That I had the good fortune that my healthcare provider has an on staff advocate for clients to navigate their insurance and healthcare issues. They helped me get through the application process and was covered because I was on Medicaid at the time, my state provided full coverage at the time. I had applied five years prior but had no help in getting through the paywall, and prior to our state adopting the expanded Medicaid so I couldn't even get treated for the injury that ended my working life but I still had to work for five years with the injury that became a permanent thing... and then a year of not being able to work during the application wait on the second try.
Without the guidance of the advocate I doubt I would have been accepted... and I'm an MPA.
She knew what to do, what to expect and how to respond to all communications. She also counseled me about wait times. The first following the interview which you may have to wait for too, is 90 days to the first response which will be a rejection. Immediately request a medical review and sign releases for your medical records, for me it was the recent MRIs I couldn't afford earlier. The next wait period is a minimum of 6 months, after that, if rejected, is when you get an attorney, they will take around 20% of the initial reward of what they approximate to be what you would have received over the year that you were not able to work while waiting.
Since I was homeless my case was expedited, I was over 60 even then, and the full length of time that it took was 9months from the interview, at which time I was already homeless. They even called me on a Saturday to tell me that I had been accepted, no court, no lawyer. I thought it was a prank call until I realized it was the same nice lady I had spoken to the first time I applied six years prior... and it was true. It was the medical review with fresh MRIs that did it. I was also told that rather than claim a specific time and place disability, claim that it is "cumulative" in nature and therefore no one particular party - like an employer - is to blame. I did that since the injury was now old and I have other issues that compound my inability to hold a job.
It is hard to wait and your individual circumstances are always a main factor but so is the way you go about presenting your case. Good luck!
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