Hi, Mei Mei ~
Just wanted to pop in and add to Deb's comments about Social Security turning you down. She's right on all points and I suggest you take her cogent advice.
My wife went through this in the 1990's, following an auto accident (she was rear-ended while sitting at a stop sign). She had to undergo multiple major spinal surgeries that left her reasonably mobile but with some pain (controlled by non-narcotic prescription medication, most of the time) and unable to continue working at her long-time job as a senior supervisor in a large insurance company. She went on company-sponsored 'long term disability' in 1996 (at 70% of her former salary) and the company demanded she apply for Social Security disability benefits because, in their words "it's an entitlement". What they really meant was that if my wife was awarded SS disability benefits, their contract with her allowed the company to deduct the monthly Social Security stipend from the disability payment the company was making to her. She applied, was turned down, then hired an attorney that specialized in procuring Social Security disability benefits for those qualified to receive them. My wife had voluminous amounts of MRI scans and other medical information as well as numerous letters from her doctors attesting to her injuries and the resulting impact on her ability to function in her previous position. The attorney took her case and asked only for filing expenses and, if he was successful, one third of her total initial award, which would be a lump sum calculated from the date she first filed for SS disability benefits (this is standard procedure). That 'contingency fee' would amount to many thousands of dollars.
Long story short: It took approximately a year, but the attorney won her case and my wife was awarded a monthly benefit based on her previous earnings. That reduced her employer's financial obligation to about 60% of what it was prior to her receiving the Social Security award. That's fine, because my wife still receives the same amount (calculated to the penny by the company) that she would have received from her employer's disability plan, alone. I should note that my wife paid a premium every month she worked for the company disability plan, so it was hardly a gift. Legally (technically) she is still an employee of the insurance company and her 'disability' income from her employer is taxable - but her Social Security benefit is not. She is on Medicare but Blue Cross is her secondary insurer, as it is mine.
I apologize if I've offered a lot of information that isn't relevant to you. However, the real point to all this is that you definitely should consider hiring an attorney to help you secure Social Security disability benefits, because otherwise, it could be a very long time and lots of dealing with the bureaucratic maze to get something you certainly qualify for. I wish you success.
Jim
