Disability

Yes Merilee I have.  I was  denied but not for the medical end.  I am working part time and I am on LTD from my employer.  Since I can work 6 hours a day, they denied it to me.  If you don't work, and apply, then you would probably get it.  Average you usually have to apply 3 times before getting it.  I was told if you are Stage 4 then you get it approved right away.

If you mean Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), I have applied and been approved recently, but I'm Stage IV.  Stage IV is approved quickly.   Payments don't start until 6 months from your last day of work so you would have to stop working which would create a whole other level of stress without income. 

As said Stage I Breast Cancer is usually denied unless you can produce evidence of side effects that prevent you from working long term.   Stress is less likely to gain approval then pain and sickness from treatment.  Lots of documentation would be needed and still you face an uphill battle.

Yes, Stage IV would likely be denied if still working, but I seem to remember on the application there were questions about when you would stop working if still currently employed.  Of course the intent for SSDI is that you are so disabled that you cannot perform substantial work for a year or more.

I'm just speculating but I think if you were newly diagnosed as Stage IV with a difficult treatment plan about to start that would become physically debilitating, you might get approval before you are forced to quit work.  Of course your checks still wouldn't start until 6 months after the date you no longer work.

The best place to start researching this is SSA.GOV or with a visit or call to your local office.  And I still counsel that if the answer you get locally doesn't seem right don't be afraid to verify it.  Throughout my experiences with local SSA employees, mistakes were common.  They don't know their own process sadly.

And if you've been working in California the state's short term disability insurance (SDI) premiums are automatically deducted from each paycheck -- payment amounts depend on your prior earnings if you have enough time covered. I was on SDI from right after my first surgery through chemo until I was eligible for LTD at six months (but it was nice to get back to work and full paychecks when I was able.)

I'm in the process of filing disability for Gastroparesis, but not for breast cancer. I've been ned for 3 yrs now.

I do know you can only earn up to 1000.00 per month.  Anything 1000.00 or over and they will deny.  I'm currently having to fast from the night before, in order to go into work for about 3 hours each monring.  After I eat and drink, I get too ill. I've had a gastric pacemaker inserted back in August and it helped. I was back to work full-time and had a normal life again. 1 month ago,my symptoms returned. i've had 5 pacemaker adjustments with no relief.

My husband and I are really worried about our future. Most of the people we know on disabilty have had to appeal it more than once before they were approved.  We cannot afford to pay all of our monthly bills and expenses without my full-time pay.Due to the cancer treatment and 3 years on and off of medical hospitalizations and my surgeries, we have gone through all our savings.  This is so scary.  I get fearful and depressed when I think of the future. Right now, I'm trying to just worry abbout getting through today and tomorrow. I'm trying to set little goals for myself and not look at the big picture.

Deb

I was just reading Deb's post and I am so upset and confused about how this SSDI system works. We know someone who was approved without any appeals for Fibromyaliga.  Now I know the doctors can't seem to prove if one has this or not but how can someone get approved so quickly for that and others who have medical problems which CAN be proven have to go thru Hell and back with appeals and still may not be approved!   I would have thought something like having to wear a pacemaker for Gastropariasis would earn one a quick approval but yet Deb has not suffered enough it seems to warrant their approval.  From what I have learned, one has to be actually dying to warrant their attention!  The rest can just sit and go bankrupt while their lives are in the hands of a bureaucracy!  Sorry if I can't be more positive but they took our money and now we have to beg to or prove to them we are dying to get it back when we become disabled!