Re: Work / employment question

[Guest guest]

You need to file for FMLA. Family Medical Leave Act. This makes it so that if you have to go out intermittently that it does not go against attendance regulations.

FMLA can be used for yourself or a family member that takes ill.

With this, if you have to lose time at work for MD appts, tests, exhaustion, fatigue, etc. you are more protected.

Your employer will probably have you fill out a form that says you cannot be discriminated against because of disability, but will be expected to meet the "regular standards" with whatever supportive aids you may need. (Special chairs, computer screens, ergonomic stuff, etc.) Be careful, this is where some employers try to get you-- if you can no longer function at the job you are in, the demote you-- and you take on lesser tasks, with a cut in pay. They may also try to cut your hours.

If you are Union-- take a rep in with you. Do not go without a rep. Make sure that what they expect is in writing, and that if you find that you can't work-- then file as soon as possible. I say this because SSDI is figured on the average wages of the last several quarters of work, so that if you lose a great number of hours, and have your pay cut-- you could end up worse off than if you were to file now while you're doing fulltime work. Also, if you have health insurance-- make sure they don't cut you below the qualifying hours.

I don't mean to sound anti-employer. Many of us were fortunate to work for very caring people. Many of us were not so fortunate.

You may need to go out on your State Disability, and hang with that for 6 months to a year. At the 6 month point, if it looks like you'll not be able to work again, file for SSDI. SSDI generally takes 1-2 yrs to get approved, but you would be paid retroactively as long as you meet the time frames for any appeals that may need to happen.

SSDI is generally 25% of what you are making now, and if that is higher than what your State Disability pays you-- you would also get the difference between what State pays and what SSDI would have been paying.

When you've been off for 2 yrs, and you've qualified for SSDI, then you also get Medicare. Most employers require you enroll in Medicare and if they had insurance coverage on you-- that would become secondary to your Medicare. This is more for people that work for large employers, with long-term disability coverage options.

If it is annual renewal time-- MARK THE BOX FOR LONG-TERM DISABILITY AND PAY THE LITTLE EXTRA FOR THE INSURANCE! It's money well invested if you have to go out permanently.

If you go into the interview to see what you can do-- don't overstate what you are able to do. Be honest, with yourself and your employer. If the employer says we can't do this-- bye, bye-- then file for Unemployment and get the State Disability thing rolling right away. That way you don't have to go "job hunting."

I hope this helps,

Tracie

NS Co-owner/moderator

[Guest guest]

Oh Tony, do I ever know how you feel!!!! I became manager of my

department months before a huge flare which paralyzed my throat and

vocal cords on the right side. Couldn't speak or swallow. Out of work

for 7 months. Was back at work for 9 months then another huge flare

which hit the 8th nerve, and left me with no balance and complete

vertigo. Couldn't lift my head off the pillow let alone eat. At my

bosses insistence I had applied for long-term disability when the

throat flare happened. They paid any times I couldn't work in the past

2 years. Now I have been granted permanent disability. It is a huge

relief because we are not sure how much my job was causing the flares.

But I am torn about not working. I love my job and co-workers. Even my

boss is great. And so much of my " self " is identified with work. Being

good at what I do provided considerable confidence and selfworth. How

does one decide whether it is safe or not. I worked for a newspaper.

Deadlines, crowds, ill co-workers.

What insurance coverage do you have? Disability, in my case allowed me

to work when able and covered me when not(at least for 2 years).

I tell people I have something that is a cousin to MS. They aren't

afraid of it, and most people have heard of it. Not terribly accurate

but is enough info to give them the big picture.

As for info to the boss, mine is the owner of the company and gets a

lot of info from the insurance company. I was torn about giving her

details but decided to anyway. She deserves to know what kind of

employee she will have if I ever am able to return.

Does anyone else have any advice about what to tell employers?

[Guest guest]

Perfectly put.tiodaat@... wrote: You need to file for FMLA. Family Medical Leave Act. This makes it so that if you have to go out intermittently that it does not go against attendance regulations. FMLA can be used for yourself or a family member that takes ill. With this, if you have to lose time at work for MD appts, tests, exhaustion, fatigue, etc. you are more protected. Your

employer will probably have you fill out a form that says you cannot be discriminated against because of disability, but will be expected to meet the "regular standards" with whatever supportive aids you may need. (Special chairs, computer screens, ergonomic stuff, etc.) Be careful, this is where some employers try to get you-- if you can no longer function at the job you are in, the demote you-- and you take on lesser tasks, with a cut in pay. They may also try to cut your hours. If you are Union-- take a rep in with you. Do not go without a rep. Make sure that what they expect is in writing, and that if you find that you can't work-- then file as soon as possible. I say this because SSDI is figured on the average wages of the last several quarters of work, so that if you lose a great number of hours, and have your pay cut-- you could end up worse off than if you were to file now while you're doing fulltime work. Also,

if you have health insurance-- make sure they don't cut you below the qualifying hours. I don't mean to sound anti-employer. Many of us were fortunate to work for very caring people. Many of us were not so fortunate. You may need to go out on your State Disability, and hang with that for 6 months to a year. At the 6 month point, if it looks like you'll not be able to work again, file for SSDI. SSDI generally takes 1-2 yrs to get approved, but you would be paid retroactively as long as you meet the time frames for any appeals that may need to happen. SSDI is generally 25% of what you are making now, and if that is higher than what your State Disability pays you-- you would also get the difference between what State pays and what SSDI would have been paying. When you've been off for 2 yrs, and you've qualified for SSDI, then you also get Medicare. Most employers require you enroll in Medicare and

if they had insurance coverage on you-- that would become secondary to your Medicare. This is more for people that work for large employers, with long-term disability coverage options. If it is annual renewal time-- MARK THE BOX FOR LONG-TERM DISABILITY AND PAY THE LITTLE EXTRA FOR THE INSURANCE! It's money well invested if you have to go out permanently. If you go into the interview to see what you can do-- don't overstate what you are able to do. Be honest, with yourself and your employer. If the employer says we can't do this-- bye, bye-- then file for Unemployment and get the State Disability thing rolling right away. That way you don't have to go "job hunting." I hope this helps, Tracie NS Co-owner/moderator

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