Woman breathes easier after receiving disability benefits

The daughter of U.S. soldier and a British subject, Andrea Reiss first to America at the age of 17 years was. A few times before returning to England for the better part of ten years she went back and forth.

After graduating from high school she worked UK telephone company for the General Post Office, essentially.

Their last trip to the United States was permanent. She immigrated in 1978 at the age of 27, in the vicinity of their once distant brothers and sisters in Philadelphia down. She married a year later and soon began to raise a family.

As her son approached pre-school age, Mrs. Reiss was a part time job managing the condominium building, which you in lived with her family. She kept the books, money collected and presented contractors to resolve maintenance issues.

Then in 1991, her husband died. Mrs. Reiss and her son to moved to Virginia out of the city and close to her sister be. Finally, she took a part time Office job at a large accounting firm.

Constant disease lurked in the background. Mrs. rice began smoking as a 11-year-old in the United Kingdom. Recurring bouts of bronchitis would wreck her body, trigger coughing fits so powerful she would lose almost control of the functions of the body.

She would ease off smoking long enough for the bronchitis, and then select again the habit.

"Every year I this bronchitis which was almost always kill you," she said. "I get up to do nothing and I sound like I ran a marathon."

In 1996 she sought after years of suffering, help from a doctor, immediately to review, decided their lungs. X-rays were negative. Then he hit a test for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of lung diseases, breathing hinder and block airflow.

Chronic bronchitis is one of the most important conditions, including COPD, is usually due to long-term smoking.

Mrs. Reiss, now 59, had never heard of the disease. She was diagnosed with COPD soon and talked to smoke exit immediately.

But they are not. Instead, Mrs. Reiss settled in a new job as an accountant and spent the next five years from the same cycle of cigarettes and disease.

They smoking finally permanently in 2001 after a bronchitis-induced cough attack them to their knees brought. "It came to the point, not breathe where I could," said Mrs. Reiss. "I was one of those praying things-this ' God, don't let it me die." I is not a different cigarette smoke. "I touched never one again."

The next years were difficult. She was tired all the time and gained weight after take the nicotine dependency. There were a few bouts of pneumonia and many absences from work. They eventually sold their three-story townhouse, after the stairs too tedious the.

In the summer of 2006, Mrs. Reiss took a journey back to England. She was released on their return home.

With continued decline in their health, Mrs. Reiss, another thought job hunting would be fruitless. You opted for social security disability insurance (SSDI), a federal insurance program controls the social security administration (SSA) apply. SSDI offers monthly disability benefits for persons under full age (age 65 or older) and that can no longer work because of the disability.

Expired in January 2007 as their unemployment benefits, contact Mrs. Reiss local social security office to start the process. She sent in the necessary paperwork and was quickly rejected.

You challenged the decision and sent a doctor by the Agency made available. As above, a chest x-ray was negative. Mrs. Reiss told which they very much go physician could not. He asked her, a few steps that it has no problem.

Months later, the SSA rejected their appeal.

Desperate for income, Mrs. Reiss online help. She found the Allsup.

Allsup took their case in July of 2007. Mrs. Reiss provide Allsup claims experts with their medical information. She visited a different doctor and went through a series of other tests.

Their representatives Allsup together appeal exhaustive disability an administrative law judge. In the fall of 2008, after months of waiting, Mrs. Reiss received word that distinguished their SSDI services.

She could breathe easier after all a bit.

"If you go there immediately, through [Allsup] want to," said Mrs. Reiss. "it has all the work for me, and I have not to interfere with anything."

In 1984, I founded Allsup. We help get that earn social security benefits to disabled people, that you, as well as a Medicare nationwide selection offer service plan.