Have all the bank statements ready and try and get info on what you own. They will want to know. I went to the DSHS office and I talked to them face first and that seemed to help. I think they realized how much this disease stresses families

We got diagnosed around the end of March 2015 and started paperwork in April, and had a lump sum distribution on July 21, 2015. With monthly payments starting August 12 2015. Although my hubby was having anemia and low white blood counts, we could not pinpoint what his problem was, he ended up quitting work for health reasons,in 2014 we just did not realize how extensive they were.

Social Security was great, you can do an online application, actually we had a phone interview set up, but I decided to do the online application so I could see what information I needed to gather. It ended up taking about 3 hours to complete, so gather all your paperwork, all the Drs you have seen, dates, meds, tests, Diagnoses, (gather from insurance etc) they will do the intiial application, then they will request the medical records from all the doctors you have listed. which was our delay, Once that is done they sent three additional sets of paperwork, one was symptoms, the recommendations was not to lie about your conditions nor understate your conditions, What meds and treatment you were getting for your problems, this was tricky, as my hubby understood that he had dementia, and went on meds for it, but he still does not realize that it is Alz, and we never had to actually call it ALz, however in the doctors reports that were submitted had it on them, and with a diagnoses of Early Onset Alz , it is very easy to qualify for SS disability, unlike Cancer since there are cures for them,

The Second was every place you have worked for the last 15 years! And salary stubs! This one was tough because I had the direct deposit info but had trashed the pay stubs, but some how I was able to find one,

The third was how you spend your days, do you cook for yourself, do you drive yourself, do you pay your bills and do your banking, this was a real wake up call for me, since when we married we split duties, he does trash, lawn mowing, kitty litter, (we live on 14 acres, so any pruning of trees, edging, car washing etc) I do all the shopping, bills, taxes, finances, trip planning, online banking, cooking, laundry etc, About 3 years ago when our son was getting married we needed to send him a check for something, I gave my hubby the check book and he had no idea how to fill out a check, and actually practiced signing his name. This was one of my first clues he was having problems,

Also 2 years after you get the monthly ss Disability you are eligible for Medicare, however be careful there, you can get a supplemental policy, which is the way we are going, because if you enroll at the onset, you do not have to go through underwritting, if you get a medicare advantage program, and decide to switch later, YOU WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH UNDERWRITTING and if you do, Alz patients May not qualify!

My experience with Medicaid has not been positive. You have to be patient, but persistent and strong. I have had to get our state delegate's office involved, which both helped and ticked them off in the DSS office. Keep every receipt, statement, copies of checks, tax returns, insurance documents, trust documents, etc. They will likely send you a letter listing what else they want to see. If you have a complicated situation like I have, an elder law attorney can be very helpful, but CHECK THEM OUT FIRST WITH PEOPLE that deal with them a lot. I have discovered that the administrators of skilled nursing facilities know who is good and who isn't. I learned the hard way. Good luck!

Thanks Julie. Much appreciated.