An attorney helped me get disability

I had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for about a year before it became so severe I was forced to quit my job as a medical assistant. I had spoken to my primary doctor about disability and knew it would be a difficult and lengthy process, however, I needed the money and decided to start the process. The paperwork was repetitious and endless. I sent everything that Social Security asked me for. I waited for almost a year before I was denied. I was stunned! I had a mountain of medical reports from my doctors detailing the severity of my problems.

At that point, my only alternative was to seek legal representation, which was another lengthy process. I spent countless hours filling out paperwork and getting medical reports AGAIN. I was finally given a court date to see the Judge who did approve my appeal, however the process took over two years. I still had to pay a portion to my attorney, for something that should never have been denied in the first place.

My attorney did tell me that most disability cases are automatically denied on the first request. I don't understand that. I felt like all of the time and effort I put into all of the paperwork was for nothing. The whole process was hard, emotional, and at times I felt like giving up. I felt as if I were being punished for not being able to work. At times I felt humiliated that I even had to apply for disability at all. I am fortunate that my case was finally approved, however it is still not enough to live on. For anyone who is going through the process, all I can say, is you have to be patient and supply all the documentation that you can.