stunthanger.com
General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: bruce malm on March 20, 2008, 01:56:09 PM
-
I know there are a lot of older guys so I thought I would pass on some information about Social Security Disability.
After a short meeting with an attorney, he recommended that I should wait at least 6 months to apply ( you aren't eligible until you are out of work for 6 months) and up to 1 year if financially possible. He also recommended as other on line people have, to write a narrative when answering about your previous work and how your disability limits you. He really emphasized writing about the side effects of any drugs you take as he said, SSA doesn't care how much you hurt but if the side effects contribute to that problem. Note, I am taking 40 mg. of oxycotin 3 times per day and I take Norco 3>6 times a day to get by. ( so if I ever get back to flying contests, don't expect a master performance). Also take the time to get all your medical records together and put them in a file or binder to take with you and make sure you have a copy of everything. Find the Adult disability form # SSA-3368BK and fill it out, this is where you write out your answers about work, side effects, etc. When you see the form you will go crazy with all the duplicate questions and some you can not answer in the space alloted. USE the separate sheets and just put see attached narrative on the form. You can fill out this form on line but I personally could not imagine how and be able to get the correct information. If you do it on line, you can not go back and edit it. Take the time, it will be worth it. I have this form in Acrobat if you need it. This is not the actual application. This is a report of your disability. When you are ready to apply, use the 800 phone # to get the local SSA office #. Call them, you will more than likely have to hit redial for a long time, just to get through. Make an appointment to to apply. Note!! They will try to get you to do it over the phone or on-line, don't do it. Go to the appointment with your binder or file and take your duplicate with you. You will also need your original birth certificate, DD-214 if you were in the military, W-2 for your last year of employment, and a deposit slip so they can deposit your money if and when you get approved. I pre-copied all of these so they didn't have to but they do need to see the originals.
Most likely the person interviewing you will have worked their for years, mine had worked there since 1986, and they will look at you funny when you walk in with your binder. Your interview will not take very long as the actual application isn't that long. You can refer to your binder if need be. MAKE SURE you keep an exact duplicate of everything you give to them. After they give you a copy of your actual application , read it before you leave!!! The interviewer I had put down the incorrect state where I got married, Las Vegas is not in California. It took a couple of hours to get back to the lady to correct it and the 800 # people will tell you it's not that important. Believe me it is, as it is an error and an excuse to be rejected. They will tell you that you will not have an answer for 3 to 6 months. BE VERY POLITE AT ALL TIMES!!
If you are lucky, the interviewer will take the time to mail the information to your assigned DDS agent ( Disability Determination Services) or scan it into a national SSA database. In few days you will receive another package from one of the national offices, mine is in Utah, with a work history report form to fill out. I used a portion from my original report and had to write a second page for my previous job as you have to go back 15 years.
You can mail this in or FAX to an 866 # that automatically puts it on line for the person that does the evaluation. It has to be faxed in a particular order using their Bar code cover sheet to be done done correctly.
Most important!!!! Along with this form you will get the phone # and name of the person that will review all your information and send it on to the SSA doctor's for review and on to final determination. Give this person a call, BE POLITE, to make sure he received all the information you provided and if there is anything else he or she needs. They will love your application and go the extra mile to work with you because you have saved them a ton of time and it makes them look good. My agent read through my application immediately and noticed I had an appointment that week. He called me and let me know he needed an updated musculoskeletal evaluation. and noticed I had an appointment in 2 days. He was going to fax to the doctor but he faxed it to me so I could make sure it got the form taken care of and faxed back to the national database.
All this preparation will save you time and hopefully get you and hopefully me approved in the shortest possible time. You can be denied for almost anything and if the doctors don't return your records to the evaluator if you didn't provide them or they are incorrect (some of mine were) you will still have to get your records for your appeal or an attorney will have to. Please note that if you are denied it will likely take an additional 1 1/2 on up to 4 or more years to get through the system and hopefully be approved.
The net result of this is I should have a determination in another 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. I filed my application on a Wednesday, spoke to my evaluator the next Monday, saw my doctor on Thursday and faxed in the skeletal evaluation ( too make sure it didn't sit on anyones desk). I called the evaluator on Friday to make sure everything got into the on line database and again make sure he had everything he needed. He had everything he needed and already sent it on to the doctor and told me I should have an answer in 3 weeks if everything goes right, 4 weeks at the most. This sure in H*ll beats 3 > 6 months and what else did I have to do for the last 10 months. Financially I could survive with out the income but it would not be much fun. If you are approved, you still don't get Medicare for another 2 years from your application date and if I didn't have good health insurance through Teena's work it would get bad real quick. If everything goes right we hope to be moving to Tulsa in the spring of next year and maybe sooner and maybe even I will feel a little better not worrying about that part of my life. Or I will have to wait another year or 2 or 3 to get through the system.
If I can be of any help, send me an email or give me a call. Hopefully this will help some and that everybody else won't need it. I will let you know when and if I'm approved.
Sorry this was so long!!!
Master Airscrew 10x5 3 blades.
I haven't heard much about 10x5 3 blades. Just curious if anybody is using them. I haven't been doing real well and hope to get back in the air shortly. I have spoken to Scott Reese a couple of times and he said he re-pitched about the last 2 inches up to a true 5 inch pitch and they worked very well. I only flew once with one right out of the package
but am not sure what the pitch is. It worked well on a Smoothie with a B-40 in it but I only had it up a few times.
I will not do this again. since MA can't seem to keep all the props to the correct pitch. I haven't been back to talk to them. I believe they need to cool them longer in the mold before removal.
I want to thank everybody that has sent payment and most did it immediately and some sent a little extra. THANK YOU!! I still have a few that have not paid I sent out Emails around November or December. One person claimed they had mailed a check and others did not reply. I WILL NOT POST any names. The couple of hundred bucks I didn't get back will not break me but it was a lot of work and not sure it was appreciated and it's not worth jeopardising friendships for a few dollars. I have another project I'm working on and if it is effective I will let somebody else follow it up.
Again, sorry this was so long. Hope to see you in the circles.
Bruce (Wackydaddy) Malm ~> #^ ~^