Short term disability through my employer

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So somehow I’ve managed to keep the job I just started at the end of November.
But I am officially homeless and living in my car due to a toxic roommate situation, and regardless of my housing status, I need more help than my therapist can offer.

I need a short term stay to get me stabilized and on medication and then I really need a long term residential program for trauma and ocd (hella expensive though)

I just submitted a short term disability claim through my employer to get the process started to see if I can be approved.

If I get denied, I’ll probably have to quit and I’ll just get on Medicaid I guess-if I can get approved for that. I’ve been trying to read about the buy in program for Medicaid in Texas for adults with disabilities . I’m obviously not on ssdi but I think adults can still qualify for Medicaid if they meet certain disability criteria.

I’m so lost and in the past I’d just quit or get fired from a job and my life would go down the drain. I’m trying to be a responsible adult (as much as one can be with severe mental health issues) and try to have a better outcome this time.

Please send happy “you’re approved” thoughts my way lol!! !

Anyone else ever been on short term disability through their employer?

I'm glad you're reaching out for help. I hope you can find some type of program for immediate assistance.

I'm not American and I don't know anything about their medical or disability insurance programs, but yes I've done short-term disability which transferred into long-term disability. I worked full-time in my career and paid into a program which was quite beneficial when I left work with CPTSD and medical issues. I'm still on LTD and will be eligible to transfer it into retirement next year if I choose. It involved LOTS of paperwork but I was able to have someone meet with me and walk me through the process, because I was quite incapacitated by trauma at the time.

I wish I could advise you better about what steps to take.

Good luck!

No worries about next steps. It just helps to hear from someone else that has gone through the same process!! !

Thank you for sharing.

I just created an application today, so I have to wait to get assigned a case worker and they will be the ones to send me all the paperwork.

My therapist is very on board though and said she will do whatever she needs to get me approved. She’s amazing!

That's great news!

Mine was likely about 80 pages of forms, plus copies of all my medical reports and approval of many different specialists. It was really overwhelming. My short-term eligibility was something like 20 days at full salary if I recall correctly. Then the long term was based on how long I had worked and how much money I had contributed. In my case I worked about 20 years for the same employer but I think people who worked a shorter length of time were also eligible if approved medically.

Once a year they ask for a simple update such as the names and dates of all my specialist appointments. Occasionally my GP needs to certify some papers. My LTD was approved before my ASD / ADHD diagnoses, based on trauma and medical issues including a stroke, but I was able to add the ASD / ADHD paperwork as it came about.

Check your credit cards and bank accounts to see if you have any type of disability insurance on them as well. Sometimes you can get the balance of a debt forgiven if you are disabled or lose your job for health reasons.

I'm glad you have such a supportive therapist. Mine literally saved my life. I could never thank him enough.

Whoa!! ! That is a much different process from here in America. It sounds way better tbh. I’m glad you’ve been able to have that to rely on.

I am very much determined to do whatever I need this time and not just rot away in this car.

Thank you again for sharing your experience!!

Hi immensity - just wanted to say I’m so sorry to hear you’re in this position of having to live in your car. Behind you 100% and sounds like it’s only a matter of time now till they approve you. There will be a light at the end of tne tunnel. Hang in there.

Thank you!! Hugs!! !

I wish you luck, too!

Rather an ideal situation for Beat Generation-type writing.

I’m glad you have a social worker helping you.

Thank you

It’s actually quite interesting...I am considerably less suicidal and depressed even though I’m am homeless.

I did not realize how much this roommate was adding to my deteriorating mental health situation.

If I had money in the bank I would use this opportunity to travel a bit!! !!

Edit to correct: I am homeless.

Last edited by Immensity on 23 Jan 2021, 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I wish all it took was $50, like it did for Sal Paradise within his first journey.

^^ Similarly, Chris McCandless! Though his journeys and adventures were pretty amazing and he donated all his money to charity before setting out, I’d want your adventures to end far better, Immensity!

Life is an adventure regardless!! Sometimes it’s a grand adventure and sometimes it’s dark and void of light.

I have accepted my dx of asd level 2-however, I just gotta get ahold on this trauma stuff and I feel like I can let the positive pieces of my asd flourish.

I have so many goals and ideas and things I want to do.

Some are quite normal-I want to start an Etsy shop where I sell homemade paintings that appeal to the sensory seeking side of autism.

Some are quite unique! I’d love to start my own zine and go around the metroplex and anonymously drop it off places. I’d have a social media platform where ppl could interact but no one would know who was behind the random zines. I think it would be neat to have it definitely play off any current events but mostly use it as an outlet to connect with people who are struggling.

Imagine you find a zine and it talks candidly about suicide but from the perspective of someone who’s been there and stared it in the face. And you go to the social media page and it’s a platform for those considering it to offer encouragement and hugs and support.

The themes would change but the goal would be the same-to reach those who are in need.

I’d love to make and handout sack lunches to the homeless population that is out of control here.

Ultimately, I want to run art classes for ppl and their loved ones/care givers who are on the spectrum.

I just got so carried away and this thread is all over the place (my fault)

But I guess to tie it back in with my original topic-if I could have some time off work to work on the trauma aspect maybe I can start to breathe again and finally bring to the surface my own goals and passions instead of constantly sabotaging myself with this pain that seems to be so ingrained in me it’s almost on a cellular level.

What is a zine?

You have some wonderful ideas/plans there! Your art can very much play a part in releasing some of that trauma. I too have worked through serious trauma, though did it on my own, without a therapist. For the longest time, I pushed it away and it does need to be released. You need to get it out, face it, work through the emotions, make peace with it as best you can. Otherwise, it tends to lead to serious illness. I became a workaholic to keep it at bay. I hope you can find a good therapist. Books can also be a part of the process. May you find peace and healing. You clearly have a good heart!

My phone is acting strange so if this posts twice I do apologize.

This is from the internet and someone that can say it much better then me.

“ A zine is a self-published, non-commercial print-work that is typically produced in small, limited batches. Zines are created and bound in many DIY ways, but traditionally editions are easily reproduced—often by crafting an original “master flat,” and then photocopying, folding, and stapling the pages into simple pamphlets. Zines may also be sewn, taped, glued—or even exist in unbound and other non-folio formats. The main rule is that there are no rules!
​
People who create zines [“zinesters”] are likely to be more motivated by self-expression and artistic passion than they are by profit: zines are usually inexpensive and sometimes distributed for free or in trade for other zines, goods, and services.”

Thank you!!

I have just started with a trauma informed specialist. She’s great!