OVCA, CHEMO AND DISABILITY BENEFITS

[Terrin2]

I was put on temporary disability when I was on Carbo/Tax went into remission and of course went off.   But what happens,  when you never go back into remission and on all sorts of chemo afterwards? Can you apply for permanent disabiity?  Does anyone know what can be done?

[Tybear]

I imagine it works very different in Canada. I was put on short term disability when I was first diagnosed and then, while I had my remission, I contemplated returning to work. Luckily, my case manager had enough knowledge to tell me to stay off for a little while longer...and unfortunately my cancer came back. After one year of STD, I was put on LTD benefits through my work. I was laid off, but continued to be paid out through my insurance company. They asked me to apply for CPP (Canada Pension Plan) disability benefits, which I was told was a hard one to get, if you have cancer. (I gather the requsite for being approved is if your illness is "prolonged and severe or likely to result in death) Well, I got them, and the insurance company deducted what I got paid from them, so they can pay me less. Bottom line - I get paid from CPP disability benefits, and I also still get LTD benefits from my private insurance.
Again, I'm not sure how it works in the U.S., but I hope you are able to get some financial help somewhere...
Take care,
Becky

[marie3B]

I applied for social security benefits when I first started my chemo. I had to be disabled for 6 months before payments started. My application was approved easily because my cancer has a poor prognosis. There is a list of criteria to meet to be eligible, unfortunately my cancer was advanced enough to qualify. I finished chemo, but did not have a full remission. I am still on benefits. If I did have a full remission I still would get benefits due to what damage the chemo did to me. Check out their website for full details. I hope your remission continues so you'll never even be in need of benefits. Good luck to you.

Marie