Thanks for checking in, Anne-Marie!

We had a very good meeting with our new attorney.

She was compassionate, confident, and seems like a very good fit. I feel even better after meeting her and knowing that she came highly recommended from my SSDI attorney.

I signed an agreement with her for her to do all of the work involved up to this point and to represent me at the field rep meeting. If they end up denying my claim, then we need to talk about further fees.

The downside to getting an attorney for this kind of case is that you have to pay for services as you go, rather than working with an attorney on a contingency basis. So, Dan and I agreed to pay $1200 (in 2 installments of $600) for the services that I already mentioned. For what she is doing, the fee seems very reasonable and to tell the truth, Dan and I were expecting to have to pay a lot more. Also, they are willing to work with us on paying in installments. They know that their clients are struggling financially and this is the kind of law they practice.

Currently, my policy pays out $1500 a month, so spending $1200 in the hopes that we prevent them from denying my claim and stop paying out, then the money seems well worth it. Dan had to recently liquidate $7000 in the lingering investments in order to keep us afloat until the end of the year.

I'm trying to keep my stress in check, but it's difficult for me. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful husband who is my teammate in life!

I'll keep you posted with any further developments.

Love in OCF,
Kerri