Disability Advice?

[ladysprite]

So. When I talked to my therapist today about the amount of pain I'm in, and the way it's impacting my ability to eat, sleep, perform everyday functions, and think, she said I needed to get out of work and on disability ASAP.

I had been figuring on going on short-term disability when I had surgery, but apparently I need to move a little faster. I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon near the end of the month, but in the meantime I need to work on getting interim medical insurance (because ANOTHER snafu left us still uninsured, this time until November) and a new PCP and starting disability paperwork right away.

There's just one problem.

I'm self-employed. And I was always told that, because of that, if I ever needed disability I could just count on social security. But apparently, as I just found out tonight, Social Security Disability is only for cases where you're going to be out of work for over a year. They don't provide short-term disability.

So. I'm trying not to view this as another catastrophe, or yet more proof that I'm doomed and that the universe wants to condemn me to a short, miserable life of pain and suffering. And instead I'm asking for advice.

Does anybody out there know anything about short-term disability, especially for self-employed individuals? Especially especially, say, in cases where they're already diagnosed with an injury? I don't yet have any doctors saying I need it (my therapist isn't an MD), but the diagnosis of herniated discs is already out there...

Please, and thank you...

Comments

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Sadly, it's not the result of a car accident or a specific injury - it's a problem that's been slowly building as the result of chronic repetitive stress. So no injury claim, and I think that rules out worker's comp (though if it doesn't, I'd love to know). And treatment/recovery is surgery and 4-6 weeks of restricted activity; if I'm still feeling like this in a year I'll just kill myself rather than live in this fashion.

Umbran has already emailed his employer to see if his insurance happens to include me, and, if not, whether I can be added - thank you for the corroboration that that might work....

[siderea]

it's a problem that's been slowly building as the result of chronic repetitive stress. So no injury claim, and I think that rules out worker's comp (though if it doesn't, I'd love to know).

It doesn't, but I'll tell you: no employer (or more accurately, no employer's WC insurer) takes a Worker's Comp claim lying down. Repetitive stress injuries from repetitive work behaviors (e.g. programmers getting inflamed carpal tunnels, checkout cashiers getting tendonitis) are totally legitimate grounds for a WC claim, but proving it can be mighty hard. The insurer would likely fight it, attempting to argue -- in court if necessary -- that you had the injury previously, or since you engaged in behaviors which stressed the injury outside of work, they shouldn't be on the hook to pay.

[citabria]

This.

I'm also wondering how a WC claim would even be processed, since you've been working at multiple clinics for the past several years. I can't recall if your placements are through an agency or not; if they were, that would be much easier (the claim would be processed with the agency). If not ... well, if not, this conversation would best be conducted by phone.

To be clear, I'm not saying that a WC claim *can't* be processed, or that it would be denied -- just that it might be more complicated given your work status.