Although she was battling chronic pulmonary disease, neuropathy, diabetes, thyroid cancer and other illnesses, the Social Security Administration denied this Nevada woman her disability benefits. Then Allsup Inc. stepped in and treated her like …
Part of the Family
This is a true story as told to Allsup.
Henderson, Nevada - When Kathi Mentlik and her husband moved to Henderson, Nev., in 1998, they had their eyes on retail opportunities amidst the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas area.
With six children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren between them, she preferred working part-time so she could better balance work and life. The drawback to always being a part-time employee was the lack of health insurance offered by many employers.
There was a reason that medical benefits were important to her. In 1980, when Mrs. Mentlik was only 33, she was diagnosed with diabetes, but she managed the disease with diet and medication. Then, in the 1990s, she contracted thyroid cancer and had surgery to remove the tumor. Because a tumor was so close to her vocal cords, surgeons elected to protect Mrs. Mentlik’s ability to speak. She lives today with one percent of the remaining thyroid cancer cells, which physicians say should not be a concern.
She resumed working in a variety of retail settings after moving to Henderson, but health problems once again interrupted her life after she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is characterized by poor breathing, wheezing and chronic bronchitis. Also suffering from asthma, Mrs. Mentlik carried an inhaler every time she left her home. She battled the COPD and continued to work until she began experiencing spells of light-headedness and lack of focus. It affected her so badly that she would sit for most of her shift until supervisors told her to go home. After a visit to a neurologist and taking a battery of tests, medical specialists were unable to find a cause. Yet, the dizziness continued, and her neurologist finally told her to "give it up." Mrs. Mentlik last worked in May 2004.
Throughout the ordeal with her balance, Mrs. Mentlik’s diabetes had advanced, and she developed neuropathy in her lower extremities and she was unsteady on her feet. After walking just two city blocks, she would hobble in pain as cramping feet and legs would give out. Making matters worse, she also suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, which makes it difficult to grasp things or have full range of motion.
When Mrs. Mentlik first quit working, she knew her husband’s retirement funds wouldn’t support them, but she was determined not to miss a mortgage payment. Without long-term disability insurance, she filed for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits without professional representation in June 2004. SSDI provides regular monthly income to people who can no longer work because of a serious illness or injury. Every working person pays for these benefits through FICA tax deductions.
Mrs. Mentlik thought she could make her way through the process on her own.
She was wrong. It was four months before the SSA assigned her a physician, and when she did meet him, they had communication problems because of his poor English. He asked her to walk, read an eye chart (her vision was fine) and stand on her toes. The SSA denied her application six months later.
That’s when Mrs. Mentlik moved to plan B. When researching the application process with the SSA, she learned about Allsup, a company that helps people maneuver through the complex disability process. Founded in 1984, Allsup is the nation’s premier Social Security disability claims services company having obtained more than $1.4 billion in Social Security and Medicare payments for more than 100,000 disabled people.
In November 2005, she started working with Allsup claimant representative Kate Jacobs, who became Mrs. Mentlik’s advocate and cheerleader for the next 13 months. Kate and her Allsup team worked vigorously on her claim for weeks, gathering medical records and documenting every appointment and procedure.
"Kate and I were joined at the hip," said Mrs. Mentlik. "She was a godsend, and I love her to death. If it wasn’t for her help, I don’t know where I would be today."
Soon after Allsup accepted her case and re-filed her claim, a neurologist appointed by the SSA met with Mrs. Mentlik. He asked her to walk. She told him, "My neuropathy will not kick in for a distance of several blocks." The doctor said, "Squat down." Mrs. Mentlik’s response was, "I can’t! I’ve not been able to squat for years."
That’s when she knew she was making progress with the SSA medical practitioners.
Allsup kept Mrs. Mentlik’s case front and center with the SSA. The team was aware of a backlog of reconsideration cases across the country; however, that did not stop Mrs. Jacobs from persistently pushing the case was finally re-opened. The Allsup team provided every possible detail of Mrs. Mentlik’s medical history and status and, once again, the ball was in the SSA’s lap.
With Mrs. Mentlik unable to work, the family’s bills began to accumulate and her husband took a part-time job in order to keep their home. Then, after 13 months, the SSA awarded Mrs. Mentlik her SSDI benefits, with retroactive benefits dating from her initial application. Without Allsup’s help, it may have taken her twice as long to navigate the system and the myriad requirements.
"It was frustrating to have Mrs. Mentlik’s status remain unchanged for months and months," said Mrs. Jacobs. "It’s unusual for a case to take more than a year to get through the system, but Kathi’s attitude throughout the process was upbeat and hopeful, and that helped everyone."
Mrs. Jacob’s background in psychology and social work, along with four years of Allsup experience, has prepared her well for work as a claimant representative. "I get huge satisfaction when I can phone a claimant and say ‘A check is coming!’ After we spend so much time becoming acquainted, our claimants become part of our extended family," she added.
"The wait becomes interminable for all of us, but once the disability benefit is approved, it’s the best feeling in the world."