I am a 33 yo male diagnosed with an advanced and incurable brain cancer one year ago. I have been out of work for the last year during chemo/radiation and some speech/reading rehab. My deficits are primarily in reading, word-finding, memory, and attention, but they are relatively minor. I am looking toward moving back to my prior state (CA) to work for the health system in which I trained.
1. I am receiving SSDI based on my diagnosis and it is not clear to me how much I can earn before the SSDI will be cancelled, I would not want it to go away if it turns out I could not work long-term. What is the best approach?
2. I will likely lose my current insurance when going back to work. I currently have a state-based insurance. Are there reasonable "in between" option while seeing if work "works out"?
3. As a physician what are my workplace protections? I've been told to avoid the state-medical board as long as my deficits are minor. Thanks for looking over the questions.
1 Comment
Rebecca Nellis
Nov 23, 2014
Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:
Hi Bradley,
Thank you so much for writing in. Your questions lead us to provide you with some referrals so below I have a few recommendations for you:
If you can, you should join a webinar tomorrow on health insurance options and the Affordable Care Act to get your specific questions answered. It is being put on by our partners Triage Cancer. More info can be found here: http://triagecancer.org/webinars/. We also have some archived presentations on health insurance and the ACA that you can listen to anytime here: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/ACA-2014-Nov
In terms of your SSDI, it is very wise of you to consider all your options before you decide to return to work. There are some work incentive programs that allow you to dip your toe back in to the work world to see if it is a realistic move for you. The Social Security Administration website outlines the opportunities you have to try transitioning back to work without giving up your Social Security. You can read more about it here: www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/detailedinfo.htm.
I would also highly recommend you connect with a legal expert to discuss all of your specific questions, to find a pro bono service check out the National Cancer Legal Services Network: http://www.nclsn.org/. They have pulled together all of the cancer-related legal services in the country to make it easy to find one for you. Some are location-specific and some are national. You can also check lawhelp.org. It is very important before you do anything to review all your options and your specific concerns with a trained legal professional. To read more about the law generally, visit: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/Legal-and-Financial.
Please let us know any follow up questions that we may be able to assist you with,
Best,
Rebecca
Rebecca V. Nellis
VP, Programs & Strategy
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