Americans with Disabilities Act
 

Hello everybody! I've been MIA for a long time from here I know.

I wanted to share this website with those who are still trying to keep working with MS or even other disabilities.

https://www.ada.gov/2010_regs.htm

My MS has gotten to the point of me being either fired from work or needing to go on disability soon so I shared with everyone at work about the MS and my symptoms.

I had previously been allowed to sit while I work for 4 hours a day but our HR department had lost that information. I got a new note from my doctor saying that I cannot stand while I work, period, due to MS.

So that helps me to keep working if I can keep my sales up enough to stay. I know it might only be a temporary reprieve because I have issues with pain, weak hands, cognitive issues (word recall, forgetting names, handwriting difficulty, bathroom issues, etc...)

I didn't realize the protection provided under the ADA act though. So they really won't want to fire me if I am doing my job in a reasonable manner. :)

I need to work four more years if I can handle it so I can get early social security at age 62 1/2. I could easily get disability but I'm stubbornly avoiding that for as long as I can because I'm afraid if I do so many things would happen:

I might go stir crazy
I might kill DH or vice-versa :wink:
My cognitive decline might accelerate
I might run out of money in my retirement because other than the MS I am fairly healthy (that is the biggest one)

Hi Wiz!!!

I am so glad you posted this link as it is helpful to those who are still working and are able to work outside of the home but need some sort of accommodations to continue to do so.

You are in a tough position but I am amazed and in awe of you. I only work on a very part-time basis and some days even that can exhaust me. As you know, I work from home in a sit down type job transcribing. I cannot imagine working outside of the home and in sales where I need to be on my feet all day. You're awesome!

I hope that you are able to continue in your position for the next 4 years. Killing your honey will only get you more than 4 years in a not so friendly environment. :D:D

I miss seeing your posts!!!!:( But, I know it is hard with working to post often. :hug::hug:

hi wiz, good to hear you're back. :)

if it helps anyone else let me tell you the poor decision i made when i was still working. i was an RN and had worked at my hospital for 18 yrs. i was not in a good way when my MS was dx'd. i was 58 y/o.

i was working FT and had been paying for LTD benefits. i hoped that if i went to PT i could prolong my work life into my 60's. HR told me if i went PT i would loose my LTD benefit. but, i decided to do it. well, only 2 mos later i had to resign. i just couldn't do it. and, so away went my LTD.

i had to pay COBRA for 18 mos til my SSDI was approved. a bad move. think long term when you're still working. hope this experience helps someone.

I remember that Nursenancy. I'm paying for LTD, and luckily my company doesn't have part time employees so if I get to that point I'll just go out on STD and then revert to LTD. We have MetLife for that and I've heard it's very hard to work with them for your benefits. So hopefully if I need them I won't have a tough time.

There are some jobs in my company that are home based but very few and I doubt they would promote me to one of those anyway.

I've found that my productivity has increased greatly now that I have a chair. The main problem is keeping others from sitting in the chair when I get up to do something and then come back to see it's taken.

since you might be closer than further from applying for ssdi let me tell you another of my experiences.

someone at my neuro's office told me to approach the application for ssdi like a thesis. he said to be detailed and to not approach the questions like you were having your best day, but your worst.

when i had it filled out and my drs said they mailed in their info about me i waited......only to get a denial letter (common, right?) which amoung other things said they were missing info from my pcp. i called their office and they said they sent it in. ????? too late, i'd already been denied. so had to pay thru the nose for COBRA for 18 mos. then i hired an attorney and applied again. i was approved. a very expensive and stressful wait.

that's why i always suggest that we get copies of reports, tests, dr notes etc.
i would have done that had i been smarter. then i make a copy of the copies and mail it to them return receipt requested.

also, when i told my neuro that i couldn't work anymore he ordered some other tests, functional capacity studies, to document my weaknesses. so get your drs to document, document, document.

and, ps....if you're taking any meds or even OTC meds get your dr to write an Rx and put it in your medical file. you can write these of on your taxes.

sorry this is so long. i wish someone had told me these things when i was first dx'd.

NurseNancy - Thanks for sharing your experience and tips! :hug:

I followed Nurse Nancy's advice and kept a 3 inch binder with separated sections for my different doctors. I had first applied for SSDI in 8/2013 with no documentation. Of course, I was denied. I did not appeal for reconsideration. My son was able to carry me on health insurance beginning 1/1/2014. My document trail begins again. I reapplied 7/31/2014. I was denied again, and I made an appointment with a local attorney. She filed the reconsideration. I was denied again and we appealed for an ALJ hearing in person. In March, we were notified that my hearing date was set for 8/12/2016. My attorney's paralegal called me on 7/21/2016 to tell me that she had received a call from the ODAR office and that the ALJ had ruled OTR in my case. I have received the letter and it is a fully favorable decision. My neuro only diagnosed my MS on 4/26/2016. We made sure that everything was added to my record.

good for you! i'm glad you didn't give up.
in the medical field it's document, document, document.

i worked many yrs in NICU's. i always kept good written notes. and, left out the emotional but always tried to chart the objective, not the subjective.
one day i was told that it was my good charting that kept a family from suing us. we made no mistakes.

that's what the court looks for too. notes from md's etc.
and an extra added bonus is that you may learn interesting things from reading your dr's notes. i've found many with inaccurate charting. some were so wrong that i called the office & had them changed. like; one dr said i had coronary artery disease and i don't. didn't want that in my records. i made him change it.

your description of a notebook is a great idea to keep organized.

Wow!!! You got your SSDI quickly. I know for some people it is years. I am sure all the documentation helped, as NurseNancy suggested. I don't remember how long it took me to get mine. It was less than a year. I was denied the 1st time and appealed using a lawyer and was approved right away after that. They lawyer didn't even do much.

They're reluctantly forcing me out at work. They like me because of my ability to handle customer service situations and my expertise with our systems in helping new employees fix problems, but they are forced to coach me on my lack of sales of new products.

I requested a copy of our company long term disability policy but I don't know if they will provide it to me. I called Met Life asking for it and they said I needed to get it from HR. My manager requested it for me yesterday via email.

I will actually get more from SSDI now than waiting until I'm 62. There is no way I could wait until then. If my own company doesn't want me, no other one would at my age and with my health issues.

Once I get the policy I'm going to have it translated with a disability attorney. With my tenure at work I should get 4-6 months of 100% pay on STD, then it reverts to LTD. I really need to know if they cover pre-existing conditions. It's interesting that we are not able to download the policy from the company website.

We are seriously short handed at work. They want me, but they don't. It's such a strange situation. They terminated hundreds of people a week ago when they cut out customer service positions in the retail stores nationwide. I almost feel fortunate that I have a way out now. I feel sorry for those others that have lost their jobs or that must apply in different parts of the company.