Had a talk with my disability caseworker that shook me up pretty good

I had my first phone meeting with my caseworker last week, a lady named Donna from the Chicago office. She straight up told me that my medical records looked "thin" for a spinal condition I've been dealing with for 2 years. She said most people get denied the first time around and I should start prepping for a hearing now instead of waiting. Has anyone else had their caseworker basically tell you to expect to lose?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean85416d ago

I had a caseworker named Brenda back in 2018 for my bad knee. She opened the file, looked at it for maybe 10 seconds, and said "well, you're not missing a leg so this is going to be an uphill battle." She then spent 15 minutes telling me about her cousin who got denied three times for a herniated disc even though he couldn't walk straight. By the end of the call I felt less like I was getting help and more like I was being warned off a bad investment. I think some of them are just burned out from seeing the same system chew people up over and over.

the_leo16d ago

Is it possible that Brenda was being brutally honest rather than burned out, @sean854? She spelled out the reality of the system in about ten seconds flat, and her cousin's story was just a preview of the odds you were facing. Honestly, I'd rather have that kind of warning up front than get strung along with false hope for months.

phoenix57315d ago

Honest truth is a rare thing these days, isn't it? Brenda probably saved that guy months of spinning his wheels in a system that doesn't give a damn. I'd take her bluntness over a fake smile and a runaround any day.