Obtaining
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be a time-consuming and stressful experience. Two out of every three applicants initially are denied. Long-time compassionate caregiver Susan Post found herself in need of care when diagnosis of lupus and fibromaylgia presented themselves. But Mrs. Post is smart and made a decision to contact Allsup. She laid a medical foundation that would help to ensure she received her disability benefits. See how Mrs. Post secured her future.
* This is a true story as told to Allsup.
A Florida caregiver finds the tables turned when disability strikes. She turns to Allsup for help.
Florida Caregiver Finds Help Given ─ Help Received
By Douglas J. Gillert
Tampa, Florida ─ Susan Post needs her husband’s help climbing out of the soothing waters of her bathtub ─ a twisted fate for the caregiver of more than 30 years.
She long ago accepted that fatigue was just part of being a licensed practical nurse, first at Tampa General Hospital, where she worked medical surgical, and floated as needed in the ER and intensive care unit. But when she became pregnant in 1981, her supervisors told her she couldn’t do the heavy lifting and long floor time. She transferred to a geriatric rehabilitation clinic ─ and thrived.
“I love working with the older people,” Mrs. Post, now 52, said. “They are so appreciative of anything you do for them. I’d be there now, if it were possible.”
Steady income enabled her and husband, Chris, who works in the medical supply business, to raise their two children in comfort. Mrs. Post led an active life outside of work as well. “I would go horseback riding with my kids, and swimming,” she said. “Now, I can’t even go out in the sun.”
The troubles began at work, where twice she fell on slippery spots, tearing ligaments in both knees. She managed the pain with cortisone shots initially, for pain not only in the knees but in her upper joints as well. “I would get a shot in one arm, and then in the other arm, and then in my knees.” Finally, she resorted to surgery for the knees and medication for the joints. But what was the source of all this misery?
“I did a lot of bending and lifting, taking care of people,” she said. Her joints ached constantly. “I thought at first it’s because I was not getting enough rest.” She began missing days and sometimes weeks of work. Unable to perform her duties, she quit and sought another line of work.
She trained with a big-box retailer as a cashier, but after three months, she realized even this work was too much for her. By then, her spinal discs were deteriorating and painful. She quit work for good in November 2007. Her physician couldn’t pinpoint the cause of her condition but suspected there was an answer. He sent her to see a rheumatologist. The answer was lupus.
A chronic, inflammatory disease, lupus occurs when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues and organs. Joints often are a key target and, for unknown reasons, the disease occurs most frequently in women. With treatment, however, most people with lupus can lead active lives. But treatment didn’t help Mrs. Post.
The diagnosis led Mrs. Post to the Internet, where she researched symptoms and treatment and looked for a way to move beyond the pain. It was here that she saw a small advertisement for assistance in obtaining Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. With no work in sight, she knew it was time to get help. “I wrote the company, Allsup, and it just went from there,” she said.
Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicare Secondary Payer compliance services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Founded in 1984, Allsup employs nearly 700 professionals who deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible.
Her rheumatologist also diagnosed fibromyalgia as a source of back pain and fatigue. She has a growing list of medications she must take daily to get by. Playing with a nearby grandson ─ an abiding joy to her ─ is always a struggle.
Allsup took her case in May 2008, advising her the process could take two or more years. Mrs. Post was confident and felt she’d made a good choice in an advocate. “I had thorough medical documentation,” she said. “I had a good feeling I’d be granted SSDI.”
After two denials and subsequent appeals, her case advanced to the hearing level, which usually calls for an appearance before an administrative law judge. Mrs. Post’s representative, however, asked the judge to make a decision based on the evidence on file, sparing her the stress of appearing at an oral hearing.
The judge agreed that the evidence spoke for itself and issued an on-the-record decision. It was an immense relief. “If I am in an enclosed environment, the pressure for some reason affects my hearing,” she said. “I was really glad I didn’t have to go to court.”
The court awarded Mrs. Post full
SSDI benefits in October 2009, less than 18 months after she went to Allsup. It hadn’t taken that long, after all.
Her health issues aren’t going away and have even multiplied. But with the SSDI money coming in, Mrs. Post has found that the care she always gave is now there for her.