I am currently appealing my first denial for SSD. I was told that I would be denied twice before I get a "fair trial." I got an attorney at the point of the initial application to make sure that I did all the paperwork correct. All I can say is to keep copies of all of your medical appointments - even your PCP appointments. Get print outs from pharmacy of your medications. Make sure that you are following the protocol of both medical and CBT from a therapist or a psychologist. If you are having depression and anxiety secondary to the chronic pain then be sure to try antidepressants. They are looking for a pattern of care that you have done everything possible to control the pain and work. I went from full-time to part-time to no time. I will be 62 in a year and a half and I have been told that they may drag it out in hopes I will give up and just settle for my social security. The SSD will be about $300 more on the month which is a car payment and I worked 45 years so I earned it. I will continue to fight, but praying we can make it with one income. Right now my husband is only working part-time since our relocation and we are hanging by a thread and have no more savings - so praying is all that is keeping our heads above water. Some people wait until the first denial before they get an attorney. It is up to you - I just felt like it was worth the less stress. The paralegal actually filled out the application for me online and I just answered her questions. What my husband tells me is to understand that they don't care about us so not to take the denials personally. He said they are banking on us giving up. Remember to put in your application how you have been trying to work part-time and realize now that the condition has progressed and you are unable to work. They will want you to go back over all your years of work and what work you have done. They want to know your education. They want to know your taxable income for previous year and YTD. I try to send ongoing information monthly to my attorney about doctor appointments, changes in medications, and any new diagnoses. That is all I know. It is also different in every State. My husband said if we still lived in Virginia I would already have my SSD. We live in Utah now. Sending prayers

I'm still offering my free services to help you; at least to give you some answers and get you started in the right direction. Also many free resources to help you survive the wait.

Call your local Social Security office & make an appt. to apply for disability, once you've applied wait 2 months no longer & hire a Social Security Disability Lawyer. You don't have to pay, the Lawyer will take the $ from your retroactive benefits that's why you wait 2 months before hiring the Lawyer & they can only take a percentage of your benefits. I applied for mine 3 times & was denied all 3 & when i went to a lawyer to appeal it it was to late because i had run out of time & she told me if i hired her before my hearing /w/ the judge she would have won because she won 99% of her cases it's all she does & you have to have a Social Security Lawyer to handle the paperwork & win your case @ the hearing. I wish I had done it. Good Luck

It took me 4 years but i went through the process without an attorney. if you have a good doctor who is willing to stand with you and provide good documentation (letters, records etc) you can do it. It is a long frustrating chase with having to carefully answer lots of questions often repeating yourself over and over again, crossing t's and dotting i's and jumping through lots of hoops. Don't miss any deadlines or not send in a response to something! It can be done!

Agree get lawyer and don't give up HUGS