Thank you, Rosie! And let's hope so, Lisa.

My update: i called the SSI shrink Wed and found out that my dictation had been sent out Monday. This all took a lot longer than anyone anticipated, since the shrink got my paperwork a week late, and then I guess got behind with his other volume of projects.
My next step is to call DES and see if they actually received a copy of the dictation. I also need to request a copy of it for myself.
The trick seems to be to follow up on every. single. step. of the. process.
I want DES to have every factor at their disposal when the day comes to make their determination.