In Attendance:  11

New Members: 3 Welcome Bobbi, Cathy, and Radiance!

Collected in donations:  $39

Ice Breaker:  The group welcomed new members and all made introductions.

One of the new members received her diagnosis of Fibromyalgia from Cleveland Clinic in Florida.  

Several members have been referred to as a ‘hypochondriac’ before receiving a proper diagnosis.

One member shares that swimming helps relieve some symptoms. There are free swim sessions at the YMCA in Bridgewater (Weds from 10:00 – 11:00 am and 1:00 – 2:00 pm. Berkley Heights has a time as well.

One member has hypomagnesium and must get a weekly infusion

GUEST SPEAKER: Lynette discussed the hierarchy of medical records and what to expect when applying for Disability (SSD).

       I took a video of this but have been unsuccessful at uploading the video to the site. If you would like a copy I can email it to you through email, just send me a request via email and I will be happy to do that for you.

Some of what was discussed by the attorney:

• It is imperative that you get your medical records every time you see a doctor so that you have that burden of proof.
• You have the burden of proof – not your doctor. Once you have been approved-you will be re-evaluated every 2 years if you are younger than 35yo and every 4 years or so if you are over 35yo.
• -Get them in a minimum of 30 days.
• When sending records to Social Security, ALWAYS send via certified mail: they are known to lose people’s records.
• 90 – 95% of initial applications are denied within a minimum of 60 -65 days. Denial is likely because the medical record is not part of the electronic record.
• Patient Portal note: at least has a summary of your appointment, but it will not have the MRI/CT Scan etc. in all cases, so it may not be all you need.
• Organize yours info in chronological order.
• Second Adjudicator is denied 85-90% of the time.
• If you are denied, do not re-apply. Appeal your original application.
• You can find a listing of impairment diagnoses if you Google search on the internet.
• Once approved, benefits do not typically begin for about 5 months.
• If they pay you on a presumptive acceptance, you do not have to pay it back if it is denied afterwards.
• Types of disability: State, Temporary, and Long Term  buy-in?
  The government is taking Autoimmune Disease more seriously