Appreciation post: Finally got approved after 14 months of waiting

I got my approval letter in the mail last Tuesday and I almost didn't open it because I was so used to bad news. 14 months of paperwork, a denied first try, and one appeal hearing that lasted maybe 20 minutes. My back issues kept me from standing at the grill for more than 3 hours at my old line cook job. The judge actually asked me what specific tasks I couldn't do anymore and I told her about dropping a full sheet pan of prepped veggies because my hands went numb. Has anyone else had a judge that actually seemed to listen to the small details?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_owens2d ago

Read your story and man, that hit close to home. Its wild how the system makes you fight for something you clearly need, but then you get a judge who actually pays attention to the little stuff like dropping a sheet pan. That part about your hands going numb is exactly the kind of detail that shows the real day to day struggle, not just some doctor's note. I've noticed a bigger pattern with this whole thing - people think disability is always this big dramatic thing you can see from across the room, but its the small failures nobody sees that add up and wreck your life. The judge who asked about specific tasks gets that its not just pain, its losing the ability to do the simple stuff that makes you feel normal. Good on you for sticking it out through the whole fight, thats a long damn wait for some closure.

christopherwilliams2d ago

Yeah man that changed my whole view on it honestly.