Approved for disability after 3 years

Hi everyone, I just wanted to come on and say after 3 years of misery I was finally approved for disability. 3 long years of misery, my house in total disrepair (leaking roof caused bathroom ceiling to cave in), broken hot water heater for over 2+ years so no hot water to shower in all that time), washing machine broke, oven/stove broken, refrigerator broken, only one gaswall heaterworking so froze during the winter (my inside windows had thick ice on them), didn't even have money for ibuprofen except when a friend would send me $20,2 broken pipes in my yard. Lived on food stamps and a community service that paid my utilities. No luxuries like a TV or Internet (except library wifi), car repossessed (only owed less than $5000 left on it). I ended up with pneumonia last February from living like this.

I was a registered nurse for 32 years until I just couldn't work anymore. I'm only 60, I don't consider that old but now I feel like 100. I had a telephone hearing with a judge and within 6 minutes he approved my case. I didn't even have any updated medical info because I had no insurance so didn't get to a doctor (medical info was 3 years old). No doctor around here will see you without paying so I wasn't able to go. He told the lawyer there is more than sufficient evidence to show severe disability and that was it, he approved it. They had the same exact info from start to finish but it wasn't good enough and then a judge looks at it and it's good enough.

I'm thankful but also mad. Some people can't understand that but I've just about lost everything now. Friends have said- excellent, now you get a big back check. Well I would rather have had my health and continued working and been able to live like a normal person instead of like a homeless person in an abandoned building. It has been total misery for the past 3 years. My house is filthy (I couldn't even afford a cheap mop for $6. If toilet paper is $4.00, I couldn't spend $6 for a mop. My hair was always dirty except in the summer I could wash it more often. A cold shower in the winter is brutal so even boiling water before the stove broke, I would wash myself. Freezing cold shower water on my head and hands was too painful (severe arthritis in my hands also).

So it's been horrible and I just hope those still waiting to get approved have family or someone close by to help, I didn't have that. My friends were on the east coast, I am in the South. I was approved Oct. 10th 2024, still no back check because the incompetence in SS is unbelievable. I did not have a bank account because I didn't work in the last 3 years. The bank charges $7 a month unless you have direct deposit. Since I wasn't working, no check deposited so I couldn't afford to pay $7 a month for nothing. SS was told and they told me 3x they would mail the check. Did they? NO, they sent it electronically to a bank I used 3 years ago and of course it was rejected because I didn't have an account there.

I asked them why did you send it there when I did not give you banking info. The woman said well we must have gotten this info from somewhere?!. I said yes, I was asked to show my last 2 years of income when I worked, so SS had banking statements but obviously SS took it upon themselves, without verifying that banking info with me and just sent the check to that bank. So here it is 33 days and counting and I'm still waiting.

I hate it took this long but that seems to be the situation all around. I wish everyone going through this strength and the hope that someone is around to help you.
PS- they never even included the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis even though they had enough documentation of it. They put arthritis, a few other medical issues AND ...obesity🤦. No I'm not as thin as even 5 years ago but because i don't fit in the weight category I should be in, they put me as obese. I am NOT 400, 300 or even250 or 200 pounds, no where near any of those. I'm 5' 7" and if I can move around normally, my weight will go right back into the "normal " weight expected for my height. Does it really matter that they included that? No, not really but they left out a main diagnosis to add in something that can be corrected if I can start functioning again. Such a miserable process this has been overall.