I am new here and I am curious if anyone has had any luck in getting approved for benefits for TN? I applied recently. I am also a former claims specialist for the SSD program and now I am an applicant. My life is so different now since this diagnosis. Thank you.
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I am going through the process now, not holding my breathā¦ I had my first denial, but that was when I was misdiagnosed with just migraines. Now that we are dialing in on TN or Atypical Facial Pain, I will have to update my information.
What are your thoughts on this illness for getting benefits as a former claims specialist?
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Hey Joanie,
Iām in Australia and although the rules are a little different, the processes are very much the same.
Iād strongly recommend you get yourself a lawyer who has dealt with this sort of thing before. My initial claim was also rejected, I appealed the decision, that appeal was also rejected. They had a Dr, someone Iād seen and completed a non successful treatment with who did not support my claim. That one dr was enough for the claim to be rejected.
At the time I had also put in a claim for TPD (Total Permanant Disability) insurance. I tried to make the claim myself, but the insurer made it all so difficult. They had me running from one dr to the next. They were trying to disapprove of my claim. They had investigators outside my home, speaking to neighbours, following me. I had had enough; I told the insurerās assessor I was getting a lawyer involved āOhh donāt do thatā¦ā she said āTOO LATEā the lawyer dealt with it all. The insurer sent a professor of neurology from interstate and I thought my claim would be rejected outright. But in his professional opinion (and I quote) āYouāre screwedā¦ This is not going to get any betterā¦ā
I obtained a copy of that professorās report, then reapplied for SSDI using that report and got it.
My point here is you only need one specialist to support your claim. It can also help to show that you have exhausted all other treatment options open to you. I kept a pain diary, recording times of day of symptoms, the type of symptoms, medications/treatments etc. All of the medical reports from every dr I saw when I saw them and their specialization. Then when they say Have you seen āXā, I could say yes, and hereās the report. It also showed that I was being proactive in my own care.
Hope it helps
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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Never thought about it. How old are you?
Honestly, I really donāt have any insight whatsoever about how it will work out. I am curious myself. In all the years that Iāve worked for SSA, I have never come across anyone applying for TN. I opted to have MVD in October because of the excruciating pain, but now I have new issues. Sigh 
I just turned 54. Iāve read that the 50ās seems to be the onset for women.
I have had TN for 13 years. I had two balloon compression and another behind my ear. Iām done.
Not what you are asking but I was approved for a Personal Disability Policy Benefits payout for Facial Pain . It took years. It was exhausting and required that I see their M.D., have a Psychosocial exam etc. When they tried to require I get on another plane after several years and go for another PE I said it was time to pay out or go to courtā¦
After a final approval I chose to never apply for Soc. Security benefits because every year they ask if I HAD applied. Given how shady they had been during the eval. process I think that if I had been given the usual first time denial by the Feds. they would have used that as an excuse to stop paying.
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I was diagnosed with TN 2005 and I was able to work but then when I had the MVD surgery, I could not go back to work after that and I applied for Social Security disability it did take me 4 to 6 month before they gave it to me, but I only tried one time and got it but I did get a letter from my doctor saying that I could not work. I donāt know if that helped. Also, I went to an attorney that handles Social Security disability claims applications and he was the one that applied for me he gets paid by social Security disability, I didnāt have to pay because they only get a certain amount and they canāt ask for more some kind of law that they have to abide by when they put in a Social Security disability claim so I was on Social Security disability when I was 55 and when I turn 65, they automatically changed me to regular Social Security. I was able to volunteer and when I turn 65, they automatically changed me to regular Social Security. I was able to volunteer one or two days a week for about four hours because my pain was so bad I was on oxycodone ER 2 X day and Oxycodone HCL to kill the breakthrough pain which was at least three times a day, if not more, and when the pain was so severe, I would go in to an ER or my private doctor and get a Toradol shot. That was the only thing that would help with the pain and also using heat helps with the pain I had tried four of the main medicines used for TN and was allergic to those one. Actually had a problem with one the I had problems with my breathing so they decided not to keep trying all of those medication and I still have the breakthrough pain I have had a nerve block, electric stents put in my face, gamma knife to the back of my head and my right cheek area with no success and about five other different types of injection, also been checked if I could do radio frequency was not a candidate about every five years I check with a specialist that specializes in TN in Colorado, just to see if thereās something new that might help me I do take 400 mg of vitamin E 2 X day B-complex and vitamin D 5000 twice a day which I have my vitamin D checked, at least once a year to make sure it doesnāt get low because I was down to a 9 at the beginning of diagnosed with TN and these supplements are supposed to be helpful with nerve pain I wish I could go in to remission like Iāve heard of a lot of the people have done but I havenāt except for six weeks after the MVD. I had no pain for six weeks and then it came back and it is never left me since then I have learned to live with it, and I just keep telling myself that there are other people worse than I am. I have pain every day, but some people canāt see canāt hear donāt have legs things like that which can be worse so I learn to adapt, and enjoyed my grandkids and great granddaughter as much as possible
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