. Fox’s case finally received closure.
To her surprise, she learned that she would not have to appear in court. Allsup had pushed for, and successfully obtained, an on-the-record decision. This relieved her from the physical and emotional strain of having to attend the hearing.
“The day before the hearing, I got a call from Allsup, saying the judge had made the decision, and granted me my disability benefits. They kept me from having to appear in court. I’m glad I didn’t have to go through a hearing,” Mrs. Fox said with a slight laugh. “I would’ve gotten mad and then things would’ve gotten real bad!”
Today, Mrs. Fox says she would recommend Allsup to others. Still, for those facing the challenge of the filing process, she warns, “Be prepared for a long fight.”
In the end, she says, “I’ve already recommended Allsup to people. They were very helpful and friendly. They did all the work for me. Now, I’m very relieved it’s all over.”