Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) describes a sense of exhaustion and post-exertion malaise, even when you have gotten enough rest and sleep. The disease is characterized by six months of incapacitating fatigue experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, and problems with concentration and short-term memory. The cause is unknown, but it is a...
Hi everyone,
I know some of you guys are already on disability, and I thought you might be able to offer advice or at least a sympathetic ear. Obviously, since I'm in this group, I have CFS, and it's getting worse year after year. I've only ever been able to work part time (3 days a week at my current job, where I've been for 2.5 years) and at the end of August I had to cut it back to 2 days. I really, really need to just stop working altogether, but I cannot make it financially on what little they would give me, let alone wait out the months or years until I did get approved for long-term disability. As is, I'm sick with colds and flues all the time, always having to call in sick, get days covered, leave early, etc, because my body just can't deal with the work.
So anyway, at the end of August my therapist wrote me up for short term disability (EDD, here in California). It was supposed to cover me for six months, at which point she was planning on just extending it each six months for as long as she could. So when she did that, I switched from three days to two, because, as I said, I can't get by on less than that. It seemed like things with Disability were going ok, although slowly (although I understand that's just the pace it goes at). They sent me a letter telling me my maximum daily/weekly/yearly allotment, and then I had to fill out time sheets to prove I was working fewer hours, and I sent them in, but it all seemed ok.
Today though I got a letter saying I was denied because my employer has continued my "full pay" the whole time I've been disabled (since the end of August). This does not make any sense. I have clearly been working far fewer hours, and my paychecks have reflected this the whole time. If they're saying that I'm making the same *hourly* rate, that is true, but if your employer has to start paying you a lower hourly rate to qualify, first of all, that's stupid, and secondly, it's never stated anywhere. When I applied for partial disability, with everyone knowing I was continuing to work, just on reduced hours, nothing was ever said about it. And every person I was able to talk to at the Disability place said that yes, I can apply for partial disability while working reduced hours.
So tell me wise folk, is this a stupid hiccup, and when I appeal it, everything will be ok? Do they just do this to everyone to make you work for it? Is it really true that you have to be making a lower hourly rate? Any and all thoughts on this would be surely appreciated.
I am so incredibly frustrated and upset with this whole ordeal. And any time you try and call them, it takes hours or DAYS to get through. You have to go through the whole phone tree, at which point it tells you that there are "too many callers on hold already" and hangs up on you. It literally took me three days once to get someone on the phone; three days I sat at home and did very little other than call their %)&*&$%^ number over and over again. The letter advises you to call them if you think there's an error in the denial, but fat chance of that happening. My poor husband has been loaning me so much money every month just to pay my bills (which are not at all extravagant) and I feel so guilty for being such a drain. So yes, there are lots of emotional issues tangled up in this too.
Thanks for listening :)
Sarah
I know some of you guys are already on disability, and I thought you might be able to offer advice or at least a sympathetic ear. Obviously, since I'm in this group, I have CFS, and it's getting worse year after year. I've only ever been able to work part time (3 days a week at my current job, where I've been for 2.5 years) and at the end of August I had to cut it back to 2 days. I really, really need to just stop working altogether, but I cannot make it financially on what little they would give me, let alone wait out the months or years until I did get approved for long-term disability. As is, I'm sick with colds and flues all the time, always having to call in sick, get days covered, leave early, etc, because my body just can't deal with the work.
So anyway, at the end of August my therapist wrote me up for short term disability (EDD, here in California). It was supposed to cover me for six months, at which point she was planning on just extending it each six months for as long as she could. So when she did that, I switched from three days to two, because, as I said, I can't get by on less than that. It seemed like things with Disability were going ok, although slowly (although I understand that's just the pace it goes at). They sent me a letter telling me my maximum daily/weekly/yearly allotment, and then I had to fill out time sheets to prove I was working fewer hours, and I sent them in, but it all seemed ok.
Today though I got a letter saying I was denied because my employer has continued my "full pay" the whole time I've been disabled (since the end of August). This does not make any sense. I have clearly been working far fewer hours, and my paychecks have reflected this the whole time. If they're saying that I'm making the same *hourly* rate, that is true, but if your employer has to start paying you a lower hourly rate to qualify, first of all, that's stupid, and secondly, it's never stated anywhere. When I applied for partial disability, with everyone knowing I was continuing to work, just on reduced hours, nothing was ever said about it. And every person I was able to talk to at the Disability place said that yes, I can apply for partial disability while working reduced hours.
So tell me wise folk, is this a stupid hiccup, and when I appeal it, everything will be ok? Do they just do this to everyone to make you work for it? Is it really true that you have to be making a lower hourly rate? Any and all thoughts on this would be surely appreciated.
I am so incredibly frustrated and upset with this whole ordeal. And any time you try and call them, it takes hours or DAYS to get through. You have to go through the whole phone tree, at which point it tells you that there are "too many callers on hold already" and hangs up on you. It literally took me three days once to get someone on the phone; three days I sat at home and did very little other than call their %)&*&$%^ number over and over again. The letter advises you to call them if you think there's an error in the denial, but fat chance of that happening. My poor husband has been loaning me so much money every month just to pay my bills (which are not at all extravagant) and I feel so guilty for being such a drain. So yes, there are lots of emotional issues tangled up in this too.
Thanks for listening :)
Sarah
Several people have told me that to get on disability one should hire a lawyer that only gets paid if you do. That may be only for soc security or maybe for other stuff, not sure.
I do believe it is illegal to pay someone less per hour due to disability. So something is clearly wrong there.
I am dirt poor due to not being able to work and trying to exist on child support which is really not enough.
I can tell you that one can make some $ and still qualify for the food bank. Rules vary based on the individual food bank. Mine for example must consider the income of every person in the family. My boyfriend has a job and we still qualify. I also get food stamps. On the application I can mark disabled and am not asked to bring in proof from a doctor. I don't think it gives me any extra food stamps, but if you were applying for other benefits maybe it helps. Of course if one is lying you get in huge trouble. But I am honest. I say I can't work due to cfs, so I think that is good enough. Food stamps is another one that you can have an income and qualify...you just get less.
I hope you will try those out. It helps make the $ go further. You can go online and put in estimates to see if you would qualify for food stamps. It takes a long time for them to process...it took them 2 months to approve me. It is because the economy is so bad right now.