It appears that my doctors will be placing me on short term disability soon and once that time is exhausted, I will pursue long term disability. If anyone here is on disability or SSI/ basically not working and on a strict budget... Given my situation, what advice would you give me, financially and in other areas, that I should do prior to going on long term disability?
My challenges: I'm on my own financially and am currently renting. My family is on the other side of the U.S., I really don't want to move back in with my parents for obvious reasons and because it is the northeast weather that will make me feel physically worse.
Hi Freenaz, I can honestly say, I wish I had prepared more for being on disability. When I went out on short term disability I thought that if I rest and sleep for a few months I would be better, ha, silly me ! That’s not how it worked
I just got approved for my long term disability, it’s been a very long and stressful journey !!
What I learned was I couldn’t get approved for the long term until I was out for 6 months, my short term disability was denied several times, ( it was a battle) this is a company I payed into through my employer. So it started with intentions for me to go back to work part time, the more I was off the more I struggled to go back, ( so many other things happened in my life that made the fibro worse) my dr. fought for me with tons of letters, one month turned into 6, but thank god I had over 500 hundred sick hrs that supplemented my tiny short term dis. Check, that ran out in 5 months, so while I was getting almost my full pay, I was saving, ( I also had a saving account ) it’s good to always have 3 months of living expenses saved. So when I reached the six month mark I was able to apply for the long term, ( same company ) more letters from all my dr’s, there was a period of 2 months I did not get anything, this is the time I applied for All low income state insurance, and anything else I could, like help getting certain bills paid. The LTD was approved for one year, which is what I would have made had I worked part time. They said I had to apply for SSDI with in three months… Crazy thing, they ( the LTD company) said if they are over paying me according to SSDI , I would have to pay them back… I never signed that form, and I thought it would hold up my approval, but it didn’t . So be careful what you sign !!
Read every form, keep a file , and make sure your dr’ is willing to fight for you.
It’s hard financially, I support myself, so now I’m trying to figure out if I will be able to keep my house if one year from now I loose the disability. Not sure what happens in a year, if I don’t get approved for the SSDI, so I’m just in the process of looking for an attorney to apply.
The three months savings helped me, I’m still hopeful that by some miracle I will be able to return to my career, even if its only 20 hrs a week,
if you can , pay off any loans,
There is a great discussion on here, help for low income Americans
If you have any specific question for me, feel free to send me a message I’d be glad to help if I can .
Hugs & blessings
dee
Thank you so much Dee for the wonderful advice! Sounds like we are in the same boat. I just obtained an attorney earlier this week and presented to him all of my documentation, including the approved short term disability I was on from August till beginning of October, which I was working reduced hours or as my employer labeled it, a modified schedule. The administrator that approved the short term disability, then denied the time from October 5 through the end of November. Since I was also paid my full time hours during the modified schedule from 10-5 through end of November, my employer wants to discuss with me a payment plan to pay back that time. OH GREAT! As if I didn't have enough financial problems already! I did of course appeal the denials 2x and both times the appeals were denied. So now after my sick time and vacation time runs out, I am not paid for anytime I miss from work. In addition, I am not paid any missed time over the 24 hours my pain management doctors have allowed me to miss under the FMLA ceritifcation that the doctors completed. I am hopeful that now that I have attorney and will be applying for a new short term disability claim, my pain management doctors will put me on leave immediately and back date the starting time so that my absences in the last few weeks will count towards the 2 week waiting period. When I originally ask my pain management doctors to increase the 24 hours, they told me it was too much and that I needed to have a "Functional Capacity Evaluation." FINALLY! I hate that I had to be seeing them and telling them about my struggle with fibro for nearly 3 years before they sent me to have an FCE done. What's wrong with these doctors!!! ugh! Now that I've had the FCE done, the Occupational Therapist is getting the report together to send to the pain management doctors. I promised myself that if these pain management doctors do not get on my side and recommend short term disability and eventually long term disability, I will have a litter of kittens! Just kidding about the litter part. I will definitely stop seeing them though. On top of everything else, I thought 3 weeks ago that I had finally found the Rheumatologist of my dreams! Sweet as can be and good bedside manner, however, here's the kick in the pants! - I went back 3 weeks later (earlier this week) to go over my bloodwork results, & he tells me he's RETIRING! Say What! I didn't give him permission! I asked him for a letter of ADA accommodation for work and for him to include that I needed to go on short term disability leave. And... Nothing. He seemed to act like a fish out of water, and I had to push him to see my employer's written request and I told him that I could not work and not even with the accommodations. This upcoming week I should see this letter and it better be worth the $60 he charged me for doing it! The nerve!! So Wednesday this week will be the next marker to determine if my pain management doctors are going to cooperate or are going to go on the s*/? list of doctors. Hmmm... Should I tell you how I really feel? LMAO
My best advice for you is if you have medical, dental, vision insurance BE SURE and get all doctor's appts. done, Go to the dentist and to the eye doctor. This is very important just in case your medical is held up or, god forbid, canceled. If it is canceled it probably will be reinstated but that is my best advise so you.
Thank you Tawny! I've had my vision and dental done earlier this month; Thank God! My ob doctor appts are in May, so I'll see if I can get it moved up.
Thank you Rattled216! I have 1 more doctor to pick up my records from and am having them put on a disk, of course they charged $35 just to get me my records. That fustrates me because I do not agree that doctor offices should charge patients for receiving a copy of their own records. Obama should've put that into the reform! What state are you in that provides affordable housing, with beautiful views, proximity to vendors, safety, and peaceful? I sort of have a bit of that now in AZ, minus the affordable housing.