Federal Disability Benefits

A few weeks ago, I called the California Employment Developement Department (usually called the “Unemployment Office”) with a question about Satomi’s Disability status.  I was on hold for 45 minutes but that was expected given the state of employment in our economy.  After getting our question quickly answered (the nice lady talked super fast), she asked if I had applied for Social Security/Federal Disability.  It hadn’t crossed my mind before so we discussed it some.

She emphasized that I should do it immediately.  The process included a medical investigation and personal interview and could easily take a year to process.  The CA state disability is only good for a year so most people apply for both at the same time.  Holy crap-I’m only 6 months late!

I started and completed the online application process immediately but there is a secondary application with a detailed medical section so it’s going to take a while to complete the package.  Satomi’s diagnosis is already on the “pre-approved” list but I’m still going to have to review her medical records in detail to fill out the forms.