i applied... what to do in the mean time?

What is the name of your state?
Michigan

yesterday i applied for ssi and ssdi for the 3rd time. the first time, i applied, then they sent me about 20 pages of paperwork, i got overwhelmed and gave up. so obviously, i didn't get anything. the second time, i applied, followed the paperwork trail, got denied, didn't appeal. now i'm at it again, and this time i plan on appealing if/when i get denied again.
i'm definitely going to hire a lawyer for the appeals process. i was wondering if it would do any good to consult with a lawyer before then. one lawyer i called at one point told me to call them back after i get denied, they can't do anything until then. but i was wondering if there are any agencies or lawyers or anything who can help me in the mean time. i called my local disability resource center and they gave me the phone number for some "doctor" (who is not, by the way, a licensed medical doctor in the state of michigan... i checked). they say this doctor, for a fee, will "go to bat" for you. that's all the info they had. i called the doctor to find out more but he hasn't returned my call yet. i'm suspicious.
is there any way to expedite this process? i know it will take a few months for them to get back to me with a decision, and then, assuming i get denied, i'll have to file an appeal. last time i checked, there was a 13 month wait for an appeal to be heard. it is very likely, if it takes that long for me to secure any form of income, i will wind up homeless in the process. how can the gov't expect someone who is not able to work to live without income for over a year? i know i will get back pay if/when i get approved, but what am i supposed to do in the mean time?
and a question about ssi... when i was having my intake interview for ssi, the lady who was taking my info said that because i live with someone who supports me (my girlfriend), my benefits, if i receive them, will be reduced by one third. please note that the person who "supports" me works in a donut shop part time and barely makes enough to keep a roof over our heads. due to the fact that i don't have any income though, and i live with her, and she pays the bills, they are going to reduce possible benefits without regard to how much money she makes? this doesn't sound right. but then again, i wouldn't be surprised if it was.

thanks for any help or insight you can offer!

First off the odds of being denied the first time are very high, no matter what your condition is. Yes, then at that point you appeal. However, and some disagree, I don't even recommending getting an attorney at that point. In the first appeals process eventually you will see the doctors that SSA wants you to see. If at that point you get denied then get an attorney. He can take up to a year between the second denial (mind you it can take a year until you even get the second denial also) and the court hearing which is the next step in the process if you are denied. A lawyer gets 25% or 5,300$ of any back pay that you receive. The main thing to remember is especially during the appeals process that you keep close contact with the caseworker. YOU can do this on your own. This isn't something that the lawyer can find out more or anything like that. SSA moves at THEIR pace and it's hard to push things through and even with an attorney it doesn't mean much.

As far as your benefits it depends. SSDI is based on what YOU put into SS while working. SSI is supplimental which is basically welfare. You can only get so much SSI and it is based on your household income, just like any other government help so yes your girlfriends income will be included when figuring if you are eligible for SSI.

The process is very frustrating, I know. However, it's just how things work. Again I don't recommend getting a lawyer until after the second denial. If you get paperwork you don't understand.. call and ask for them to clarify. It was recommended to my husband that he get an attorney after his first denial which he did. It took another 7 months until the second round was done and he was approved at that point. The lawyer did NOTHING except contact the SSA to tell them he was representing my husband and if and when he was approved he should get a portion of the pay. In fact this lawyer told my husband he only had a 16% chance of winning the appeal ( I believe to pull him in to get my husband to hire him). If you have any children and are applying for benefits for them you also have to keep in mind that the lawyer gets 25% or 5,300$ (which ever is less in both cases) of the childs portion also. Our lawyer got nearly 4,000$ for doing nothing and after waiting a year for the benefits that 4,000$ could of definately been used in the home.

What you do in the meantime , is get your Dr's. you are seeing now to state in their records , in their opinion you can not do any type of work right now , and this disability will last at least 12 months or more.

Depending on your disability, most primary care Dr's. would be willing to put it in records , if they feel you can't work.

Follow through with your SSI or SSDI applications.

Meantime , go to your local welfare office and apply for benefits there .
Some welfare offices have a special unit for disabled workers benefits. Bring proof when you apply there of : 1 ) record from your Dr. you can't work at this time , and 2 ) proof you applied for SSI or SSDI .

If eventually you are approved for SSI , welfare will get reimbursed the amount they provided to you until your first SSI payment .

Try avoiding the SSI lawyer if you can , or as was stated, they will get their share also, from the lump sum .

Also, yes , if you live with someone , your checks will be lower that if you lived alone .