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I was dx with stage 4 Jan of 2003 -I went on Family Medical leave Act (by law you have 12 weeks of unpaid leave where your job is protected .During that time I applied for my employers long term disability .(I didnt know if I was going back to work at that point or not).
I was told I would have to also apply for Social Security. So my disabilty rep helped with that.
The application is about 10 pages -very detailed. You have to provide alot-also your Dr.But it is required you apply-mine processed pretty quickly- maybe a month- they co-ordinate with disabilty (if you are receiving any) .The wasy it works for me is that my employers disability decided how much I was entitled to (which was determined by my salary). They sent me that much each month. Then once Social security was approved-you will get a monthly check from them for whatever amount they determine you are eligible for (that is based on your overall employment history over the years).
Also, if you are receiving a disability check too, this may be reduced. Overall you will get the same amount of money each month but it will be split between disabilty and SS- I know that is confusing-but what happens is this: Example:
Disabilty awards you $1200 month- You start getting check each month from disabilty. Then your SS is approved say for $800 per month. They pass that on to your disabilty company who then reduces their benifit to you by $800 and start sending you a check for $400 each month. So you still get your $1200 each month - it just comes from 2 sources. I have my checks deposited automatically in my bank acct which is very helpful. I know this is a long posting but hopefully helpful. Feel free to e mail me if you have any questions. The initial application went well and another thing to keep in mind is that if you are on disability through your employer , their rep can put you in touch with an attorney if you have problems with the application getting approved. I never needed to use mine but it was nice to know they were in the wings. PattyD
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