Hi there everyone! If there is one thing more stressful than being broke, it is trying to figure out why the last little bit of money I have is unable to be used in my gas tank. It's my money, so what is the issue? I am here to explain in less than 3 minutes what took me over 1 hour and 3 representatives to find out today: how to buy gas with your PayPal card. Please read beyond these easy to follow instructions for an explanation of how I stumbled across this absurd topic.
First of all, you will want to know how much money is in your PayPal account. If the amount of money in your account is at least $75.00, you are able to pay at the pump as a debit purchase. If the amount of money in your account is $35.000 or more, you are able to purchase gas at the pump in the form of credit. For any account balance under $35.00, you must prepay for your gas inside of the gas station in the form of a predetermined credit amount.
Here is how I became an expert in PayPal gas purchases:
Today, my PayPal account had a balance of $17.23 and my gas tank was running on fumes. My family and I had just left our home and were on our way to a family gathering. We pulled into the gas station and up to the pump to replenish our supply and be on our merry way. My husband ran the PayPal card through as a debit purchase through the pay at pump option. The message that followed read, "see cashier for payment". He tried running the card through as credit and the same message appeared. A bit frustrated, he sent me into the gas station to prepay for the gas. The cashier swiped the PayPal card as credit, and the card was giving a declined message.
I contacted PayPal to recheck the balance on the card. We still had $17.23 on the card. I chose the option to speak with a representative so that I could find out what was going on and why I was unable to use my money at the pump. I spoke with a nice young lady who spoke very broken English and apologized several times for the inconvenience we had experienced. She insisted that we should be able to use the PayPal card to pay for our gas purchase, however, the gas station makes the ultimate decision and they were not allowing us to pump any gas.
Within the first couple of minutes of being on the phone with the representative, I felt like I may have been explaining the situation incorrectly. I was not getting anywhere fast with the representative, so I handed the phone to my husband to try and handle the situation. Turns out, it wasn't me, it was her. After being placed on hold 3 times, the representative had decided that she would transfer us to a specialist to help with the situation.
While waiting for a specialist, we drove back home so that our daughters would not be cooped up in the car for too long. The girls are age 6 and age 3, and any time frame over 5 minutes is an eternity to them!
After a lengthy hold time, a PayPal specialist with a foreign accent different from the first greeted my husband, and told him that the reason we were unable to purchase gas at the pump was because there is a certain amount of money that the gas station places on hold when a pay at pump transaction is processed. My husband asked the specialist how much money is required for the hold. She did not know the amount, however, she would be able to transfer him to another specialist who deals primarily with debit purchases. Wonderful.
Finally, after another 10 minute hold for another specialist, a woman with an American accent answered the phone and all within 3 minutes, she explained to us the simple steps I had explained above: a balance of $75.00 or more, you can pay at the pump as a debit purchase; $35.00 balance or more, you can pay as a credit purchase at the pump; a balance less than $35.00 must be paid as a specific amount run through as credit in the store. My husband asked why it took an hour to find the answer to this and the representative could only apologize and say that she did not know as this is a common problem with gas stations.
Kind of makes you wonder... why isn't everyone at PayPal trained at handling this "common problem"? I almost want to send them a bill for the Tylenol my husband and I had to take after this whole ordeal. Is that even possible? Can we?
Be sure to check out Lissa's World for other useful information!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Personal Medical Affidavit: My Disability Determination Process (SSD)
As promised, here are some excerpts from my personal medical affidavit. **Please note** I have not yet been approved for disability. You are going through the process with me. I apologize in advance, as the letter doesn't flow well. There are several more personal paragraphs that have been cut out to protect myself from humility.
"
To whom it may concern in Disability Determination:
My name is Melissa and I am 27 years old. I would like to write to you to help you to understand my disabilities and how they have an impact on my life every day. I have many different roles that I must satisfy in my life and having disabilities limits my abilities to perform these roles.
I was diagnosed with Lupus (SLE) in September, 1999 after several months of being sick and told that I had amoebas, giardia, parasites, mononucleosis, and Lyme disease. I was just entering my senior year of high school and was hit with this diagnosis and worse yet, the feeling of extreme fatigue, body aches, depression, and questioning why I was the one to become sick. It has been a major struggle physically and mentally since being diagnosed.
Since being diagnosed with Lupus, I have added several other diseases to my list. I have Fibromyalgia, Membranous Glomerulonephritis, Herniated discs, and Narcolepsy as well. Each illness has symptoms or sub-illnesses that create more of a difficult time for me. I will explain each of these symptoms and sub-illnesses in detail.
With Lupus, I also have Reynaud’s Phenomenon. Reynaud’s Phenomenon is when your circulation is poor and your extremities turn red, white and blue and get numb and tingly. In my case, my Reynaud’s Phenomenon was so severe that I had to move from my home state of Connecticut to Florida for warmer weather. While I was in Connecticut I had developed ulcers on my fingertips that were so painful that I did not have use of my fingers. The ulcers would ooze green and brown slimy, creamy puss, and keeping the ulcers clean was such a task as they took 9 months to heal. I still have scars on my right pointer and middle finger from my ulcers and every now and then they start to reform. Luckily, the warm weather of Florida allows me to stop the ulcers before they get too painful.
Lupus has caused me to develop Acid Reflux Disease. I have a burning sensation that goes from the pit of my stomach into my throat that never quite goes away. At times the burning is so intense that I end up throwing up a little bit in my mouth. Anything I eat or drink causes the burning sensation. Something as simple as lying down causes the burning sensation. Although this illness is not a disability at all, it is very painful and in the larger picture of things, adds to all of my pain.
Lupus has caused me to develop an on again off again pattern of Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). I bruise very easily most of the time and my platelet count is sometimes very low, which means that I have a hard time clotting if I get a cut and start bleeding.
Lupus has caused me to go through a period of time in the beginning of 2009 where I had lost half of the hair on my head. I had lost so much hair that I bought a wig to wear. Hair is just hair until you are the one losing it. Being a woman, losing hair is devastating. My self confidence has been shot down. Beauty may only be skin deep, but when half of your head is bald and you do not know when your hair will stop falling out or if it will even re-grow, that is one of the most depressing feelings I have ever experienced. My hair is growing back now, and I have 4 inch sections that stick out in cowlicks all over my head. I am very thankful that my hair is growing back, however I still suffer from low self esteem from the disaster that I call my hair. I am afraid that my hair will go through another period of time where it will fall out again, and I will have to wear a wig again.
From Lupus, I have rashes on my arms and on my face. These rashes are red, bumpy, scaly, and itchy. I have tried creams, foams, washes and nothing helps to alleviate the itching and take away the rash. This is another issue with Lupus that causes me to be depressed and have low self esteem. I have had people ask me if I have poison ivy, if I got stung by a jelly fish, or if I am having an allergic reaction to something. Having people constantly ask me why my face and arms are red, bumpy and scaly is horrible, and it is just one more reminder that I cannot escape the Lupus. Sun exposure and UV lighting exasperate the rashes.
I experience joint pain daily from having Lupus. I have had pain in every single joint, including my toe joints. When I have joint pain, I feel as if my bones are being drilled into. The pain starts in the joint and I can feel the pain extend throughout the bone. My bones feel like they could break from the pressure that the pain causes. I have tried time and time again to explain in words what joint and bone pain feels like, however it is impossible to explain to a person without joint and bone pain what it feels like. I have days where I see any sort of physical activity, including walking, and I cry in anticipation of the pain that the activity will cause.
Fibromyalgia has caused my muscles to be in constant spasms. The muscles affected most are from my neck down to the back of my upper thighs. Sitting in any position for more than 5 minutes is so painful and I feel like I want to rip my spine and legs out. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but if you felt the pain and uncomfortable feelings that I feel you would say the same thing. Imagine having sunburn over a bruise. Now imagine someone scratching your skin on your sunburned bruise. Imagine this feeling constantly with no relief. This is how my whole back and thighs feel every second of every day. I do what I call the “hotdog”, I rotate constantly as if I’m a hotdog on a grill. I also get this deep down muscle burning sensations throughout the front of my thighs, my arms and my hips. Sometimes it is very hard to determine if the pain I’m feeling in my joint areas are coming from muscles, bones or both.
I have had headaches daily for 2 months because of muscle spasms in my neck. I have tried Tylenol, Head On, cool compresses, and hot compresses, along with a rice sack around my neck. Nothing at all helps my headaches.
I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to read my letter in regards to my disability case. Please contact me if you need any further information regarding my case.
Melissa Fairchild
Be sure to check out Lissa's World for other useful information!
"
To whom it may concern in Disability Determination:
My name is Melissa and I am 27 years old. I would like to write to you to help you to understand my disabilities and how they have an impact on my life every day. I have many different roles that I must satisfy in my life and having disabilities limits my abilities to perform these roles.
I was diagnosed with Lupus (SLE) in September, 1999 after several months of being sick and told that I had amoebas, giardia, parasites, mononucleosis, and Lyme disease. I was just entering my senior year of high school and was hit with this diagnosis and worse yet, the feeling of extreme fatigue, body aches, depression, and questioning why I was the one to become sick. It has been a major struggle physically and mentally since being diagnosed.
Since being diagnosed with Lupus, I have added several other diseases to my list. I have Fibromyalgia, Membranous Glomerulonephritis, Herniated discs, and Narcolepsy as well. Each illness has symptoms or sub-illnesses that create more of a difficult time for me. I will explain each of these symptoms and sub-illnesses in detail.
With Lupus, I also have Reynaud’s Phenomenon. Reynaud’s Phenomenon is when your circulation is poor and your extremities turn red, white and blue and get numb and tingly. In my case, my Reynaud’s Phenomenon was so severe that I had to move from my home state of Connecticut to Florida for warmer weather. While I was in Connecticut I had developed ulcers on my fingertips that were so painful that I did not have use of my fingers. The ulcers would ooze green and brown slimy, creamy puss, and keeping the ulcers clean was such a task as they took 9 months to heal. I still have scars on my right pointer and middle finger from my ulcers and every now and then they start to reform. Luckily, the warm weather of Florida allows me to stop the ulcers before they get too painful.
Lupus has caused me to develop Acid Reflux Disease. I have a burning sensation that goes from the pit of my stomach into my throat that never quite goes away. At times the burning is so intense that I end up throwing up a little bit in my mouth. Anything I eat or drink causes the burning sensation. Something as simple as lying down causes the burning sensation. Although this illness is not a disability at all, it is very painful and in the larger picture of things, adds to all of my pain.
Lupus has caused me to develop an on again off again pattern of Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). I bruise very easily most of the time and my platelet count is sometimes very low, which means that I have a hard time clotting if I get a cut and start bleeding.
Lupus has caused me to go through a period of time in the beginning of 2009 where I had lost half of the hair on my head. I had lost so much hair that I bought a wig to wear. Hair is just hair until you are the one losing it. Being a woman, losing hair is devastating. My self confidence has been shot down. Beauty may only be skin deep, but when half of your head is bald and you do not know when your hair will stop falling out or if it will even re-grow, that is one of the most depressing feelings I have ever experienced. My hair is growing back now, and I have 4 inch sections that stick out in cowlicks all over my head. I am very thankful that my hair is growing back, however I still suffer from low self esteem from the disaster that I call my hair. I am afraid that my hair will go through another period of time where it will fall out again, and I will have to wear a wig again.
From Lupus, I have rashes on my arms and on my face. These rashes are red, bumpy, scaly, and itchy. I have tried creams, foams, washes and nothing helps to alleviate the itching and take away the rash. This is another issue with Lupus that causes me to be depressed and have low self esteem. I have had people ask me if I have poison ivy, if I got stung by a jelly fish, or if I am having an allergic reaction to something. Having people constantly ask me why my face and arms are red, bumpy and scaly is horrible, and it is just one more reminder that I cannot escape the Lupus. Sun exposure and UV lighting exasperate the rashes.
I experience joint pain daily from having Lupus. I have had pain in every single joint, including my toe joints. When I have joint pain, I feel as if my bones are being drilled into. The pain starts in the joint and I can feel the pain extend throughout the bone. My bones feel like they could break from the pressure that the pain causes. I have tried time and time again to explain in words what joint and bone pain feels like, however it is impossible to explain to a person without joint and bone pain what it feels like. I have days where I see any sort of physical activity, including walking, and I cry in anticipation of the pain that the activity will cause.
Fibromyalgia has caused my muscles to be in constant spasms. The muscles affected most are from my neck down to the back of my upper thighs. Sitting in any position for more than 5 minutes is so painful and I feel like I want to rip my spine and legs out. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but if you felt the pain and uncomfortable feelings that I feel you would say the same thing. Imagine having sunburn over a bruise. Now imagine someone scratching your skin on your sunburned bruise. Imagine this feeling constantly with no relief. This is how my whole back and thighs feel every second of every day. I do what I call the “hotdog”, I rotate constantly as if I’m a hotdog on a grill. I also get this deep down muscle burning sensations throughout the front of my thighs, my arms and my hips. Sometimes it is very hard to determine if the pain I’m feeling in my joint areas are coming from muscles, bones or both.
I have had headaches daily for 2 months because of muscle spasms in my neck. I have tried Tylenol, Head On, cool compresses, and hot compresses, along with a rice sack around my neck. Nothing at all helps my headaches.
I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to read my letter in regards to my disability case. Please contact me if you need any further information regarding my case.
Melissa Fairchild
Be sure to check out Lissa's World for other useful information!
Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits
Hello! Filing for disability is a major life change and can be scary. I thought that since I am applying for SSD and there are many others out there in my situation I would allow you into my world and take you along for the ride to disability determination. So, hold on to your seats and lets dig in!
First of all, I would like to give you a brief background on my situation. I was diagnosed with Lupus (SLE) in 1999, when I was going into my senior year of high school. Then, in 2002, came Fibromyalgia; 2005 was Membranous Glomerulonephritis; 2009 was Narcolepsy. Along the way I had bits and pieces of my illnesses form into new illnesses. My skin Lupus is called Tumid Lupus (TLE), I have Thrombocytopenia, Raynaud's syndrome, 3 herniated discs, mood swings and bouts of depression, and the list goes on and on. Like I said, I am trying to make this as brief as possible so we can get to the good stuff! If you want to know more about my illnesses, got to the Mayo Clinic or WebMD website. These two sites are full of fantastic information.
Okay, so back to the meat and potatoes... the process! First thing you will want to do is call around to every doctor, hospital and clinic that has treated you for your illnesses and request copies of your medical records and diagnostic tests (blood work, sleep studies, x-rays, etc.). Some providers will mail your records to you, however if you are able to, I would strongly suggest picking up the records yourself. Pick up a 3 ring binder and organizer tabs to organize your records in. I organized my records according to doctor, with the most recent documents first.
After gathering your records, contact the Social Security Office and request an appointment to apply for disability benefits. There are several ways of applying for disability: by phone, by internet application, by walk-in at your local office, or by office appointment. I preferred to call for an appointment and apply for disability benefits at my local Social Security Office. There is a lot of paperwork to fill out, and I did not want to leave out any important information.
When I called for an appointment I was given a date that was two weeks out, which I found was just the right amount of time to schedule follow up visits with my doctors and inform them of my decision to apply for disability benefits. I had downloaded and printed out a form for my rheumatologist to fill out called a Physical Residual Functional Assessment (SSA-4734-U8). This form is approved for use in Social Security Disability cases, and I thought, why not get the ball rolling? I also had asked my neurologist to write a letter to Social Security regarding my disability that he is treating me for. My doctors are all on board with my decision to apply for disability benefits, which is a must for your case.
Some other things to consider as evidence of your inability to work may be your attendance record at your employment, notarized letters from your caregivers and friends who witness how your disability affects your life, and a personal affidavit. I will post excerpts from my personal affidavit in the blog following this one, or you may click here to read it now.
The Social Security Office sent me forms to fill out ahead of time and bring with me to my appointment. I filled out the forms at my leisure and in the comfort of my own home. I was able to take my time and make sure that I filled everything out as accurately and descriptive as possible.
My appointment went well. The appointment lasted about 20 minutes, and because I had brought all of the necessary paperwork, my work history, medical records, social security card and other form of ID, there was no delay in processing my initial paperwork.
Since attending my first appointment, I have received additional paperwork to fill out. Social Security is very quick with this paperwork and I had received the packets within a week of my appointment. This paperwork (form SSA-3368-BK) required me to write in greater detail about how my disabilities affect my daily life, what I used to be able to do before becoming disabled that I am no longer able to do, and lists of my medications and any side effects. It is extremely important to fill out this paperwork and send it back to Social Security within 10 days of the date of the letter sent along with the paperwork.
So, for now, I sit here and wait! I have submitted my records, had my office appointment, my doctor appointments, written my personal affidavit, and have filled out all of the paperwork sent to me thus far.
Please stay tuned as I go through my disability application! I will post more as I learn more, and my ultimate goal is to hopefully help others like me!
For more useful information, please be sure to check out Lissa's World.
First of all, I would like to give you a brief background on my situation. I was diagnosed with Lupus (SLE) in 1999, when I was going into my senior year of high school. Then, in 2002, came Fibromyalgia; 2005 was Membranous Glomerulonephritis; 2009 was Narcolepsy. Along the way I had bits and pieces of my illnesses form into new illnesses. My skin Lupus is called Tumid Lupus (TLE), I have Thrombocytopenia, Raynaud's syndrome, 3 herniated discs, mood swings and bouts of depression, and the list goes on and on. Like I said, I am trying to make this as brief as possible so we can get to the good stuff! If you want to know more about my illnesses, got to the Mayo Clinic or WebMD website. These two sites are full of fantastic information.
Okay, so back to the meat and potatoes... the process! First thing you will want to do is call around to every doctor, hospital and clinic that has treated you for your illnesses and request copies of your medical records and diagnostic tests (blood work, sleep studies, x-rays, etc.). Some providers will mail your records to you, however if you are able to, I would strongly suggest picking up the records yourself. Pick up a 3 ring binder and organizer tabs to organize your records in. I organized my records according to doctor, with the most recent documents first.
After gathering your records, contact the Social Security Office and request an appointment to apply for disability benefits. There are several ways of applying for disability: by phone, by internet application, by walk-in at your local office, or by office appointment. I preferred to call for an appointment and apply for disability benefits at my local Social Security Office. There is a lot of paperwork to fill out, and I did not want to leave out any important information.
When I called for an appointment I was given a date that was two weeks out, which I found was just the right amount of time to schedule follow up visits with my doctors and inform them of my decision to apply for disability benefits. I had downloaded and printed out a form for my rheumatologist to fill out called a Physical Residual Functional Assessment (SSA-4734-U8). This form is approved for use in Social Security Disability cases, and I thought, why not get the ball rolling? I also had asked my neurologist to write a letter to Social Security regarding my disability that he is treating me for. My doctors are all on board with my decision to apply for disability benefits, which is a must for your case.
Some other things to consider as evidence of your inability to work may be your attendance record at your employment, notarized letters from your caregivers and friends who witness how your disability affects your life, and a personal affidavit. I will post excerpts from my personal affidavit in the blog following this one, or you may click here to read it now.
The Social Security Office sent me forms to fill out ahead of time and bring with me to my appointment. I filled out the forms at my leisure and in the comfort of my own home. I was able to take my time and make sure that I filled everything out as accurately and descriptive as possible.
My appointment went well. The appointment lasted about 20 minutes, and because I had brought all of the necessary paperwork, my work history, medical records, social security card and other form of ID, there was no delay in processing my initial paperwork.
Since attending my first appointment, I have received additional paperwork to fill out. Social Security is very quick with this paperwork and I had received the packets within a week of my appointment. This paperwork (form SSA-3368-BK) required me to write in greater detail about how my disabilities affect my daily life, what I used to be able to do before becoming disabled that I am no longer able to do, and lists of my medications and any side effects. It is extremely important to fill out this paperwork and send it back to Social Security within 10 days of the date of the letter sent along with the paperwork.
So, for now, I sit here and wait! I have submitted my records, had my office appointment, my doctor appointments, written my personal affidavit, and have filled out all of the paperwork sent to me thus far.
Please stay tuned as I go through my disability application! I will post more as I learn more, and my ultimate goal is to hopefully help others like me!
For more useful information, please be sure to check out Lissa's World.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Welcome to My World
Hi my name is Melissa. I'm an average mom just like you, and this is My World.
Here you can find all sorts of useful information about such things as, crafts,
cleaning tips, fun activities, and anything else that happens in my world.
Tons of great information about what goes on in my world can be found on my
blog.
Stay tuned as the site gets completed.
Here you can find all sorts of useful information about such things as, crafts,
cleaning tips, fun activities, and anything else that happens in my world.
Tons of great information about what goes on in my world can be found on my
blog.
Stay tuned as the site gets completed.
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