Author Topic: Has anyone on disability gone back to work (Read 9745 times)

LiveWithIt · « **on:** October 27, 2014, 09:46:39 am »

and how has it affected your benefits, medical costs (doctor visits and labs) and medication costs?

wolfter · « **Reply #1 on:** October 27, 2014, 10:01:54 am »

This is a very broad question and could lead to irrelevant tangents. Perhaps share where you're currently at and what you're considering doing?

I've been on disability a few different times since diagnosis. I always went back to work whenever I got well again. I lost all benefits each time and was required to to exist like any other person in the workforce. I always had the assurance that I could easily get SSD again in my condition worsened.

The 2nd time I got sick, I got approved almost immediately. Stayed on it for about a year until I got well again. Again, I got well and returned to work and had a long run of almost 15 years. Got sick again and it took forever to get approved again.

So my impressions of stopping SSD once approved has changed. I would love to return to the workforce again but don't have the strength to fight again if I ever needed it in the future.

BT65 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 29, 2014, 06:17:16 am »

I have gone back to work. Started off part time, went full time and lost SSDI, then had to go back to part time. It was a nightmare getting back on SSDI. I had to have a couple government offices intervene on my behalf, and I believe that's why I was able to get back on it.

Now I send in copies of my pay stubs every other month. I was told that if I went over SGA, even by $1, that I would be deemed "not disabled," and would lose my benefits.

SGA this year is $1070. I don't know if it will go up next year or not; doesn't matter since I don't make close to that in my current job positions.

If you are thinking about returning to work and are on SSDI, I would suggest contacting your local vocational rehabilitation office and tell them you want to work with a benefits counselor. (S)he can work with you and advise on how to work and keep your benefits.

mitch777 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 29, 2014, 05:01:38 pm »

Live,

I hate to discourage people from getting back to work if they think it's likely to be long-term as you can see by the above posts it can be a stressful experience. They both went through so much getting back in the system. (It really sucks the way it's set up for these kind of situations. It would seem to me that the SSA should be delighted to see people head back to work, and maybe they are but getting back on disability not so much. ha!)

I've never been on disability but applied over 2 1/2 years ago and won't know my fate until January, 2015. If you do decide to get back into the workforce I would be aware and KEEP aware of changes is the SSA as well as making sure you are covered financially for the waiting period.

Best of luck to you in whatever direction you choose.

ps- I don't recall your age if it were ever mentioned and can't remember current health issues.

wolfter · « **Reply #4 on:** November 11, 2014, 05:45:21 pm »

What's the point of starting a thread and not bothering to participate?

initforlife · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2014, 05:55:42 pm »

ok I have a question how do you know if your ssd is a temporary thing or long term. I know nothing about this and from everyone talking about how long it took them for theirs I'm thinking mine might be that I got sick in Jan apply in feb and got approve in June fast. but it wasn't for hiv at the time I had two Pe in lungs and dvt in my leg then in march I found out I was hiv+ so I guess what im wondering if that other issues clear up and get better will they want me to go back to work?

zach · « **Reply #6 on:** November 11, 2014, 05:57:51 pm »

even if the OP has moved on, its still a relevant topic, i know i've watched with interest and would love to hear more voices

it is something i'm thinking about doing, i simply dont make enough to do anything more than maintain. and unfortunately, my current situation is unsustainable, it is inevitable that i have to move in the next few years.

wolfter · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2014, 05:00:03 am »

Quote from: zach on November 11, 2014, 05:57:51 pm

even if the OP has moved on, its still a relevant topic, i know i've watched with interest and would love to hear more voices

it is something i'm thinking about doing, i simply dont make enough to do anything more than maintain. and unfortunately, my current situation is unsustainable, it is inevitable that i have to move in the next few years.

It is very relevant, I agree. It's a difficult decision that many of us face. I personally think it's just bad form to start a new thread with a one line question and never return to participate even though they've started other, newer threads.

Miss Philicia · « **Reply #8 on:** November 13, 2014, 07:21:19 am »

Quote from: initforlife on November 11, 2014, 05:55:42 pm

ok I have a question how do you know if your ssd is a temporary thing or long term. I know nothing about this and from everyone talking about how long it took them for theirs I'm thinking mine might be that I got sick in Jan apply in feb and got approve in June fast. but it wasn't for hiv at the time I had two Pe in lungs and dvt in my leg then in march I found out I was hiv+ so I guess what im wondering if that other issues clear up and get better will they want me to go back to work?

Find your SSA initial approval letter. I'm sure it will say on there under what grounds you were approved.

But if you are asking if SSA automatically is notified that you are now HIV+ when you were not approved for that initially then I'm quite sure the answer is no.

initforlife · « **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2014, 10:14:29 am »

No I know they know im hiv + now because when they called for me to get my paper work back in right away I was waiting on my test results from the health dept to see if I was + and wrote it on paper work when I sent it back in.. but like I said the dx on the letter when I was approve for my ssd didn't have the dx of hiv+ so it was for my other dx of the PE and DVT and possible cancer which we are still watching me closely for . But I will see if I can find the paper work I was very sick at the time and they sent me so much shit I don't remember if it was temp or not. Heck I didn't get the letter of approval until after money was deposited in my checking account that's How I knew I got it at first. then a week later I got the letter lol

zach · « **Reply #10 on:** November 13, 2014, 12:32:30 pm »

wolfie, agreed, bad form

init, ms p is right

i pulled mine out

and i have two letters, one is a medical determination of disability, and then the official notice of award arrived in the mail a week later

the determination of disability lists the medical reasons considered in the decision, for me it goes into detail about HIV and which OIs I have had and was being treated for at the time. the notice of award doesn't have any medical information on it, it simply states the date that i became disabled under their rules, and that i am entitled to benefits

*note to all reading*
the notice of award is a vital record, keep it safe with your birth certificate and such

initforlife · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2014, 01:32:22 pm »

Heck I can't find it I guess I threw it away didn't know I was suppose to keep it . lol but like I said I was very sick at the time and still trying to work 12 hrs a day I finally had to quit in may couldn't do it anymore and run to the dr once aweek for blood work plus I was exhausted. oh well im sure they will tell me before they kick me off just I hope I have time to go back to school and figure out what I want to do next.

BT65 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 13, 2014, 01:37:16 pm »

I've been on SSDI so long I have no idea where the notice of award letter is other than knowing I don't have it anymore. But, when I look up my SS account online it goes back to the beginning and lists every single payment I've gotten in over 20 years.

I am a more organized letter keeper now, and kept everything from the last go around with SS, including the letters from the government officials who got involved.

wolfter · « **Reply #13 on:** November 13, 2014, 01:57:13 pm »

Quote from: initforlife on November 13, 2014, 01:32:22 pm

Heck I can't find it I guess I threw it away didn't know I was suppose to keep it . lol but like I said I was very sick at the time and still trying to work 12 hrs a day I finally had to quit in may couldn't do it anymore and run to the dr once aweek for blood work plus I was exhausted. oh well im sure they will tell me before they kick me off just I hope I have time to go back to school and figure out what I want to do next.

You can contact the SSA and ask for a copy of your award letter. You'll receive it pretty quickly. Even if you're determined to be totally permanently disabled, there is still a chance they'll review your case from time to time. I believe I read something about regular 5 year reviews. Other things that can prompt a review is showing income during any period of disability. I also read that participating in the back to work program (can't recall the exact name of the program) can also trigger your case to be watched and monitored.

BT65 · « **Reply #14 on:** November 13, 2014, 02:35:19 pm »

Yes, being determined "totally and permanently" disabled doesn't mean you're free from review. It means there's a longer time span in between reviews. You can actually find it on SS's website. I believe totally disabled is like 7-10 year reviews, the middle level is 3-5 year reviews and the last one is like a year.

The "Ticket to Work" program is through SS and was designed to do one thing-get people off disability. They won't review someone while he/she is going through the program, but once completed, they will.

I don't encourage or advise anyone to participate in that program unless the person is sure they will not need disability any longer, or for the rest of their lives.

zach · « **Reply #15 on:** November 13, 2014, 02:48:31 pm »

if you have SSI or SSDI, take the time to set yourself up on the website

https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.do

for return to work information, the name of the program is "ticket to work"

www.socialsecurity.gov/work/

and from all anecdotal reports i've heard, wolf is right, i am hesitant to even contact them for information until i am 100% ready to follow through

betty, these levels you're referring to, i can't find any reference to such in my paperwork (it is in hand)

could you elaborate on how i tell which level of disability they consider me?

initforlife · « **Reply #16 on:** November 13, 2014, 03:02:56 pm »

Thanks I would love to work but not sure i'm able yet. a lot of health issues other then the hiv.. hell who knew when one turned 50 their damn body would fall a part so fast. Just not one who sits around gets me to damn depressed which Iam today left my darn anti depression meds at my daughters the other day. oh well knew ones come in Monday.

Miss Philicia · « **Reply #17 on:** November 13, 2014, 05:00:44 pm »

Quote from: initforlife on November 13, 2014, 01:32:22 pm

Heck I can't find it I guess I threw it away didn't know I was suppose to keep it . lol but like I said I was very sick at the time and still trying to work 12 hrs a day I finally had to quit in may couldn't do it anymore and run to the dr once aweek for blood work plus I was exhausted. oh well im sure they will tell me before they kick me off just I hope I have time to go back to school and figure out what I want to do next.

You can call SSA and request another copy of your initial award letter -- ask them to send whatever documentation they sent you regarding the medical determination. Either that or you can go in person and request it.

I'm not sure where mine is either -- but I have a large SSA file and I'm sure it's in there somewhere. But if not and I needed it I'd know where to go to get another copy.

LiveWithIt · « **Reply #18 on:** November 17, 2014, 12:20:53 pm »

Thanks for the responses and info everyone.

since94 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 06, 2015, 10:35:48 pm »

I have been on SSI Disability since about 2000. I tested poz in Los Angeles in summer 1994 (on the day of the OJ Simpson slow-speed car chase.. what a strange day).. I resisted my doctor's urging to apply right away because I felt fine (except for the shingles). I waited I guess about 6 years to apply, because I thought I could work. The application process was not easy, but you just get through it.
Anyway, I have never been asked for a review. I have been expecting it, because why not, but nothing. Once I was told over the phone by a SS agent that they believed I was getting $250 in "in kind" support per month, but they would not tell me who
or where that was coming from. I live with my partner, who is older and is on SSDI,
so of course he receives more than I do.. somehow they know this, that we share the household, and that (obv) I can't exist on $620 a month in LA... so they know more than we think. Not that I am trying to work off the books or anything.

But he has been working a part time job, plus an occasional free-lance job in community theater. We are scraping by. But SocSec has decided to audit him.
They are sending letters to previous employers (dating back a long time) to
see if he is earning too much. He has always been aware of the limits, but he has not always been careful. In this town you don't refuse work. He always faithfully reported these extra incomes on his taxes, and I guess SocSec knows this now, and they are penalizing him for not telling them personally? Well, we learned our lesson.
Don't earn anything.

The irony is that he is over 55, he is having more health problems, he needs Soc Sec very much right now, and this is the time they want to review/audit him. I am hoping they just decide that he owes them from past years when he went over the limit. And we'll figure out how to live with the severely decreased monthly checks.

I constantly re-assure him that next month's check won't suddenly stop. There is a process of reviews and appeals. But he is in a panic because last time he called the general Soc Sec office to talk to a person she said 'you'd better get yourself to
a social security office to see someone tomorrow" ("Tomorrow" turned out to be
the day after thanksgiving, which was not a day that they were open)

He has just heard from his part time employer that SocSec sent them a letter asking for income verification. And a past one, also. One from nine years ago.

It's all very creepy. He is stressing out, and if he did make too much, then it should get deducted. But he thinks the checks will simply stop, and he is panicked into trying to find full-time employment.
Should I look for a good Social Security lawyer to help represent him, (or at least calm him down)...? We always thought SocSec wanted us to "go back to work"...
but we know now that we dare not. Or, if we do (in order to remain sane,) that we are very careful. I understand that. My father fought with SS for many years when I was a teenager, since he had developed Parkinson's. But it was mostly a paperwork battle. This seems more like scolding and threats. I guess it's a new world.

I'm sorry for rambling.. and repeating stuff. this is so new and horrifying and SocSec is not being the least bit re-assuring... a letter from last year had this strange wording to the effect of:
"We need to know more about you. We already know more than you may think..
but we need to hear it from you..." and "... please tell us who (by name) lives with you, and if they collect SocSec, and what is the amount they collect..."

It's not my business to report what someone in my house gets every month from SocSec! How dare they.

Oh well.. thank you for letting me vent. I',m old, and everything hurts.

Now that the republicans have taken over Congress, there is already one new Social Security cut-back going through..

sr

valjack · « **Reply #20 on:** April 23, 2015, 12:34:00 pm »

Very interesting topic. I am a long term survivor but approaching 58 years of age with no family members left trying to live on a SSI check which is impossible when you live alone. I think 90 percent of my check goes straight to the landlord. I am not eligible for food stamps here in CA because I am on SSI. I get food from the church once every two weeks but it is not food where you can eat healthy. Anything fresh is ready to spoil (if there is anything) and the rest is cans of cranberry or green beans, The bread is already stale and the eggs (if you get them) are always outdated from months ago. So, I try and find anything I own that is any good and try and sell it on Ebay. I am sick and tired of the HUGE AMOUNT of STRESS worrying about how I am going to buy another bag of dog food for my companion German Shepherd. Or how am I going to pay my minimum car insurance. I feel blessed and lucky to be doing so well when I had 4 t-cells in 1994 and also blessed and lucky to have a roof over my head when I was sleeping in my car when my housing did not work out when I first arrived in CA from NJ. I never in my life ever had to worry about making ends meet but now at the age of 58 I do. I came out to CA on urging of a cousin I barely knew. She romanced the idea of coming out here, how wonderful it was. I decided to come mostly because of the great healthcare I am receiving at CARES in Sacramento and was cured of HCV with a clinical trial of the new hep C drugs. She turned out to be the meanest person I ever met and thought I was flush with the sale of a home I inherited during the recession. I got kicked off SSI and had to pay everything out of pocket for a few years until I was broke and then put back on SSI.
I am strongly considering getting at least a part time job if I can find one, I live very remote off-the-grid so to speak, SS takes away one dollar for every 2 dollars you make after the first $85. Right now 10 dollars to me is like 100 dollars.
I am even considering going to an adult vocational school but picking up where I left off 20 years ago, I don't know if my brain is capable! Court reporting is very hard!
I was placed on Section 8 housing in 1994. The social worker from the doctors office in NJ did all the paperwork and put me on. I only had to pay 1/3 of my rent. Then I met a guy about 5 years later on a hiv site and we met hit it off and got married. I relocated, relinquished my Section 8 housing voucher because now I was a "homeowner". Long story short, we got divorced, house was bought by the bank and now the section 8 waiting lists are closed. I was homeless, everything in storage and sleeping in my car last summer.
So, if anyone has any situation like my own that has tried to make a better life for themselves , please pitch in.

LiveWithIt · « **Reply #21 on:** April 23, 2015, 07:20:32 pm »

To me it's not worth losing the benefits and having to go to work and deal with coworkers or bosses who may have conflicts or issues with you.

Ideally the best thing would be to find a part time job off the books, but I wouldn't know where to start to look for one.

I"m gonna have to downsize and move 2 hours away to a cheaper area, I'm already stressed out and have headaches because I can't afford to live where I am now. I can pay the rent and utilities, but then car insurance, and everything else like toiletries or over the counter meds and gasoline is a problem.

Unless someone can find me an millionaire which would be nice.

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Author Topic: Has anyone on disability gone back to work (Read 9745 times)