I have RA and Fibro AND degenerative disc disease. Im finding it harder and harder to make that 45 min drive to work every morning and sitting at a computer all day. The drive home every evening is a challenge just to stay awake!! Although my job is not hard at all and I do love it but somedays Im in so much pain it's hard to concentrate and even think straight. I was told by my doctor on Friday that if the pain doesnt stop within 6 months it would be best if they did surgery on my neck to remove the spurring which is what is causing the pain and numbness down my left arm. Im so tired of this that I just want to apply for disability.
MOT
Not yet, but I'm about to. I'm going out on short term disability on Wednesday, and I have DDD, FMS, and RA. My hope is to give the Rituxan time to work, go to physical therapy, and then get back to work. But I realize that might not happen and it could turn into long term disability.
As far as qualifying, I don't know how we'll fare with SSDI. On my company's LTD insurance, sero-negative arthritis diagnoses and other musculo-skeletal disorders limit your benefits to 2 years. I am sero-negative, but I am hoping my DDD would get me around the limit. Also, my LTD insurance has different criteria than SSDI, so even if SSDI turned me down, I might be able to collect benefits from the LTD insurance. It's all way too complicated.
Best advice I can give at this point, as Bonny gave to me, is to get your company's plan documents and read over them very, very carefully. It's hard with fibro/RA fog, so get someone to help you if you can. If you trust your HR people, you can go to them and ask.
I haven't gone through it yet, but it's looming out there for me. I'm kind of in the same position as you are. RA/OA/Fibro/DDD, and who knows what else. My job, retail, is getting more and more difficult. I don't know how you make a 45 minute drive. Seriously I drive a mile, and when I get home from work, I can't get out of my car. My knees and lower back are locked! I have a few friends that suggested social security, but seriously that wouldn't touch my bills each month, and I have two kids to provide for besides. I just don't know what I'll do. My spine isn't liking my job at all these days. And like you, my job is by no stretch of the imagination hard, and I like it. I just can't do it anymore, I'm exhausted, depressed, and getting angrier by the day from the pain. *sigh* I think Suzanne has a great idea though. I'm going to get the paperwork and information for disability from work and read through that. It's obviously not going to be the same as my wages, but it will be something. I also understand though that disability can happen right away, or take many months to get approved. It all depends. Good luck if you decide to go for it. I hope you're feeling better soon. Sorry to be so long-winded.
You DO NOT have to get SDI in order to qualify for LTD through work. As a matter of fact, LTD is much easier than SSDI. I am on my LTD. Also, it will pay you 65% (usually) of your salary and SSDI is usually much less (depending on how much you make).
I am on long term part-time disability which works out really good for me. They pay 50% of your salary and the insurance pays 50%. I work 2 full days and 1 half day. I hope to be able to continue the half time for another few years as it gives me more money. I am 55 and the LTD only pays until 65 so I will try to keep going until I have to take social security.
Just wanted you to know their are options. But like Suzanne says, I would have a lawyer or friend in the insurance field look over your policy before doing anything. It so happens that my son-in-law is my works ins. broker, so I had him tell me all the ins and outs before applying.
I feel so bad for you guys that have to drive long commutes to work. I don't know how you do it. Being in the car that long would be so awful. When I have to drive for more than 30 minutes, knees and ankles and feet and....... it all starts to lock up on me. I sure hope you are able to find a way to ease the work problems real soon.
Good luck, MOT
Crispy
edited to say: It only took two months for my long-term to kick in after applying. If you have a long-term disability plan it is so much easier than SSDI. You can usually take short term disability first and then long term. I chose to go straight to long-term cause my RD said that I would just be getting worse if I tried to continue to work full time.
Wow, Suzanne, I am so sorry to hear about your long term policy that really sucks. What a bummer. If you were RF positive it would pay regular long term benefits? Man, that just doesn't seem right. Seems like a good lawyer would have a field day with that one. But who needs the expense and aggravation of going thru all of that, right?
Just wanted to say I'm really sorry to hear about that.
Thanks for all your responses.
Im sorry crispy,I may have been a liitle confusing with my post but I meant Im wondering if my LTD will pay until I get SSDI. Im 45 will LTD pay until im 65??? I guess I need to look at my policy. Im not sure if I read it thoroughly enough.
Do you mean Social Security? SSDI is social security disability. Why would you want ssdi if you have ltd? ltd pays more.
My LTD pays until I'm 65. Hope yours does too.
Do you mean Social Security? SSDI is social security disability. Why would you want ssdi if you have ltd? ltd pays more.
My LTD pays until I'm 65. Hope yours does too.
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I didnt know LTD pays more. I thought that LTD only lasts a little while or until SSDI kicks in. See im so glad I asked people who know these things.
Does it matter that my LTD is through my work and not through a private insurance co??? Im so sorry to sound so ignorant but I just got the LTD through work a long time ago not even thinking I'd ever need it and now that I do I have all kinds of questions.
you really need to get ahold of your std/ltd policy and read it before you go any further. everyones policies are different. you need to understand exactly what they pay for how long and what your requirements are.
whether you would qualify or not really depends on your specific policy. mine pays when you can't perform your specific job. some require that you are incapable of doing any work.
generally if you qualify for ssdi you will normally qualify for yor compmies ltd policy
Please have someone like a lawyer or insurance person look at your policies. Buckeye is right, they are all different.Thanks guys I will do that!!
MOT
I was on SSI several years ago. When I moved away, they took it away from me. When I moved back I could not recieve it. THen as my situation changed and I moved to mIchigan, I applied for SSDI. Even though my RA has worsened, I was refused SSDI. I appealed it, 3 years later, I was refused again.
Hopefully youwill have more luck. I have severe erosions an dhave had RA most of mylife. I do not understand the system at all.
FYI: Maybe it is just Michigan, but I know of a woman who applied for SSDI and was an amputee.She was refused SSDI, appealed the decision and died without ever recieving her SSDI. Yep, she was that ill and was still refused.