I have a question for yall.. We are in the process of buying a new house and though I am working now and doing well on IVIG, I do worry about what if I get worse and can't keep up with my job.. My job has disability which they say is 60% of what you made.. but I am curious,

do most people get medicare for their insurance in addition to their private disability,

or does the face that you get private disability disqualify you from medicare help?

I just want to be smart with our home purchase, and curious for any advice, or previous experiences!

Thank yall in advance!

I am very curious myself. I am 53 and a single parent. I have 5 years at which I can take early retirement with medical benefits. The way I feel know, I am not sure I can last 5 more years working. I know I have a disability package at 60%. But I do not understand how social security disability or medicare apply. Can you get that in addition or is it excluded or prorated. I have a daughter heading to college in a few years and financially, I am very worried.

It would help put my mind at ease and be able to come up with a Plan B if I understood how these things worked.

Right now my plan is to try to keep working and keep the house (I have to stay in the school system for 2 more years). After 2 years, I hope to sell the house while my daughter goes to college and go into one of those small one-level retirement complexes with a pool.

It would really help me plan if i knew how social security, disability, medicare fit in to a private disability plan. Any light or guidance would be very much appreciated.
thanks, kathie

I think it will depend on where you are.

In the state of Georgia, after 10- 13 years of service as a state employee, depending on which branch you are employed in, you can go on disability retirement. This will allow you to keep your insurance at the same rate as the people that are still working. The problem is that your retirement will only give you a very small amount of money since you didn't work long. Additional disability insurance should add to that amount.

I would go to my human resources people and talk to them about what the deal is. You don't have to tell them that you have an illness. Just ask the questions in a generic manner.

Thanks, it is good to know I will probably keep my health insurance. I work for a university so the benefits are pretty good. But I know if I talk to HR, it will get back to my boss and impact my treatment while I am still working. Sad but true. But I guess I can call the state disability and they can tell me.

thanks
kathie

My experience with social security disability was that I first hired a good attorney who had experience with the process since I've been told that most of the time you are denied the first time you apply. I did not have employment insurance or disability benefits.

Getting disability depends on proof that you can no longer work, and you must have earned 6 to 20 credits in the 3 to 10 years before you become disabled (one credit equals $11.20 of wages) because what you are actually applying for are early social security benefits and you had to have paid FICA taxes. To prove that you can no longer work you have to have a doctor's written statement that you are disabled. My attorney had a form for my neuro to fill out and he sent that to the SS administration with a letter stating that there was no question that I was eligible. The SS administration will determine whether you have to prove again that you are elible in three or seven years depending on you disability. Luckily I don't have to prove again for seven years.

After I received SS disability, I was basicly forced to be on medicare. I wasn't happy about that but my private insurance premiums were going through the roof but medicare truly limits the doctors you can see.

Hope this helps.

Southern Bell

Southern Bell, thanks, this was very helpful.

kathie

i live in nh, was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in the beginning of march 2012. I tried working for a few months after I started on Mestinon. I found it vary difficult to work, I have speech problems that are severe and visual that just comes on without warning. I applied for ssi but was denied. I have a lawyer now, just waiting for the appeal takes an eternity. NH said that I am disabled, but waiting for ssi is a long process. Its sad really, have no money coming in and bills are debt collectors are calling. I cannot work, tried to but was unable. Before you sign up make sure you get a lawyer or have proof that you are disabled. And make sure your doctors will stand up for you. Ive been almost a year now and still no help.
just a warning.

I forgot to mention that a lawyer can't charge you unless you win the case and they can only charge you 20% (if I remember correctly) of the total you initial receive. In my case, I first applied in December and was approved in March. My first payment was for June (when I could not work anymore) through February. I was surprised by that. You can apply on line to start the process and SSD will call you to confirm all the information and will send you any information that will be needed. Also they establish dates that you have to go by to provide information, etc. It is very important to get the information to them on time or your case will be denied.

Huntress is right that once you have been denied the process really gets drawn out. And it is very important to let your doctor know that you are planning to apply for disability because they will send him/her information to complete and return and there will be a time limit on that also. That's why I'm glad that I got a lawyer to begin with because I got the doctor to complete the form provided by my lawyer and it was provided to the government at the beginning.

Also I forgot to say that once you've been denied, you will have to physically go before a SSD board to prove your case and they can still deny you again.

Good luck and sorry for so much information but it is important to know as much as possible.

Southern Bell

Thank you all so much. You have given me a lot of information so I can make a plan to fall back on if I need to. I think I will definitely get a lawyer if I need to apply.

thanks
kathie

Hi - just wanted to add my 2 cents! I was in the same position as you - worked for a company that had disability insurance that paid 60% of my gross at the time I was disabled. The ins company required I apply for SSDI and hired ALTUS to work with the SS to make sure I got the SSDI. Working to get you your SSDI is all ALTUS does and the insurance company paid their fees. I was turned down twice by SSDI but when it got to the judges chambers, they read my file and approved my case. I didn't even have an appointment for court, they just approved it based on my file.

Once I started receiving my SSDI, I had to reimburse the insurance company the past amount SS sent me. I now receive my regular SSDI and enough insurance money to bring me up to 60% of my gross at the time I was disabled. This will continue until I reach my regular retirement age (66 for me).

As far as the insurance goes, COBRA will cover you for 18 months as long as you pay the premium. Once you have been approved for SSDI, you receive an additional 11 months of COBRA eligibility and that will take you to the point where you become eligible for Medicare, which for me is April, 2013. That is 29 months on COBRA until you are eligible for Medicare. One final note, if you purchase a Medigap policy to supplement Medicare Part B, your premium is about 3 times what it will be when you reach 65. Just one of those wierd quirks in the law.

Hope this gives you some additional information. Let me know if I can help in any way.