That $40 dutch oven is such a good find, and honestly the returns bins are so hit or miss that it's easy to write them off after a few bad trips. A friend of mine got a barely used cast iron skillet at one of those spots too, so it's not just you getting lucky, timing really does matter with those bins. Keep digging because stuff like that makes the whole hunt worth it.

Ugh, yes, I heard this exact line when I applied and it made me so mad. Here's the thing nobody tells you, the paper trail does start the day you file for THEIR records, but that doesn't mean your medical history before that date counts for nothing. What matters is proving you were sick BEFORE you stopped working, and that's where your old doctor visits, test results, and treatment notes come in. So go back through your medical records from way before you filed and pull anything that shows how long you've been dealing with this. Also get your doctors to write letters saying when your condition started and how long they expect it to last. The date you file is just when they start counting your back pay, it's NOT when they decide you got sick. Don't let them make you think otherwise.