I actually heard back from my Congressman's office

Hehehe...are you talking about me?? ;) That's fantastic...glad you finally heard from your Congressman's office and that they too have a representative that can work on your disability issue....Do they have a fax number so you can fax the material to them? It'd be quicker than mailing...also be sure to rattle out a letter giving them authorization for them to intervene on your behalf...this is the letter I sent the woman who helped me...I edited slightly, omitting names Dear Ms. --------: This letter is in regards to the phone call on Monday, May 20, 2007, in regards to the issue where as of the beginning of this month my SSI Disability benefits of which I had been receiving since 1996 was terminated, plus the issue where in the letter, dated May 10, 2007 from Social Security notified me of an overpayment during the months of Ocotober 2006 to April 2007 for the amount of $4,910.00, and of which Social Security has indicated I need to pay them back. I , -----------, authorize any member of the office of Congressman Joseph Crowley to intervene and help me with this case in the re-establishment of my SSI Disability benefits and to settle the matter of the overpayment issue connected with Social Security. I enclose and include on the bottom of this letter, my original correspondence to Congressman Crowley where I asked for help in this issue. Thank you and sincerely. You can use this letter as a guideline for your case...and yes, things will move a lot quicker as the Social Security isn't used to having Congressmen or their representatives nudging them along...it kind of rattles them...hehee

I am so happy that you caught on to what to do..Anytime you notify your congressman you will get your disbility..People just do not understand how much pull they have..That is how i got mine.I have crihns disease and i needed a new knee,and i flrd for disability because i could no longer work on my career job,so after a lot of run a rounds i was told to contact my congressman...He called, and i had my chek within 2 weeks and following that i got all my back pay from the first day i filed...Never give up, if you are trying to get your diability......They always turn you down until they get that call from the congressman then Bingo you get it...Social security hates to hear from the congressmen...it puts a little fire under them...

I am glad that it worked for you that way Sweetie as it certainly did not for me here in the Uk they did not care I had to fight for it myself It is good that they do help you with that at least you are not on your own

It's good that something is getting done. We were watching television and it says there is such a back log of Social Security claims that many of them are getting denied automatically and that they cannot understand that disability does not just mean lying on your back helpless and having to be spoon fed all the time. I hope this spells good news for you and you get your disability check very soon.

You have just inspired me because my friend was recently fired from Verizon that was working her 10 hours a day six days a week and she got sick from it and couldn't get to the doctor for an excuse so they fired her. What's worse is that she didn't even get paid for all of the overtime she was doing but she's afraid to go to the Labor Board for fear it will follow her and keep her from getting hired. After hearing about your success, I think I will contact my representative and see if they can help. Since Verizon is such a large company, a Congressional rep may be the only way to put a stop to them stealing from their employees. My friend was also denied Unemployment. She is filing an appeal and hopefully she will have her benefits reinstated. On an up note, I'm up for a promotion at work, which could mean better money and hours and I would enjoy the work much better. I'll let you know as soon as I do what happens.

Even though you're clear across the country, you might have just heard me falling off my chair... I guess I've become a bit (ha!) cynical over the years but I'm always amazed when government officials actually do their jobs! Congratulations on getting such a positive response... you also earned it by being so tenacious!... and best energies that EVERYTHING goes PURRRRFECTLY for you!

That is amazing! What state do you live in! Maybe we should all move there!

That's great! I have one of our U.S. Senators offices looking into my claim too. Here's to quick and complete success for both of us ASAP. Isn't it wonderful to see our elected officials sometimes actually do what they're supposed to do - serve their constituencies? I have a friend who works at a local Social Security Administration Office and she also said it's automatic for them to deny most people the first time and that over 50-60% don't bother to appeal. We're not people to them we're just numbers and case files. When a U.S. Representative or Senator's office contact then, we come to life all of a sudden. Annie

Thats terrific news. Not only did you hear from her but she's helping you get your disability too. Good luck with getting it. BTW I live in PA and some of the reps are really rude. True they may get some nasty letters but imho they should be professional in their replies. Even if they are bothered by the corespondence. Afterall they are our representatives. One of them went as far as to write back f..k you. There's no excuse. If they don't like what someone wrote they should explain why not just write FU. This was from a newsstory in the Phila. Daily News. 01/15/08.

That is wonderful news..I hope all goes well with this...It does make it nice when someone cares about us little people...