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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2020 - 08 - 19 - ID#iciyam
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Should I appeal my disability claim with a lawyer. (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
[removed]
-shacklebolt- 1 points 2y ago
No one here is qualified to provide any kind of legal or medical advice.
carolineecouture 1 points 2y ago
So from other people I've heard that initial denials are pretty typical. What does the appeals process look like? Do you have to involve a lawyer, or could you hold off on that for a bit? If you are working I think anything you get is modified but I don't know for sure. I also think it might make you eligible for other services that you might need. Good luck.
[deleted] [OP] 1 points 2y ago
[deleted]
godjames25 0 points 2y ago
For all those years that I had to adjust care with depression and a whole lot of other things. Am I wrong for feeling like I was due even though I overcame it by myself?
CloudyBeep 2 points 2y ago
Do you have perfect vision in one of your eyes? If you do, you can't qualify since you do not meet the definition of legal blindness in the United States.
godjames25 0 points 2y ago
Not necessarily one of the biggest reasons I’m still pushing for it is because my family says I should still try. No matter how you look at it adjusted or not I’m not the same as everyone else I’ve even states that I meet the requirements as I was told by the doctor that tested me.
Namrakk 1 points 2y ago
Are you in the US?
godjames25 1 points 2y ago
Yes ny
Namrakk 2 points 2y ago
I’m sorry you were denied - that’s such a tough situation. The disability determination guidelines are pretty fucked. I wrote some disability appeals opinions for a judge during law school and my experience has been easily over 80% of appeals are denied.

Your post says the decision letter said you have a disability but are not qualified for payments because you have adjusted. Strictly speaking, if SS found you disabled (and you met the income/work credit thresholds) you would receive benefits. It sounds more like they determined you are not disabled.

Generally there are 2 ways to be considered disabled. The first is through their Blue Book codified conditions: for blindness this means worse than 20/200 best corrected vision in the better eye or less than 20 degrees field of vision (usually measured by a Humphreys Visual Field Analyzer). The second way to be considered disabled is more complicated, but generally you have to show you can’t do work you previously did AND cannot adjust to other work (it’s bullshit because SS considers almost any other type of work as disqualifying for SS). For the second method your doctor usually has to submit paperwork including an explanation based on their medical opinion of why they believe you can’t work. Then SS’s own doctors will review your physician’s assessment. This second method of qualifying for disability is fairly uncommon.

Again, the system sucks and I’m sorry you were denied. Based on your post and my limited knowledge I don’t think an appeal would help you. Your best bet would be to try a new app where you try and qualify under the first (Blue Book) method: 20/200 or worse acuity w/best corrected vision in the working eye OR 20 degrees or less of visual field.
godjames25 1 points 2y ago
Appreciate it
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