I got terminated from work today
 

They said I was "unable to perform my duties"
This is a really hard blow! I've always been an Exceeds Requirements.
I knew I was about to get a bad review because of the medication and the poor attendance but I didn't expect to get terminated! WOW!

They were nice and gave me six months of medical benefits. I got six weeks pay. I've only been there one year. I'm pretty bummed out right now.

I just got that new car. Our lease expires next month and the kids are all getting their own places, which is a good thing for my stress. However, now I am going to have a hard time when applying for a place to live, not having a stable employment record!

Sure wish I had parents to run home to! Sure wish I had a husband or a boyfriend, or a big brother or sister to lean on. This is when it sucks to come from a home full of screw ups. They used to all come to me for help. So when it's my turn, I have no one to turn to.

So what about this disability thing? I've been thinking about that as an option. I know it's going to cut my income in half, but if I'm the only one I have to support, I can deal with it. I'll give up my new car I guess. :(
I can't be sure I can keep my attendance up at work. I miss at least two days a month due to this PN.

I'm just venting, and you guys are my sounding board. I sure wish I had a real person here to hug me.

Terri

Terri:

I am so sorry. I was terminated once a long long time ago. I would not sleep with my boss and he fired me. I sued and won a discrimination law suit. But this was over 30 years ago. I feel for you. It's a real lousy feeling, I know.

Perhaps you can apply for Social Security Disability? It takes a while, but once you get approved, you get back benefits from when you first applied.

When you put yourself out for everybody else, you never get it back, but you do have the feeling that you did all you could for your family. Don't ever let anyone tell you different. You were there for them when they needed you.

Don't put all of this on all your shoulders. Tell family members that you have to watch your pennies for now. You can't worry about anybody else. You have to put yourself first THIS TIME!!!

You've done your job raising your family. Now it's time for YOU!!!

About your housing?? I don't know where you live, but if you go on disability, perhaps you can contact the Human Resources Association in your area??

It's just a thought. I know you feel lousy tonight. I just wanted to give you a hug. For some reason, the board won't let me insert a hug in this post.

So I'm sending warm thoughts your way.

Love, Melody

Terri
 

So sorry to hear - thats really lousy... :(

However, start planning.... when you say they gave you 6 months of medical benefits - does that mean they are going to pay your COBRA premium for that time (COBRA is the cost the company was paying for your insurance each month plus 2%...) - if they are going to pay it for a while thats great... you dont want to let it expire though after that time - its critical to have that because its much cheaper then having to buy your own high risk insurance - which you would have to cause of your medical conditions... you can continue it up to 18 months if you pay for it... (and up to 28 months I believe if you are approved for Social Security Disability before the 18 months is up)...

Regarding disability - Calif has short term disablity which will go up to a year - if your doctor backs you up on the disbality apply for it quickly - I believe it pays now the same rate as workers comp would based on your prior income... they usually move very quicky too...

If your doc says you cant work at all any more - then you need to get ball rolling on Social Security Disabilty - its a long and difficult process and you need complete doc support - but if it looks like your health is going to prohibit you working at all - you need to get it moving... this will allow you to get buy Medicare and give you a small income.

Theres lots of stuff to consider - so will just send a cyber hug right now :hug: but please feel free to PM me - this is my background here in Calif and am now completely disabled - so have seen all sides of the coin... take it easy for a few days though!

Terri
 

You should listen to K,being in the same state she know more about
it then i would. Just make sure if you decide to do it,do it now and make
sure you have good Drs. to back you up.

I'm sorry this has happened to you,well let's say i can't say what i'm
thinking. Your a strong woman hang on to that. And now you must
come first you. You are in my prayers and thoughts . If things get bad
e-mail me,i'm here and i'm not the only one. Keep posting we will use
our brain fogged heads to help you the best we can. i'm sorry :) Sue

Hi Terri
Just thought Id send you a few positive vibes, and hugs :hug:
I dont have a job due to my disease, live on my own, well with my dog, and agree it would be nice to have a shoulder to lean on. I do have a big sister, who is wonderful, but Im sure it would be nice to have a big strong man to lean on!!:D I have to move out of my home at the end of the year, and am just starting to get a bit concerned.
I hope things start getting better for you
take care
redtail :)

Terri--:hug: :hug: :hug: I'm so sorry.

I am sorry too, Terri...her is a hug from me:hug: to you!!!

Terri
 

I'm so sorry! Don't let this make you feel bad! From your posts I can tell what a good, kind person you are. It may not seem like it now, but this may be something you can use to turn lemons into lemonade. (((hugs)))

I wish I had some knowledge about disability so I could help. All I have to offer is an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on if you need it.
pt

What a bummer, oh well, one door shuts and another will open as they say.
never know what's around the corner, maybe a better job with more flexable hours or if you decide to go the disabilty way don't forget Dan's friend in the stickies, who knows how the social security system works and doesn't charge anything for his help, its the time now to just kick back and decide which path you want to travel.
good luck
Brian :)

Check into your city & state's welfare programs and medical assistance programs.
Social Security (SSDI-disability) may only give you partial disability (or may disallow entirely) payments if you are able to work at all, not just need days off. There is an SSI (Soc. Sec. Income) program, tho.
Start applications now. You have to have doctor's comments in writing about your medical condition (PN is not on the SS list- but neuro problems are) and your ability to work and at what percentage. 100% disability for work of any kind is the best for benefits. SSDI will make you go to their docs for exams too and you may have to fight it.
It is best to get experienced legal advice & help before you fill out SSDI forms and questionnaires.
Some are free (Legal Aid) and some take a % of your first lump sum payment check.

Personally i would file for disability while you are deciding on what you want to do. It stops the clock so that you dont lose earnings quarters while deciding, and may get you more back pay down the road. Peripheral Neuropathy is listed with SSDI. Its 11.14 The important part is how your symptoms, and medications interfer with your ability to work. I think that you should contact Mike Finkelstein for help in filling out the original application.
Social security has total disability for a condition that will keep you out of work for one year. They dont have partial disability. About 35% of people are approved from the initial application, which is why its important to have someone help you fill out the form that knows what they are doing. Good luck and if you have any questions, ask away.

http://www.ssa.gov/disability/profes...ical-Adult.htm

Seams Like
 

Hi - good advice above - just to clarify - Calif is one of the few states with short term disablity which you can get immediately and easily to tide you over as long as doc agrees - SSDI much longer process - you said they paid you 6 weeks - if its severance agreement then your termination date would be yesterday and you could get SDI (state disablility) starting almost immediatey with a very brief waiting period (I think its a week unless you are hospitalized) and will help you keep going if you do decide to file SSDI if doc says you can no longer work...

As Hey Joe recommended - Mike Finkelstein is a big help in the SSDI area - he helped me get mine! But again, much longer process and even if you were approved right away - you must wait a considerable amount of time for Medicare eligiblity... a must have if you need it though.....!

Hope you are doing ok today.....

Well, that really stinks....
 

..I would say a lot worse ,but I want to watch my language! :mad: I've never been terminated ,but boy have I ever been downsized, resized,re-engineered etc.etc. However you put it , it means unemployed. But it looks like you're getting some great advice from the veterans on this board. I wish you the best of luck.

Seams:

Five years ago, when Alan could not longer feel the pedals on the car, I made him quit driving. That day, he appplied for Social Security Disability.

During the application process, they make you go down to their medical department (at least that's how Alan did it).

When the guy gave him the emg, he absolutely was amazed that Alan felt nothing in his feet. They didn't even ask Alan to come down again. He was never denied, he never had to re-apply. Now I just asked him about his experience and this is what he said:

"I applied, I was sent down to their medical center, I was given the emg. The guy was fascinated that I felt absolutely nothing in my feet. The guy must have written all this down on the paperwork. Alan got the approval letter 6 months after he first applied. But, they held back the money, (It was different than when I applied for it years ago, they gave you the money retro-actively).

But in Alan's case, when he was approved and he got the approval letter, they hold back the money, and he never got it. He just got his first check (for that particular month), well he got the first check 7 months after he applied for Social Security Disability. They did not give him 6 months worth of checks. They explained "that's how we used to do it, but we don't do it anymore like that". Now this is New York City. I have no idea if this is different in other states. But since Social Security Disability is run by the government, I don't see where it would change from state to state.

So you must apply immediately, get all doctor's notes, etc. You will be given an appointment time to come in and be examined. They will send you to a room for an emg, they will also send you to a psychiatrist (that's how they did to me, and to Alan). The psychiatrist asks you if you are depressed, you fill out forms, (a lot of questions). Then the psychiatrist asks you to remember numbers, and say them backwards (both Alan and I had to do this).

Now this is 5 years ago for Alan, and 15 years ago for me. Who knows what the process is now, and if they have changed their interview and examination procedures.

Oh, every few years (at least that's how it used to be), we would get letters from the Social Security Administration, asking us to come in and get re-evaluated. Happened to both of us. We both got re-evaluated and re-approved. You don't lose any benefits during this time period.

HeyJoe gave you excellent information and that link. Click on it and get going. You'll do fine.



Melody

Well, I posted somewhere and my post is no where in sight... I am so sorry to hear this. That is SUCH a bummer, especially when you have been getting good evaluations. Where can we protest?

I do have one suggestion to offer. If you get disability, think about keeping a calendar with your doctor's appointments on it FOREVER, why you went each time, what the doctor had to say and what he prescribed. If you are approved to receive disability, this will make it much easier to fill out the paperwork necessary when you are re-evaluated, or at least this is what I think.

Using this method, my evaluations have never required any further documentation from any of my doctors and it was a lot easier to keep up with... I include a separate topsheet with the doctors' names, addresses and phone numbers...

According to the SS literature, your doctor can neither help you get it or keep you from getting it, but I would suspect that having a number of appointments showing that you are earnestly getting medical care sure won't hurt things...

I am CURIOUS about what became of my post... :) :) :) I did not cuss or say anything off color, although I was honestly thinking about it...

Cathie

Cathie has an excellant idea. You could combine it with a pain, balance, swelling or whatever other symptoms you are having that day log. I do that for pulmonary and pn and use different color highlighters for each. Gets kinda colorful but its easy to grasp why you cant work that way.

On second thought, it might be an even better idea to start keeping a calendar like this now.


Cathie

Cathie/Yorkiemom is soo right...
 

especially when some doc tries to bill both you and your insurance for the seventeenth time on that one quirky test that's already been paid for... Soo much of it all is tied to the 'date of service' and all those bills go thru separate corporate entities with names never heard of.....
I keep a calendar, keep all the appt cards and a Word 'calendar' [for each year] in which I note what tests were done and make sure I keep copies of any doc orders I can get my hands on....That way I have a whole slew of paper and notes that 2 months or 4 years down the road, well I can find out what I actually did or got done to and for what.

At the bottom of the calendar...I make extra notes about making appts in the future...as some offices seem incapable of actually MAKING appts for 4-6 months in advance. So I've notes 'call in july for sept appt w/doc X' kind of things...That way you can make your appts in time to get appt times that are more convenient for YOU..

With this kind of stuff - you can never have enuf good notes!
:hug: 's and keep heart, strength, faith and hope always - j