[Rrae]

I just need a pointer on what to do...... ?
I've had a couple of people suggest to me this past year that I should consider disability......but I haven't a clue where to start.

I've been working a wonderful office job for the past 30 years. It breaks my heart to think in terms of having to 'let it go'......or, rather 'IT let ME go', not sure which scenerio will unfold first.
I feel like a sinking ship. My chronic pain condition seems to be gaining the upper hand and I am coming to the realization that I need to step back and take a realistic view of my situation.
I'll spare you by not giving you the long drawn out sob story.

I am just wondering what does a person do when they start becoming aware that they are no longer capable of handling their work responsibilities....not only that, but am costing my company alot of $$ in health benefits. Or to be quite blunt, I feel as tho I am bringing my company down therefore I should consider STEPPING down, kind of as a favor to them......not to mention the stress this brings on me, which further aggravate my pain (and mental) condition.... .......

Tomorrow I will be seeing my pain management doctor and am ready to tell him that I think it's in everyone's best interest that I throw in the towel.
I have 3 physicians involved in my medical care.
Is THIS the 'starting point' ?? Do I ask my Dr if he will 'advocate' for me on the medical side of this issue? My 7 year long battle is in my medical records.
He's the one who sees that I've been slowly 'sinking' this whole time.
Am I correct in this thinking? Kind of like as a courtesy to him?
Or do doctors generally NOT want to 'be involved' with this?

I'm sorry if I sound 'dense'.............I am. I don't know where to start.
Nor do I know the 'language' to speak....

This isn't a complicated work comp issue or anything.....
I'm 47.....so retirement isn't in my 'portfolio'....

Thank you
Rae

[Jomar]

Well, my thoughts on it are - milk the job as long as you can and save up your money while you can.

I really wouldn't worry a bit about the company, they have ways to cover the bases- unless they are a little mom & pop operation - but large companies know how to work this stuff.
If they decide you are costing the company too much - they will find a way to move you along..

I haven't been through the long term disability system - but work comp system has some similarities.

You could talk it over with the Dr and see what he knows about the whole disability process and if he's been through it with other patients.

It might help you get a good overview of the issues by reading some of other posts here. and the sticky threads.

I really wouldn't stress about the employer- but you might ask about part time or light duty options?
(After you talk with your Dr to get his ideas.)

Consult with a couple of disability attys to get their take on your situation?
don't sign with any until you check them out.

[don1956]

i undersatand what your going thru.also being lost,confused,anxiety,etc.i experiencing those things right now myself.and so are a lot of others here.so you not alone."Jo-Mar"seems to hit it just right with her advice to you.im going thru workman comp.but i have a workman comp lawyer anyway.i to have 30yrs at my job but i worked for a big company(lockheed).so i dont worry about them.they replaced me as soon as i left i'll be 55 this year so im a bit older.but think the workman comp lawyer is the way to go.its what they do.maybe permanent disability may be his/her other option for you also

[Rrae]

I appreciate your response. I am just about ready to go to my appt with my Dr and was hoping someone gave some input.

See, that's the (extra) sad thing about this is that it IS a VERY small company......I'm the admin assistant. My boss's wife is the 'other' office worker. That's it. Small as small gets. And that's where my 'guilt' comes in because they are paying out for my Insurance premium and deductibles....which run in the thousands.
Sometimes he's a bit hard to communicate with and the economie's trickle down effect has had a direct hit on us.....and I can't just 'produce' numbers that aren't there. (Revenue).... too many cuts, etc...
However, he puts the extra demand on me and friction is in the air.

So, he's cutting things like 401K and my income. It's hurtful because I've put in over half my life for this guy. I understand that the economy has aLOT of people in a pinch and many would say to just be glad that I even HAVE a job.
I empathize with all of that......
So, given the situation and what this is doing to me mentally and otherwise, I'm beginning to think that disability would be a realistic thing to consider. I've paid in all these years. I type my own paycheck and I SEE how much of it goes to FICA.

What you say makes sense.....and I will certainly tuck that in my pocket.....(about milking the job).......but as far as 'cutting back my workload'.....isn't really something that would apply in this situation. He'd just need to hire someone else. Only one person is necessary to do my job. His wife comes in now and then because she's 'bored'......but basically, it's up to me to run the business aspect of it.

And when I think in terms of trying to find a 'different' job, one that is 'easy'....well, it's to the point that I 'can't'......The job I've been doing for 30 years would be 'easy' in many people's eyes.....I sit at a desk most of the time.......so see? This is where I'm so mixed up. When I get that statement every year showing how much I've accumilated and what I would get every month if I DID claim disability, it would seem the way to go.
But I don't know anything about how this works.

I've read thru the stickies, and I'll read thru other's posts.

You've given me a good place to start with my thought process and what you've said makes perfect sense.
Thank you so much!

Rae

[Rrae]

Originally Posted by don1956

i undersatand what your going thru.also being lost,confused,anxiety,etc.i experiencing those things right now myself.and so are a lot of others here.so you not alone."Jo-Mar"seems to hit it just right with her advice to you.im going thru workman comp.but i have a workman comp lawyer anyway.i to have 30yrs at my job but i worked for a big company(lockheed).so i dont worry about them.they replaced me as soon as i left i'll be 55 this year so im a bit older.but think the workman comp lawyer is the way to go.its what they do.maybe permanent disability may be his/her other option for you also

Thank you for your input! I'm running late for my Dr appt so I have to rush off......I'll be back.

[legalmania]

Hi and I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so bad. If you think that the time has come where sitting, standing, and the stress of working are affecting your job then you can start by applying for disability on-line. If you go to the SS.gov site they have direction on what to do. If you want to take some time and look over the forms then you can call the 1-800 number and they will send you the forms you need. Try to organized all the X ray, MRI, doctor reports you may have. Keep track of the medications you are on. Also keep track of all the doctors you see. They also will want to see your past W-2 tax records, marriage and birth certificate, or if you're divorced your decree. I would start keeping some kind of journal on how your day to day life is going. I think that is about it to start out with. If I think of something else I'll post it. In the mean time you will probably get other post to help you along the way. It's a long and stressful process so try not to get to upset. If you find yourself at the end of your rope with paper work, take a walk or a break of some kind and then come back.

[Rrae]

......this certainly is a heartbreaking thing to face....we had a much different picture in our mind of where we'd be in life. I'm sure this is the common connection we all can relate to.
I appreciate the open doors you've given me, and as I read more and more posts, I'll hopefully become more familiar with this....
In the meantime, thank you for bearing with me....

Originally Posted by don1956

im going thru workman comp.but i have a workman comp lawyer anyway.i'll be 55 this year so im a bit older.but think the workman comp lawyer is the way to go.its what they do.maybe permanent disability may be his/her other option for you also

I'm sorry about your situation Don. Thank you for your input, which raises the first thing I'm not clear on. I guess I was assuming that going thru WorkComp, means that the reason for claiming disability is due to something that happened thru work. If so, this would not pertain in my case.
However,
When I was at my Dr visit today, he made mention that some people take a temporary leave of disability to begin with, and alot of times it becomes permanent....in a chronic situation, such as the battle I've been facing, this looks like the direction I'd be heading.
Again, , sorry for 'not comprehending' very well.

Legalmania, thank you. Looking at the website you refer to sounds like the perfect place for me to start. I'm not sure which particular site it is, but I'm sure I can 'google' my way to it
Also appreciate the 'heads up' on how to get my ducks in a row.
The med records and journal shouldn't be a problem. This is something I actually DO have some knowledge on! so that is a bit encouraging.
I went to your visitor page and noticed the date you joined Feb 24th is the very same date I got my spinal cord stimulator implanted.
No relevance whatsoever to this discussion, but these are the types of things I notice ..... and that certainly was a big day for me.

I'm sure I'll have 101 questions to pester you with....
Feel free to run for the hills while you're ahead

Rae

[legalmania]

We love to answer question here so don't be shy. I just wanted to say that instead of google try this link below it should answer a lot of questions. My roommate is getting one of those implants he is very nervous about it, should he be afraid?

http://www.ssa.gov/pgm/disability.htm

[Rrae]

Originally Posted by legalmania

We love to answer question here so don't be shy. I just wanted to say that instead of google try this link below it should answer a lot of questions. My roommate is getting one of those implants he is very nervous about it, should he be afraid?

http://www.ssa.gov/pgm/disability.htm

Thank you for the website!

So, your roommate is getting a SCS? It's very normal to be apprehensive about. Afraid? Nah.
There is a forum here at NT exclusive to this subject....it's the SCS/Pain Pump Forum. In the main menu, you'll find it listed as a sub-forum in the "Medications & Treatments" section.
Here is the direct link:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/fo...ysprune=&f=118

That's the main forum I've been hanging out in. It's pretty active and full of very caring wonderful folks. A couple of them are from Ireland and the UK.
Encourage your roomate to read some of the posts (and the 'stickies' at the top of the screen) and if he feels inclined, have him join in on some discussions and he can ask anything he wants. It is quite a process in getting one.....and part of the standard procedure is having to get a psyche eval, so in case he's been approached about that, make sure he knows it's standard (for insurance approval). Alot of people feel intimidated by this.
I'm certain it would help alleviate his apprehensions to know there are aLOT of folks right here who have them.
I love what mine has done for me, especially in that it has 'bought me time'...or otherwise, I'd probably already be on disability by now. (assuming the paperwork went thru)

The SCS would be a huge part of my medical record discussion in applying for disability. It really has helped alot with the lower extremity burning neuropathy pain, but nonetheless, it is not a 'cure' unfortunately. But it can sure help get a quality of life back.

Well, I'll go check out the link you gave me
Thank you so much!
Rae

[Janke]

I think the hardest part of the initial application will be choosing a date of onset of disability. You have a progressive disorder so the date you were diagnosed is not necessarily the date of onset because you continued to work. You may have to use the date you stopped working or if you continue to work, the date that the value of the work you did for your employer was no longer valued at an amount that represents Substantial Gainful Activity. If you were paid (gainful) for work (activity) and the value of the work you did exceeded the dollar amount for the year you did it (substantial) you would be denied because you demonstrated the ability to work despite your condition and despite how it debilitated you or that you had no other way of supporting yourself.

What it comes down to, at this point, how much would your employer have to pay a new employee to do the work that you are doing and have been doing? That's the value of the work you are doing. It's probably been very good for you that you have an employer who continues to pay you despite your disabilities because many companies would not do that. That is called a work subsidy and SSA needs to put a dollar value on it. Not an easy thing to do.

Here's a reference about SGA.

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.n...category=04240