Very true. The longer it takes to get thru the more $$ the attorney will make. I have not been keeping up on this stuff since getting thru but some states were going to start an electronic system. If you have certain things wrong then you would sail right thru.
I posted a link to a page on the SS site that details what they deem a disability. My doc listed what my diagnosis was and than just cut & pasted the info from the ss site word for word. Depending on what is wrong with you, and what state you live in has a lot to do with if you need an attorney. But as I said earlier, most of them will not take on your case until you are out at least a year, 5 months of that you are not entitled to any ssd income anyway.
The system is pretty effed up, in my opinion. Since being out I have only gotten a letter from them once, asking my doc if he thought I was still disabled. It can indeed be a royal pain in the *** to get thru, depending on what ails you. IU have a former neighbor who fought with them for over 3 years before he finally saw a judge. Got denied at that level. I believe he appealed it, now he is waiting for his day in court. Of course he has not had any income in close to 6 years.
Anyway, to the OP of this thread, I will be waiting to hear from you when you are up to it. If you would like to speak to my wife about the auto-immune stuff, please just say so. We will gladly give you our phone number. One of the things that is helping both of us out is just being here for each other.....and talking about everything.