r/SSDI_SSI

This is about SSDI and also trying to navigate poverty, programs requirements, insurance coverage, doctor records, documentation, long hold times, ignorant staff members who don't even know their own programs (not specific to SSA), being given wrong information, and doing this day after day while still having whatever physical or mental ailment is your reason for being on disability.

I try to go out and be a kind person, but these programs are impossible to navigate without it being a full time job where I'm enraged after so much of it.

Please give me your tricks for holding your rage after being transferred to the wrong person, dept, told something different each time, and then still getting nowhere.

I just found out I was denied for reconsideration. I have an attorney. I’m located in FL. I just received a letter from the person handling my case with SSA requesting that I contact my doctors and request for them to submit my medical records. I did that. They also sent a letter to my cousin requesting him to call them back about my health. When he called back they told him they didn’t need him to contact them. They never received my updated medical records as well but nonetheless they made a decision. How long does it usually take to appeal in front of a judge and can it be expedited?

Just tryna make some conversation

Today my best fried.girlfriend end.just got denied once more of her application (SSI) her sufferings .PTSD M.BIPOLAR.CHRONIC DEPRESSION,and fyi she was in a state hospital for 2yrs I know it’s a hard one when it comes to proving your mental state but that’s why I’m tryna reach out thru our community maybe some advice if it’s not too much

She’s 46 yrs of age and she’s a Education graduate sumacom at temple university unfortunately she can’t teach no more due to some unfortunate circumstances i rather not speak about

Ugh. Portal says Apeals council has finished its job. I will get a letter in 10 days. Im so pessimistic after all this time. ​AC started in 11/2025. 6 months...well at least I will have closure.

Any wins at AC level?

Thanks

So, a couple of months ago I received my fully favorable decision on my SSI case. At the moment it was a huge relief as my case was in the system for a decade.

Anyways in the letter it said:

"You should receive payment in 40-60 days of the date of this notice."

It's been past the 60 day mark, is this typical? What is the longest you all have waited after getting your favorable decision?

I got a phone call from them 518-254-6530 about an appointment? I googled the number and the first thing I saw was that it is a scam. My parent also got the call, but I don't pick up phone calls from numbers I don't know. I'm on SSDI. SSA after calling them up never heard of them, my case manager never heard of them, and as well as my therapist. Is this a legitimate thing or not?

I’m 24, I have a rare autoimmune disease called MOGAD, depression, anxiety, transverse, myelitis, pour my personality disorder, mood disorder, optic neuritis, posttraumatic stress disorder. I was wondering my chances I was told I have enough credits and I was given presumptive pay as well. I’ll know in three weeks

Approval!! I feel so very blessed that this was a fast and easy process for me. Applied Jan 8th approval today. Thanks for all the support I got on here!

Not sure what tag to be under!

Hey y'all, I meet the standards for SSI pretty much to the letter aside from the 2k asset limit. I'm meeting with a phone rep in the next week, but I'm going to be well under that limit sometime in this next week (moving for a better hospital+care, travel costs). When do I need to be under the limit? Is it right at the meeting time or later when they verify my bank account? Thanks!

Like the title says, does anyone else always get nervous or stressed during a CDR review? I’ve been on SSI since 2021 and had my first CDR in 2023. I was stressed then, but I got a decision in 5-6 months. Now I feel even more stressed. The first time, I got the long form, and I’ve received it again in 2026 I fill it out online, along with the adult functionality packet that my mom and I both have to fill out like the first time. I didn’t get a CE the first time, but I’m not sure if I will this time. I see my medical team every six months and take my meds as prescribed. Probably not SSA’s fault, but now I also have a financial review on May 28th. It’s so overwhelming, and I just want to know how people cope with this or feel reassured that everything will be okay. My award letter stats, I will get a CDR every 3 years and they always do the financial review every year, there haven't been a year they have skip on that

this may sound dumb but I’ve been on SSI for as long as I can remember and have always just wanted to work. I’m currently in college and still on it because I know I couldn’t both work and school at the same time… I’d love to start my career straight out of school, the only thing is I have a serious dilemma

if I stay on benefits I’ll be able to have my loans forgiven but that means I’ll have to stick with them for 2 years after I graduate which I really don’t want do. if I start working though I’ll have to pay off loans which.. yeah doesn’t sound great obviously. I don’t really know what I should do. any advice is welcome

edit: thank you to the people who were helpful!

for everyone else, fui i am disabled. It was not my decision to be on SSI, my parents put me on it as a child and I’ve just been using it to get through college .

i don’t want to take advantage of the system but i also don’t want to screw myself over financially. think of that what you will but i don’t think that makes me a terrible .

ive never worked so i don’t know if id be able to do it or not but i want to try. because unlike some of you think I’m not looking for a way out.

I won my case, yay! But theres a major error.

When I received my award letter in April, it falsely said that I was receiving EDD benefits, and so they were reducing my amount from $1316 (just enough to barely make it) to $35.

I called my local social security office and they told me to get paperwork from EDD showing that I have not received benefits and have none available to me. The person at the local office said once I uploaded the paperwork it would take 60-90 days to process, and that I could file a direct needs letter to try to make that faster.

I also contacted my lawyer and had them sumbit my dire needs letter. My situation is dire (not going to go into detail here). I gave them all of this on May 1st.

Today, may 18th, lawyers office calls and says I have to actually appeal the whole decision, meaning going to an judge and taking 18-36 months or longer (Im in Santa Cruz, Ca).

Anyone know about this specific type of correction? Do I really have to appeal the entire thing and basically start over in terms of wait time? Is that wait estimate correct?

Anything more to speed it up other than dire needs letter and contacting my representative to have them flag the case. Did those both last time and still took 2.5+ years to get here.

I have no family help, have run through savings, and am on general assistance atm to barely survive (but I doubt it will last that long) & I owe people money, etc, etc.

hey all!

i'm currently about to be homeless. the house i've been in for the last 6 years is about to no longer be available to any of the folks that have been living in it due to terrible financial decisions made by the homeowner, i.e. the house is going into foreclosure and we have to be out by the end of the month. i have found a new place to live and a vehicle. to pay the new rent, and pay for the car, and getting my license, it's going to cost me around 3500.

it took about 2.5 years for me to be approved for SSI so they owe me a good chunk of backpay, about 30K in total. the first time they payed me a chunk of back pay, it was 3700. so i called and asked about it and the woman told me to go into the office and walk in if it's a "dire situation", and to bring a letter from the landlord and 2 pieces of mail as proof of residency, and obviously my i.d.

my question is, do i ask for an actual amount? like, do i say, "i need 3500 to make this all work"? or do i just see what they say? will they just give me the next chunk of backpay they were going to give me, just early?

has anyone here been through this?

thanks! i appreciate ya!

Are SSI Attorneys bound by HIPPA or something similar? I am contacting one for SSI and they are wanting my medical records to see if they can help with my case.

I'm very cautious with sending over my medical records and wanted to make sure I am protected. I asked, but they haven't answered.

Is this normal or should I be cautious?

So just looked on my online portal its in step 4 and says making sure you still meet the non medical requirements 🙃 is this my sign of approval???!?

I have a call to reopen my child’s SSI case this week.

Backstory:

She’s was placed with us years ago and is now in guardianship / no longer in care but still a minor. Her adoption caseworker (on her case for 5+ years) filed her SSI case but left the department after we took guardianship.

I knew the state would receive her check because we receive subsidy support and our income exceeds guidelines. But I was told it was important to file and get her approved before she turned 18 so her support checks would start when her foster care subsidies stopped (in about a year).

I called the SSI department about a month ago to get an update and to make sure her legal name was updated, and they informed me her case was closed/denied due to lack of response this past December- years after initial application. I assume they reached out to the department and the case worker who no longer works there. We have a call this week to reopen the case. She’ll be in an adult guardianship once she turns 18.

Do they keep her old files / paperwork / doctors reports on file? I have more things and diagnoses to add to the list but I don’t have the full case files the way CPS does. Feeling behind because we only have a year before she turns 18 and apparently the last SSI application was open 3 years before closing. I wasn’t prepped to file this myself on her behalf.

I Was approved by ALJ on 4/17/26. On 5/12 portal updated to step 4 of 4 approved and my benefit letter shows my monthly amount , Medicare info etc. it doesn’t show payments yet but does say I will get paid starting May 2026 every third Wednesday of each month. Does that mean I’ll get a payment this month on 20th? Can anyone share their experience at this point? I only get SSDI , Will I get backpay soon?