Are you in healthy enough to work? Well....it depends on who you ask........

You are attempting to get SSDI/SSI because you are not even feeling well enough to get out of bed on many days.  Sweeping the floor or doing dishes feels as challenging as climbing Mount Everest.  The doctor you have trusted and paid large sums of money to over the years either doesn't really get the gist of how a medical record should look to reflect ALL of the facts, or he is one of those old timers who feels you should work until you "drop".  There is also a possibility that the good doctor feels that he is failing if your condition is not improving, so will note improvements that don't actually exist, just to make himself/herself look good.

OR, you go to a community health clinic because you can no longer afford "regular" doctors any longer.  The staff sees you coming, and a light goes on in their head, "uh oh, another slacker who wants free government money".  A quick look-see, and because you don't resemble any of the creatures in a Sci-Fi movie, they feel you are just fine, so they want you to get your lazy ass out there and look for a job, you bum.

What really pisses me off is that if the situation were different and we were not feeling poorly enough to seek SSDI, but a prospective high profile employer sends us to that SAME doctor for a thorough health screening to get a job that we want, you can bet your sweet patootie that this doctor would report that our strength/grip/gait were weak.  They would note that we get easily winded upon walking.  The good doctor also points out our abnormal ekg's, low iron levels on bloodwork and any swelling indicated in C-Reactive Protein testing.  Any wheezing or murmurs heard through the stethoscope, or a less than stellar pulmonary function and our high blood pressure will be highlighted.  Even the smallest variations in blood sugar would be noted.  If the patient/job applicant shows any signs of depression or anxiety, it will be noted.  The result would most likely be that the applicant would not be hired.

So even if a person did not have as many severe symptoms as many SSDIs applicant may have, they would STILL not be healthy enough to be offered a job, because there is the risk of the applicant calling in sick in the future, getting TOO much use out of the company's health insurance or even the possible future scenario of his/her loved ones making a claim on the company life insurance policy if/when the worker passes away.  So they are too sick to work, but not too sick to be disabled.  Does anyone else see something wrong here?

Just once I would love to go see a doctor and not even report that I am seeking SSDI to see if the outcome on the "notes" were different.  I'm willing to bet the remaining eight dollars in my wallet that it surely would be.