I have applied for SSI For My Bipolar and ADHD and My Aurtheritus in my Hips...In April of last year and since they turned me down...(Like I figured they would:rolleyes:) in August...I have appealed and have been waiting for the court case and It's Finally coming up on JULY 13TH:uhh:!

I am nervous Of what it is going to be like...or how to act infront of them...Heh considering my lack of social graces..I should be myself....but still I wish I Knew what to expect.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT TAKE THIS AS LEGAL ADVICE!!!

My experience in this area is limited for to legal research I did for a paper I wrote in law school a few years ago. So don’t take this as gospel or anything but… I have never seen a case where they gave SSI for just ADD or Bipolar. Usually you have to have some other condition that is made worse by the ADD. The are probably going to say that the ADD is just a symptom of the bipolar which means you only have one condition. I don’t know how serious your arthritis is but I doubt it is aggravated by one of the other conditions.

In fact in most of the cases in which ADD was mentioned and the person did get benefits the ADD was the least of the person’s worries. They also had some really bad disease or condition like MS or cancer or something like that.

Sorry to sound so negative but it seems to me that unless you can prove that you are cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs you are not going to win this one. But I could be wrong, it has happened before.

Anyhow good luck. Prove me wrong.

Well....My Anxiety of being around people and interacting with them and Freezing on a question and Not being able to complete a task and Not to mention that I can not have a standing Up Jop cause of surgery on my Hips...Bender and Bender think I have a good shot...and Letter from my Doctoe stating that I am not fit to hold a Job plays in my Favor....but the thing I am worried about is the way I act when I am Nervous...I FREEZE and my mind goes blank and I act irationally...I think I be best at JUST BEING MY SELF
CAUSE I AM AS FUBARED AS THEY COME and thinking of throwing the PTSD their way as well...have had PTSD since sheesh since I was a small child...but that is another post ;)!

Thank You for Advice all the same.

At least I do have Bender and Bender as lawyers...they BETTER be as good as they say they are!

I didn’t know you were that F’ed up. :eek:

Hey Mellie,
I have never dealt with an appeal for SSI but I did go through an appeak with the state of Arizona for mental health benefits. they looked at the same things SSI look at. I was myself and it was fine but I was told to rememerb to show the symptoms you live with from day to day. You don't need to lie at all but just show them what you are dealing with. I have Bipolar and PTSD and I won SSI without an appeal in 91 days. Your lawyers shoul prep you for the hearing. If you can, take someone with you who can testify on what you say. They asked me if I could take care of my house OK. I said I thought so but my friend who I took to the hearing said my house looked like the house of a cancer victim and she said other unflattering things which were the truth and helped the reviewers get a better picture of what was going on.
Good luck Mel

Heh...Ruth...Knowing Me I will not be comfortable without my Mom Being there...and If My sister promises not to be a Witch with a capital B then she could show up too. I wish someone from the forums could be there too...someone who knows I am cuckoo for coco Puffs :p Penultimate:D

Whatever you do dress down in court instead of up.

I went to court once and my stupid lawyer said wear a suit.
Their first impression of me was that I must have things pretty together if I can afford such a nice suit and therefore must be lying about everything else........

Dress like one of those crazy people you see in the movies..

I was wondering that myself...Binder and Binder sent me a tape on what to expect at the court hearing and they mentioned that I do not have to dress like lawyer just not like a bumb...good thing I have ole hand me downs that don't make me look like a total shlob.