diabetes Ssdi Onset Date Has Me Confused.

[kluender]

Yesterday, I received a letter from Social Security. Topic: Supplemental Security Income Notice. It states, "We have found that you meet the medical requirements for disability benefits. An explanation of our finding is attached.....We have not yet mad a decision about whether you meet the non-medical requirements...."

While overjoyed that my case has come this far and so fast, the part that I'm concerned about is the onset date. My application states that I stopped working March 3rd, 2010, which would be my alleged onset date. I received 100% total and permanent disability from VA in October, 2010.

Conditions listed on the Social Security Administration Explanation of Determination are:

Anxiety

Depression

Memory loss

Ankles problems

Diabetes

Intervertebral disc syndrome

Paralysis of the sciatic nerve

Pes planus

Plantar fasciitis

Urinary incontinence

It then reads, "While you may have experienced symptoms related to these as early as 03/04/10, you did not meet the SSA disability requirements at that time. Based on the evidence in your file, the earliest date that you met the requirements for disability was 04/04/14. Prior to that time, the limitation by condition would not have prevented you from returning to doing all types of work. Therefore we have established an onset date for your disability as of 04/04/14."

From 03/03/10 until present, my condition hasn't changed except for being down graded from 50% to 30% for depression in 2010, prior to receiving 100% from VA in Oct, 2010. I know that if I appeal, my case can be reviewed and I could be denied SSDI. Does anyone have any idea why my onset date would be 04/04/2014? The only thing significant about that date for me is that it's birthday. So far, I haven't used a lawyer.

Should I be concerned that the subject of the notice reads, "Supplemental Security Income", instead of, "Supplemental Security Disability Income"?

Thanks for your help.

[jbasser]

No,In some cases the first check is usually SSI which is a temporary thing until the system is updated.

It may not hurt to ask for an earlier effective date from VA,. Their definition of disability is not as strong as SSA.

J

[Barbamatt]

Usually the date of onset of a disability is the last day you worked. Sometimes they assign a date. When I went to court the judge didn't agree with the date I claimed and asked me to amend the date to a later time in order to receive a favorable decision.

Sometimes you have to accept a later date to get a decision in your favor...it is SS way to pay you less....but getting a decision is sometimes better than fighting it.

[jbasser]

The SSA effective date carries some serious weight with VA onset dates.

J

[kluender]

Barbamatt, are you saying that the onset date is sometimes just an arbitrary date that they select? I haven't worked in over 4 years with hardly any changes to my health.

Jbasser, I received 100% VA disability effective October, 2010. How would it help to get an earlier date?

Thanks to both of you for responding.

[Berta]

I agree with Barbamatt's point. Good for you Barbamatt for challenging the date. We never know what can happen if we dont try, but you are right that the last day of work is not always but often the SSA date they use.

Many years ago my husband got a SSA award solely for a NSC stroke. The NSC stroke ,which happened in 1992) became a 1151 stroke in 2012.

At that time however, we considered his major disability to be PTSD and this is what he filed the SSDI application for.,adding the stroke info.

When he got the SSDI award I called them up asking what about his SC PTSD (at 30% at that time)

and they said they never considered it as the stroke was totally disabling.

I went to Corning SSA office and asked their permission to check out their regulations. (no internet search available in those days).

After a few miserable hours going through stacks of SSA regulations I found what I needed... a regulation that states SSA will consider ALL disabilities you claim.

I xeroxed it and we asked them for a reconsideration form.

SSA really tried to talk my husband and me out of filing this form.They suggested it could even involve him losing his SSDI.

Of course with PTSD and brain damage he got scared when they said that. I didnt and I prepared the form and he signed it and we mailed it in.

3 months later SSA called him and said they had awarded solely for PTSD with an EED of Oct 1991.(the last day he worked)

They also said they had declared him incompetent but he could challenge that but he said he liked being declared incompetent.

His SSDI retro for the PTSD was over 17,000 and more importantly , he had a PTSD claim in for higher rating then the 30%.

Unfortunately he died 3 years before the VA awarded him posthumously for the 100% P & T for PTSD,to me as an accrued benefit. The EED VA gave him was 1991, per the SSDI PTSD award.

I mentioned this before but it pays to mention again.

We had asked a SSA lawyer to support the reconsideration request and he said it would fail and wouldn't help us.

But he was pretty attentive when I called him up and told him he just lost about 4500 bucks.(whatever 25% would have been as his SSA fee)

He was stunned about that and we had a long talk and he told me he would never look at a PTSD veteran the same way again.

The evidence of my husband's 100% PTSD came from many sources in addition to his VA psychiatric records.

I dont know the time frame for asking for a Reconsideration at SSDI these days but that info should be at their web site.

[Philip Rogers]

It sounds to me like SSA is trying to save money, by short changing you on the onset date. There should be no reason for them to consider SSI, as you receive too much money, from VA, to be considered for SSI. I would wait for their decision, on SSDI, and if they don't award the March 3, 2010, onset date, I would appeal the decision. jmo

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