'Work attempts' while SSDI is in appeals
 

I am looking into part-time work of some sort. Being a former teacher of 25 years, subbing seems to 'make sense'. It would pay the best in my area. I would be qualified and I can pick the days and times that I would want to work (which would be invaluable since TX plan is not established yet).

For starters I can tell the district I can only work half-days. I seriously think even that in itself will be challenging physically and cognitively. However, it is worth a try - I think - that is why I am asking here. I could start with like two half days per week and build up from there if physically and mentally able.

Sometimes med changes (which will occur as my TX plan continues to be worked) leave me sedated and cognitively out of it. A 'chemical lobotomy' if you will. However, I can always chose not to work on those days/weeks.

I know the SSA has some ideas about 'work attempts'. However, I am not clear on them. Can someone provide some guidance on the concept of 'work attempts' please? I promise to be a 'gentleman' and not allow the discussion to digress on my end.

Below is a description of what subbing may entail. Thank you.


Substitute Teacher/Substitute Teacher

Job Description

Classification: Certified
Division/Department: Substitute Teachers
Job Category: Substitute
FLSA: Exempt

Title: Substitute Teacher


Qualifications: *Must have a current Substitute Teacher license or a Teaching license, both are issued by the XXX State Dept. of Education
*Negative TB test result within the last 12 months
*Completion of in-processing


Reports To: Building Principals

Supervises: Students K-12


BASIC FUNCTION/PURPOSE
To provide instruction and supervision by carrying out the instructional plans in the absence of the regular classroom teacher.


PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee performing the duties of this position is frequently required to walk, sit, talk, hear, bend, stoop, and reach. The employee may be occasionally required to manually lift, move, or carry up to 50 pounds. The employee is required to interact with staff and meet the demands of several different people. The employee is responsible for the work output of others. The employee occasionally works extended hours. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

CRITICAL SKILLS:
1. Ability to maintain regular and good work attendance and come to work on time.
2. Ability to work constructively and cooperatively with others.
3. Ability to respond to information requests in a courteous, timely and helpful manner.
4. Ability to manage job responsibilities while meeting established deadlines.
5. Ability to access, input, and retrieve information from a computer.
6. Ability to maintain confidentiality of student and staff information.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
1. Ability to supervise students and maintain control of the classroom while following the discipline policies of the district and school.
2. Teach to the best of your ability under the supervision of the building principal using the lesson plans prepared by the teacher.
3. Perform any additional duties assigned to the teacher whose position you are filling unless other arrangements have been made by the principal. (Examples: playground supervision, hall duty, and other responsibilities as may be assigned)
4. Inform building principal of any student injuries or discipline concerns.
5. Practice professional ethics in all relationships with students, parents, teachers, and the community.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Maintain a tidy and orderly classroom environment.
2. Leave a file with any messages related to students.
3. Written work completed by students should be corrected if directed to do so and left in an organized manner.
4. Comply with policies that include time of arrival, remaining after school, preparing required records and reporting accidents to the office.
5. Check out with the principal’s office before leaving for the day.
6. Strive to communicate the positive aspects of our school program to the public in word and deed.
7. Uphold and enforce Board policies, administrative procedures, school rules, and federal and state regulations including but not limited to
Consolidated Plan for Federal Programs
Acceptable use of technology
Sexual and racial harassment
Child abuse reporting
8. Perform other duties assigned by the principal or other building or district administrators.
9. Keep Human Resources informed of any changes in contact information and/or availability to substitute.

Term of Employment: Daily on as needed basis

Salary Range: $90 - $105/daily

Updated: June 2015

You really need to understand the concept of SGA (Significant Gainful Activity which is $1090 per month.)

"To be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA)."

"Trial work period
After a person becomes eligible for disability benefits, the person may attempt to return to the work force. As an incentive, we provide a trial work period in which a beneficiary may have earnings and still collect benefits."

Underlined above is my emphasis.

https://www.socialsecurity.gov/oact/cola/sga.html

So long as your earnings remain under the SGA amount, you can pursue SSDI benefits.

The term I believe you were looking for is Unsuccessful Work Attempt (UWA). Links: https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0411010145
https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0424005001

You should probably discuss the idea of attempting to work as a sub with your psychiatrist. Are you sure your district would even use you as a sub at this point? Does your district have a policy regarding employees with severe mental impairments like Bipolar Disorder? I just spoke with someone that related that they were refused to be allowed to volunteer at their high school due to their BP. It would seem more appropriate to try and teach adults pt in evening classes at this point, which should also be less stressful. Or, if you really wish to explore something in the educational field, you could maybe try something like selling textbooks to school districts.

There are lots of unskilled jobs you might consider as well. You should probably contact your local Vocational Rehabilitation services and see if they might be able to help you.

LL, thank you for your kind and thoughtful remarks. They are very much appreciated. I have put my comments inside yours.

^^^OK. I will take a look into that. Thank you.

The local library has an ad for a clerk. 8am to 3pm Mondays-Fridays. Every third Saturday - work 8am - 5pm. I have been pondering looking into it. Of course I love books but I really do not know how my feet/ankles and my mind could handle a Mon-Fri thing and then the every third Saturday. That would interfere with my seeing my daughters every other Saturday UNLESS I could get the X to agree to a, 'I get them every 2nd and 4th Saturday . . .'

However, she is VERY RIGID and CONTROLLING and would probably never agree to such a thing . . . But again, I don't know until I try. I will go up today and see if the job is still available and get a more detailed description of it . . . I imagine it would not pay half as much as subbing and subbing would give me the needed flexibility for medical appointments, BAD days, etc.

LL - thank you for STILL reaching out and assisting me despite less than appropriate tone this week. If I start to act like a jerk again - please feel free to let me know. It doesn't have to be a PM unless you want it to be. Thanks again.

The person denied the volunteer position's BP was controlled had been so for many years.

When minors are involved, their safety comes first.

I can't imagine your attorney wants to bring your mental impairment issues to the attention of the court, especially if your ex has any desire to further restrict your access, but claiming the court would not factor your BP in terms of child support, that seems odd.

[COLOR="rgb(65, 105, 225)"]The EX is a control-freak. Her own favorite doctor told her this. I was in the room and heard it. I hope my above explanation explains why my attorney ONLY wants to bringing up PHYSICAL problems that keep me from working. My attorney has personally known that Judge who we would appear before. My attorney told me, "He has a 21 second attention span. We got to be concise and put our best foot forward. Talking about 'mental health issues' is just going to cut into the limited time we have. Am I making some sense?
[/COLOR]

I don't understand what I did wrong with the color formatting? I highlighted and selected 'blue'. But I get color equals rgb . . . Thanks.

Here is a link with ideas for potential accommodation requests: askjan.org/media/educators.html

WORD of CAUTION:

If you are working, earning even a small amount of money, when one appears in front of an ALJ at a hearing, expect to be challenged on it. They will inquire as to if you are holding your wages down intentionally to be able to stay under the allowed limit.

Some people that are unable to work in the outside work force attempt to earn "something" to help provide any source of income and work from home. That allows them to set their own hours, pace, rest periods, etc. and the flexibility to function when they are capable. It might involve stuffing envelopes, watching the neighbors kids for an hour, making phone calls, etc. Just about anything to earn a dime when they can.

ANY amount of income "earned", no matte how small, will be questioned by an ALJ.

If you make $100 on average a month, an ALJ will inquire as to why it is not more. Would you be capable of earning more?

Just because one is earning less than the SGA amount, does not mean it will not be challenged.

Understood. I was pondering that very thing. Thank you very much.

It is true that most attorneys will advise their clients not to work while applying for SSDI benefits. It is certainly not uncommon for claimants to be approved while working pt if their earnings are modest. I won't get into dollar amounts because that can be used to coach someone on how to work the system. If a person keeps their wages just under the SGA amount every month, then yes, 1) it will make their approval difficult 2) they probably should be denied anyway.

Let me mention, that it can actually help a claimant's credibility to attempt to return to work by trying a different job or jobs. --The goal should be to actually be able to return to work, and not just an attempt to just gain evidence to support one's SSDI claim though.

Whether Dean could find a different career path that is workable with or without accommodations, or even after having additional treatment for his impairments, it's impossible to say. Since SS has already determined Dean is not capable of working in his former job at the SGA level, and for other reasons, my personal opinion is it would be better for him to try and find a new career path.

Thanks Lit Love,

You said EXACTLY what I was trying to say and did so poorly.

Thanks again for coming to my rescue.

WOW, you said everything I wanted to express and did it superbly.

TOTALLY agree. Wish I had your communication skills but mine went out the window with my health.

You did fine, I just thought I'd add a bit.

work
 

do not attempt to work. i had very bad expirience with ticket to work. when my work attempt failed i got a 10 page work history from ssa and hostile accusatory tone from ss staff

I would hope that it is the goal of every SSI/SSDI beneficiary to be able to return to work and no longer need SS benefits. Until a person tries to work, it is difficult to know if they manage. To state that others shouldn't attempt to work based on your personal experience which you give no details of, is questionable, IMO.

With the Ticket to Work program in particular, if the goal is to only work pt and stay under the SGA level or for a person to utilize their 9 months during their Trial Work Period, that is not the point of the program and not a good idea.

From your post, I am guessing that you were/are receiving SSDI benefits.

I personally think that everyone should try to earn as much as they possibly can under their particular conditions and circumstances.

To limit oneself to stay "under" the monetary amounts for the sole purpose of keeping benefits is not the intent of the disability program and only harms oneself. If someone is capable of more hours and more income, it would be better for them to earn a living than be limited to SSDI benefits.

The question by the original poster is regarding attempts to work BEFORE being awarded benefits, while still in the application and appeal process.

Either way, someone capable of working, should give it their best effort to be self sufficient. It is when that is not an option, SSDI benefits are for those unable to work at the SGA level.

I would LOVE to be able to work. Even part-time. However, I think that might be out of my control.

I did an experiment this week. Mon - Thursday, I walked each morning. The duration of my walks was 6 min - 12 min range. The pace was SLOW. I tolerated the walks with discomfort on the scale of about a 4-5 (out of ten - ten being the most pain).

Then Friday came. Friday my feet had an enormous 'hang-over' . . . All day and night long . . . PAIN and feet encased in cement. . . . Next week I will try biking . . . I have my ten speed on a bike stand in my apartment. I don't trust my cognition and balance to be out riding on the streets.

A better test would be can you sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, even with something to prop your feet up with at times.

If you're to the point that you need a walker or a wheelchair, and your doc provides a Rx for either, then that's different.

Do you have a handicapped parking placard, btw?

Probably should consider how you would get to a job, driving, bus, etc.
and parking close to the door? or a long walk to get to a possible "desk" job..

I don't have a placard for my car. I can't sit for much longer than an hour. The same for standing. Relief comes from laying on my bed. Sounds cheesy but that is the truth and that is what a neurologist at a major University told me.

Working from home is a possible option. There are many courses that may be taught online these days.

I have a relative with a family emergency and instead of taking family leave, the courses that would have been taught on campus are being converted to online this semester to accommodate the situation.

Sometimes one must think "outside the box" so to speak. There are MANY ways to earn an income from home where one can have the flexibility to rest when needed, take days off completely when needed, avoid having to walk to a place of employment from their vehicle, etc. It may not be an income that would exceed SGA levels, but it could be of some financial benefit to a disabled person.

Perplexed
 

I am a bit perplexed by the number of times you mention that a physician is informing you of what you are capable and not capable of doing.

You above all others should be the one to KNOW what you are capable of and what you are NOT capable of doing physically.


You also seem to self impose activities that will exacerbate your pain.

I just don't understand. Maybe I am just different and not as brave but I try to avoid activities that will only make my pain worsen. Maybe I am just a wimp but I am one that will not touch a hot stove the second time.

Yes, there are times that I MUST perform some functions that knowingly will cause more pain, but they are NOT a choice but a matter of performing life's daily living. Even then, I have made many adaptations.

If you are attempting to walk and bike as a means of exercise and are capable of doing that, then that is a GOOD thing. Exercise is always good for the body when done within the limitations of our ailments.

Dean, the problem that's going to come up is that you were capable of working as a PE teacher within the last year, which is a much more physically demanding job than sitting behind a desk. Since your BP was also a factor in why you were unable to continue working, that also will make such a claim appear less credible.

It makes no sense that you don't have a placard, at least for medical appointments if walking is causing you problems. Also, the first step a patient with trouble walking would usually start with a cane to determine how much that will help. Then they'd move on to a walker, and then a wheelchair if they're incapable of ambulating very far.

You need a doctor to spell out your work restrictions and or limitations. Again, having a Functional Capacity Evaluation will help your doctor/s determine what those restrictions and limitations are.

While working from home is certainly an option, telecommuting or working online aren't currently factored into the jobs Vocational Experts consider for SSDI eligibility, based on current rules and regs. This may change at some point.

Swimming is considered the best exercise for those that have problem with weight bearing.

If you haven't been posting in the PN forum which includes SFN, here is the link: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html

the function of a cane or walker is to assist balance by increasing a persons base of support so as to not fall, not to increase the ability to walk longer distances. Not all people with PN have severe balance problems or develop severe balance problems later on as the disease progresses. Many people with PN do get tired very easily and very quickly while standing or walking. The pain levels also increase for many after standing for a while or walking more than a short distance. For example my legs start to get a very heavy feel, like im lugging around tree trunks and my feet feel as if the bones are broken. A cane or walker will not help that. My balance was not severely compromised, though i did have problems, in the early part of my PN but has gotten progressively worse. I know a number of people who have PN and who dont use a cane or walker and have won their SSDI or SSI cases.

[QUOTE=LIT LOVE;1168994
You need a doctor to spell out your work restrictions and or limitations. Again, having a Functional Capacity Evaluation will help your doctor/s determine what those restrictions and limitations are.

[/QUOTE]

this is excellent advice. this is actually crucial to your case. it cant be stressed enough.
In my opinion you need a positive evaluation by a neurologist to help
win your case.
A GP may be ok to treat the pain of peripheral neuropathy, however a GP is not going to carry the weight of a neurologist in the evaluation of a neurological disease for your appeal or hearing.

The poster specifically stated that he had trouble with balance, albeit about taking a bike ride outside. See post #15 in this thread. To me, the balance problem, may not only relate specifically to the bike.

i have no idea if he has a balance problem or not. my point was that not everyone with PN has a severe balance problem , not everyone with PN uses a cane or walker and that people with PN who do not have severe balance problems or do not use canes or walkers do win their disability cases because of the limitations on their ability to work caused by the type and severity of the PN that they have .

Dean has said he has balance issues when walking, but it might have been via pm. I was maybe making assumptions that might not apply...

I don't think that I implied he'd be denied if he didn't utilize an ambulatory device. I'm trying to point out issues that an ALJ will likely question. --None of us will see his medical records, or lack there of, and our opinions are based on what he chooses to reveal.

OK. I will check into getting this done. Thank you.

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]I have ADD. We tend not to hide much. The symptom is called impulsivity. If you have a question that you think might help me win my case (to which I HONESTLY think I am entitled to) please ask away. I imagine even without the ADD, I would not hide. That just isn't my style.
[/COLOR]

What do I do wrong to cause my formatting to look as it does above? I pick a color. I type a paragraph or two and then I highlight the paragraph and pick a color for the text. Then I move on and repeat the above process until my comments are complete - but generally just the first paragraph is the only one that has the colored text. Thanks.

My limited experience in looking for the jobs as you have described above has not been promising. If one googles it, many of the articles it pulls up are to the effect of: "Watch out for SCAM 'work at home' jobs . . . most make pennies a day . . . not dollars a day." With that being said, if you could lead me and/or provide a list of jobs that meet or exceed your first paragraph - please do so. I would be eternally appreciate! Thanks.

You're cutting off /not copying all of the brackets [ ] - that is what messes up the quotes & the color/font parts..

Just be more careful when adding into a quote

[QUOTE=Jo*mar;1169099]
[COLOR="Purple"] color test /COLOR]

You're cutting off /not copying all of the brackets [ ] - that is what messes up the quotes & the color/font parts..[/QUOTE


here is a sample I did on purpose, left out a bracket in the bolded area one missing on the front & one missing on the back..

Just be careful when adding text to not cut off those brackets.

[QUOTE=Hopeless;1168972]I am a bit perplexed by the number of times you mention that a physician is informing you of what you are capable and not capable of doing.

^^^Could it not be seen as a TX plan? A doctor is telling me what I must do to get BETTER? Namely, allow my nerves to REST. And not flare them up with too much exercise.

You above all others should be the one to KNOW what you are capable of and what you are NOT capable of doing physically.

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]Is it really that black and white? A kid breaks his arm. It is in a cast for six weeks. The cast gets removed. The kid wants to go out and ran and play again. The doc says, 'no running for at least 4 more weeks'. Is the kid capable of running? Most certainly. Would it be a good idea to let him run just as soon as his cast was taken off? Most certainly NOT. Most likely he will trip and re-injure it.

If I do not post 'a doctor said such and such . . . ' then I, 'get that is just your opinion Dean... only a doctor can make such statement.'

If I say a doctor said, 'such and such' then I get what I have gotten in this post. How can one 'win'? Seems like a Catch-22 to me.

I know that if I stand for over an hour, my feet will become very uncomfortable. I know if I sit over an hour - my feet will become uncomfortable. And I know that when they are really bad (at least twice a week) that the ONLY way I get a measure of relief is by laying on my bed. Not merely putting my feet up. Sometimes that makes the problem worse due to circulation of blood issues. Echoes 'gets it' because he has pn. If one does not have pn, they will never get it. Just like I will never 'get' a condition you have, unless I have personally experienced it myself. Do you know something exist within the world of pn called 'cold-pain'? I didn't until I got sfn. Then one day while reading an article on sfn, the term 'cold-pain' was used. I was like, "YEAH! Validation! I know EXACTLY what these authors are writing about."
[/COLOR]

You also seem to self impose activities that will exacerbate your pain.

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]^^^I did not run a marathon. I did not run a 10K or a 5K. I didn't even jog for one minute. I simply ventured out of my apartment for a rare, rare occasion and did a VERY minimal amount of 'work'. I just wanted to see if I had gotten better or worse. I just wanted to see if I could establish a 'baseline' for walking. My farthest walk was a mere 12 minutes.
[/COLOR]

I just don't understand. Maybe I am just different and not as brave but I try to avoid activities that will only make my pain worsen. Maybe I am just a wimp but I am one that will not touch a hot stove the second time.

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]^^^I think I explain it well above. After shuffling around my apartment for months on end . . . like an 85 year old man . . . I merely went for a very short walk, in the cool of the morning . . . to see if I have gotten better or worse. My goal is always to try to stop BEFORE or just as SOON, as pain begins. Hence some of my walks being just six minutes and others being just 12 minutes. And, I just tried it for a week. Well, it actually turned out to be just four days because I had to abort the experiment. When my doc says, "How are you doing?" Now I have something solid to tell him rather than my 85 year old man - 'apartment shuffle'.[/COLOR]

Im pretty sure that Hopeless has peripheral neuropathy also

Read more, post less
 

^^^I am going to do what a wise person on this forum suggested I do - post LESS and read about step 5 of the 5 step sequential model. I thank that person for the that wise counsel. I agree. At this time, I think that is my best course of action.

Why re: bp
 

[QUOTE=LIT LOVE;1168994]Dean, the problem that's going to come up is that you were capable of working as a PE teacher within the last year, which is a much more physically demanding job than sitting behind a desk. Since your BP was also a factor in why you were unable to continue working, that also will make such a claim appear less credible.

^^^I don't understand you BP link/comment. Could you please explain it more? To me, it is not that complicated. My BP is most commonly triggered by stress. As the stress of my life events and illness grew increasingly worse... the kindling was lite on my BP mind. BTW, I am BP2, not BP1. There is a world of difference between the two.

the meaning of your last sentence?
 

Could you please elaborate on the meaning of your last sentence above please?

Voc Rehab Services may find you legitimate work from home--some people report more success than others, each location is different.

There are certainly academic teaching positions that can be taught online, but I'm not sure if you've taught other subjects than PE.

I am certified to teach health or PE in grades K-12. I love reading and feel confident that I can teach others how to read. I have tutored struggling readers for years. Thanks for the above advice about 'Voc Rehab Services'. I have it saved on my PC and will look into it.

^^^Could it not be seen as a TX plan? A doctor is telling me what I must do to get BETTER? Namely, allow my nerves to REST. And not flare them up with too much exercise

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]^^^I did not run a marathon. I did not run a 10K or a 5K. I didn't even jog for one minute. I simply ventured out of my apartment for a rare, rare occasion and did a VERY minimal amount of 'work'. I just wanted to see if I had gotten better or worse. I just wanted to see if I could establish a 'baseline' for walking. My farthest walk was a mere 12 minutes.
[/COLOR]


[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]^^^I think I explain it well above. After shuffling around my apartment for months on end . . . like an 85 year old man . . . I merely went for a very short walk, in the cool of the morning . . . to see if I have gotten better or worse. My goal is always to try to stop BEFORE or just as SOON, as pain begins. Hence some of my walks being just six minutes and others being just 12 minutes. And, I just tried it for a week. Well, it actually turned out to be just four days because I had to abort the experiment. When my doc says, "How are you doing?" Now I have something solid to tell him rather than my 85 year old man - 'apartment shuffle'.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]


font colors info -
not sure where this part is coming from?? - [COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]
usually it is the actual name of the color - red , blue , navy , etc and no extra numbers , I think that is why the font color is not showing correctly for you.

above where the blue font color worked it has this & at the end of the line.

maybe use the bold for your replies in quoted parts, that might be easier than font colors.

Or you can skip the quoting completely and reply in order of the questions/topics asked... 1,2,3 etc..
The quotes with text mixed in can get confusing for everyone...