DISABILITY

[Hazmat35]

I need some information.  Like most here, I have ESRD, and go to Dialysis 3x per week.  My session is MWF @ 3:00 PM. 

Afterwards, i am real sick  and usually just go to sleep @ home.  In the morning, I try my best to get up and go to work.  More and more, it takes all my energy to get up and get going.  By the time I'm dressed and ready to go, I'm exhausted. 

Is it possible to get disability or a partial disability?  My wife thinks I should try to get it, but I can't afford to be off work w/ no income.   

[WishIKnew]

I know that my brother qualified for Social Security Disability when he was unable to work when he started hemo dialysis.  He had a lot of problems and was, as you say, sick and exhausted.  I don't know the details.  Hope this works out for you!  I'm not working now but often think that partial disability/part time work would be ideal for dialysis patients.....

[Tracy]

I wonder how long you have been doing dialysis.  Like maybe they aren't taking enough off of you or they are taking too much off of you.  I hate that you are so sick afterwards.  I am on the same schedule you are.  Sometimes, it is all I can do to drive home afterwards, but I make it.  Then I lay down to watch tv for a little while to relax and then go to bed.  Some mornings after D, I just don't think I can make it.  Too weak.  But, I usually do push myself.  I hope you can get this all sorted out.  I am not sure if it is normal for you to throw up after D.  Hope you can get it figured out.  Good Luck.  Thinking of you!   

[thegrammalady]

many, if not most people on dialysis do their 4 hours, go home, get sick and sleep for the rest of the day. it's not fun and everyone here knows it. you should qualify for ssdi and there is even a provision for working part time. however have you looked into incenter nocturnal, if there is anything available in your area. there are now 4 centers in the denver area that offer it, with more in colorado springs. kit katz does it (in california) and she works full time. it's growing throughout the country.  i'm even thinking of going back to work. but maybe not, i'm enjoying my forced retirement. i have grandkids that love it when grandma takes them to the zoo in the middle of the week.

[RightSide]

Social Security considers being on dialysis due to chronic renal failure to be an automatic disability.  Visit your local SS office and they will start putting through the necessary paperwork.  Or ask your social worker for assistance.

Note that private Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurers may not consider this to be a disability.  I tried to file a claim with my LTD policy from The Hartford.  They denied the claim on the basis that they consider a true disability to mean "cannot care for oneself". And since I can at least dress myself and bathe myself and go to the toilet by myself and even drive a car, that meant to them that I wasn't disabled. 

[kamar55]

sorry....see below

[kamar55]

Social Security considers being on dialysis due to chronic renal failure to be an automatic disability.  Visit your local SS office and they will start putting through the necessary paperwork.  Or ask your social worker for assistance.

ESRD/dialysis qualifies you for disability. Very few folks on dialysis can keep working. Give yourself a break and ask your social worker about it.

[KarenInWA]

ESRD/dialysis qualifies you for disability. Very few folks on dialysis can keep working. Give yourself a break and ask your social worker about it.

I hope I'm able to work once I start.  I'm due for a raise in June, I have Cadillac health insurance and am hoping to get a live donor and transplant done while I still have said Cadillac insurance.  In order to do that, I *have* to keep working.  I feel I have no choice in the matter.  I don't want this crappy disease to win.  ESRD can stick it!!!! 

KarenInWA

[tyefly]

  Yes  Its pretty simple to get disability... You can get the first check untill  5 months after you are on dialysis....I have heard of some getting disablity before dialysis but I am not certain about that...... you can still work while collecting disablilty but you have limited income levels.....

   Just go to Social Security and get the paper work  ( they will mail it to you too if you request ) and fill it out and make a appt....  its just that simple....

I think if people are sick after dialysis then something needs to change.....  you are not getting enough dialysis or you are taking too much water off...or both.....  Have you thought about home hemo....   I feel way better than in center....where I felt like you do.....  Good luck and keep your chin up...

[paris]

Like the others said, you will automatically qualify for SSDisabliity.  I applied online. Received a phone call from SS 3 days later.  They send me forms to have the doctors fill out.  Mailed them, and was approved in 3 months time. When you qualify, they will determine how long you have been disabled and you will receive "back pay". They will pay up to a year of back pay. You receive that in a lump sum immediately.  My monthly check is less than when I worked, but when I add all the expenses that go along with working, I come out even.    It has been a Godsend for me.  I hesitated for a long time, but people kept saying that you work all those years, paying into SS and now it was time for me to receive some of it back.   

And I was pre-dialysis, so you don't have to be on dialysis.   Go ahead and look at the forms online.  I never once went to an office; everything was online or by phone.   Good luck.

[Hazmat35]

Thank you for all the information and support.  This is why i love this site!  It is filled with wonderful people.   

Don't get me wrong, I want to work.  I've been working FULL-TIME since I was 13 years old, going to school, college, etc.  I enjoy what I do.  It is just that now, my work is slipping, I'm falling behind, and making others around me pick up MY SLACK.  And that just isn't in my jeans.  I'm the one who always pulls his weight and gets behind everyone else and pushes them.  Not the other way around. 

I can't concentrate on my work, and at the Center, it would be almost impossible for me to do any of it with one hand tied behind my back, so to speak. 

There are numerous centers in our area but only one that I know of, that is Nocturnal.  I have checked it and there is a waiting list a mile long already.  I put my name on list, but the center is 1 hour drive each way, so I don't know if that will work or not.  I'll just have to play that card when it's dealt. 

Thanks again for all the help and support! 

[lawphi]

Dialysis is a listed condition and you automatically qualify upon receipt of your application, medical records and the required 5-6 month waiting period.  You need to make sure you have worked enough quarters to qualify.  You can also request a SSD statement from SSA to see how much our monthly benefit would be. 

In the event you purchase COBRA, you will need to save your SSD letter to qualify for the 6 month extension.

My husband was catatonic post center dialysis and we recently started home hemo.  His energy level has drastically improved and he hopes to finish painting the bathroom after his treatment ends in an hour. 

[*kana*]

I worked full time for 2 1/2 years and couldn't do it anymore, so I went on leave and got SS disability approved within 4 weeks of applying. 

I pushed myself because I felt like a looser if I quit my job, but I am now happy I did.  You need to look into it, you will be approved without a fight. 

[Rodneyss1]

I was told by my company that the moment that I go on LTD, they will sever my employment (administratively) and my health benefits will switch to COBRA.  Anybody have any experience with this?  I cannot afford COBRA.  This might force my hand to do something that I won't like.

[brandi1leigh]

I feel terrible after dialysis. Plus because I am epo resistant I'm almost always anemic. I stopped working when I just couldn't do it anymore. Luckily I had a private long term disability insurance that considers kidney disease a qualifier (at least for the first two years--after that I can't get an answer about whether I will still qualify).

I was told by my company that the moment that I go on LTD, they will sever my employment (administratively) and my health benefits will switch to COBRA.  Anybody have any experience with this?  I cannot afford COBRA.  This might force my hand to do something that I won't like.

I also had to go on COBRA. My social worker and financial coordinator helped me apply to the National Kidney Fund and they pay my COBRA premiums. You might want to talk to your social worker about any organizations that could help you with the premiums.

GOOD LUCK!

[lawphi]

My husband was allowed to stay on company insurance for a year, then went to COBRA. Cobra was only $8 more than he was paying.

[Rodneyss1]

Thanks for the advice!!!!  This is why I love this site!!!!!

[Willis]

OK, since some of you really seem to know about this subject, what are the limits for working part-time (i.e., income per year or per month) while on SS disability?

I have a job where I could work part-time up to whatever limit is allowed. I worry about paying my bills if all I have is a disability check.

 

[dyann]

Well I can te;; you that I am on both SSDI and LTD through my company it was very easy to SSDI I worked with  a company called Allsup and they did all the foot work for me,  My company had LTD that they paid for the managers, but you had to be off work for three months before I could apply it all worked out in the long run and SSDI was really pretty easy to get due to the ESRF.  I do Dialysis daily and I can lead a pretty normal life, but I get tired a lot too and have had many many hospital stays , but I would really try and get at least partial and once I applied I was approved within 2 months.   
Good luck, and I hope you feel better very soon.

[bette1]

There are limits on what you could earn while getting SS disablity income.  I think it is something like $700 a month.  I went on disability because I would earn the same on disability as I would working part time.   I also had a school aged child and I could stop paying for after school care.

However, I wish I had continued to work.  Now that I have had a transplant I am having a hard time getting a job. 

[JohnJ]

It's why I do the home hemodialysis. I can still work part time at FedEx (yes, I'm out in a van or truck delivering packages). I come home, dialyze for 3 1/2 hours and I feel great the next day.

[jshabanian]

I am not sure if it is the same for al states but in Oregon you can make up to $999.99 per month and still get disability payments.   But you have to make SURE you don't go over that for even one month or you will be disqualified to recieve benefits.

[lawphi]

Willis:  SSD encourages any kind of work.  You can read online regarding the income requirements.  I can find a good SSD attorney in your area for you to consult with if you like. 

If I recall correctly, you could keep most of your benefit and medicare status if you make $700 a month.

[JohnJ]

I was told $1200/month AVERAGE over a 3 month period would trigger and inquiry to see if you could be working full time. Of course being on dialysis pretty much guarantees you disability. Over the christmas holidays I worked 5 and 6 days a week for a month but it was hard when you don't get home until 8 or 9, then dialyze then back in by 8. It was also rough on my wife.

But usually I just work 1 or 2 days a week and it supplements my disability check and the feeling I get knowing I can handle it physically is a huge plus to me mentally.

I'm in better shape than I've been in in years.