Has anyone ever been designated "temporarily disabled"?

[omgsweet]

Originally Posted by elizat

No, I am sure. Our workplace does not offer any paid maternity leave at all. She was very direct that it was disability through an insurer.

Interesting that she was approved for that.

[sweetneet]

Originally Posted by vhdos

Sorry, but I still disagree. If she's blaming the fact that she can't walk too far without having to literally sit down and rest because she's pregnant, then it is her pregnancy that is her disability. If a pregnancy causes such a significant amount of distress on a body that one can not preform normal, daily functions (like walking to and from your car in a parking lot) then perhaps you should be on bed rest and not out and about at all. Just my opinion and I can appreciate that others may feel differently

but couldn't you say the same thing about every type of disability then (that if you can't walk around comfortably, you shouldn't be out at all?)? why is it just because it may related to pregnancy that it can't be considered a temporary disability? i guess i have a hard time understanding that. further, not everyone has the option of being on bedrest during pregnancy (unless it's something very, very serious i don't think a doctor would suggest it)...plus, realistically, most people have to go to work every day and don't have the option of staying at home.

junkenpo - hope your dr. appt goes well and that you start to feel better soon. i started feeling better from the morning sickness & fatigue around 15-16 weeks or so, hope you can get over it soon too

[pursemonsoon]

junkenpro, i hope you feel better next trimester! i think if you are having health issues which are made worse by walking long distances, then you should be able to get a temporary placard. anything you can do for the health of your baby and yourself! talk to your dr about it.

i have a temporary placard due to a chronic condition. most of the time i am fine and no one who would see me walking around would think i have any type of chronic health issue. however, there are times when i am in alot of pain or not able to walk for long distances or where it may take me a long time to get even one block. it is those times that i really need and appreciate the placard.

another very helpful thing about having the placard, you can park at any meter (except the ones that are yellow for loading) and you do not have to pay which means that you don't have to keep going back to feed a meter. or if you park somewhere that has a time limit or that requires that you have a permit for that zone, you are able to park there and you don't have to move the car when the time limit is up. i live in CA so i am not sure if this is the case everywhere but you should check on this.

[lilstu]

Originally Posted by omgsweet

Interesting that she was approved for that.

I was just looking this up and this is done quite often. At least in NY, a person can be disabled by pregnancy and receive disability benefits. I personally think that its fine because honestly we dont get much of anything when it comes to maternity leave and benefits anyway. In other countries, their maternity benefits are way more generous. So many people here feel that its a woman's "problem" if she becomes pregnant and that she should have to figure it out. Its like you get punished or looked down upon for reproducing.

[omgsweet]

Originally Posted by lilstu

I was just looking this up and this is done quite often. At least in NY, a person can be disabled by pregnancy and receive disability benefits. I personally think that its fine because honestly we dont get much of anything when it comes to maternity leave and benefits anyway. In other countries, their maternity benefits are way more generous. So many people here feel that its a woman's "problem" if she becomes pregnant and that she should have to figure it out. Its like you get punished or looked down upon for reproducing.

I think people feel that way because it is usually a choice to get pregnant. I've never heard of a person choosing to be disabled.

[BurberryLvr]

Originally Posted by elizat

I don't know about parking permits, but there was a pregnant woman in my office that went on temporary paid disability after she gave birth (not FMLA leave). I don't know what the factors for approval on that were.

My company classifies the 1st 6 weeks post-partum as disability leave (66% pay and pregnant woman must have previously enrolled in company's disability insurance) and then leave is classified as FMLA up until baby is 1 year old. Is this not the case elsewhere?

[sweetneet]

Originally Posted by BurberryLvr

My company classifies the 1st 6 weeks post-partum as disability leave (66% pay and pregnant woman must have previously enrolled in company's disability insurance) and then leave is classified as FMLA up until baby is 1 year old. Is this not the case elsewhere?

i've heard of a lot of companies doing this too. one of my previous employers did not offer paid maternity leave at all, they just allowed a leave of 12 weeks (FMLA as required by the state, as long as you had been working there for 1 year) and i think a portion of those 12 weeks was classified as short-term disability leave (2/3 pay, as described by BurberryLuvr). It seems like this is fairly common in the US, as the vast majority of companies do not offer any sort of paid maternity leave whatsoever. i remember after graduating from grad school when interviewing for companies, i would ask at about maternity leave options, and they would always just refer me to the FMLA law and point out that I could use short-term disability leave for a few weeks to get some pay. So I don't think you can always blame some mothers for taking disability leave, as it seems like most companies purposely encourage employees to use it, as they don't want to set up any other option. at least this is the case in the US.

from Babycenter
http://www.babycenter.com/0_maternit...rticlesection2

How does short-term disability work?

Short-term disability is meant to cover your salary — or a portion of it — during the time that you're unable to do your job due to illness, injury, or childbirth. Many large employers and unions offer it, as do several states. (It's generally provided automatically to all employees or residents, not as an optional benefit you have to sign up for.)

If your state provides STD, you may pay a small amount out of each paycheck to cover your share. If your employer or union provides it, the cost may be covered for you. If none of them provides STD, or if the coverage is insufficient, you can purchase your own policy or additional coverage through an insurance provider for a monthly premium.

Private STD insurance through your employer or a provider will generally pay between 50 and 100 percent of your salary for a certain number of weeks, depending on how many years you've worked for the company. (The maximum amount you can receive is usually capped.)

Six weeks is the standard amount of time covered for pregnancy. Some plans allow more time if you've had complications or a cesarean delivery, and many also cover bedrest before birth.

State STD benefits typically cover half to two thirds of your salary, and the coverage for pregnancy usually lasts four to six weeks but can last up to 12 weeks. In California, for example, you're covered at 55 percent of your usual salary for up to six weeks per 12-month period. You may be able to get coverage for eight weeks or longer after the birth if you've had a c-section or medical complications, but your doctor must certify this.

If both your state and your company offer STD, you may be required to use the full state benefit and have your employer's coverage make up the rest. You'll still end up with the same amount of pay as if you were getting your employer's full benefit, but you'll get it in two checks, one from the state and one from your company's provider.

Many programs require that you be out of work for up to a week before you can start to collect disability benefits. Your employer or your state's program may require you to use up your accrued sick days or vacation days before your disability benefits kick in. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as those days are paid at your full salary.

[Junkenpo]

hi folks!

I'm really glad I started this thread, I'm learning a lot regardless of the whether posters are on one side of the opinion or the other.

So to update.... I saw my doctor yesterday, and medically he says my shortness-of-breath typical (not necessarily usual, but typical) of pregnancy and does not qualify to meet the standards for temporary disability as set by the state. It is much the same as sweetneet said about her shortness of breath earlier.

Originally Posted by sweetneet

i had a lot of shortness of breath in my first trimester (i dont' have it anymore, now that i'm in 2nd trimester) and i had asked my OB about it and she said it was normal, since my body was adjusting to all the extra blood flow, etc . I guess what can contribute to the shortness of breath (at least in my case) is the nausea/vomiting often associated with pregnancy...not only did i feel very weak on the days i couldn't keep anything down..whenever i had to walk a lot feeling out of breath/sweating it would just make the nausea worse (during my first trimester it was always a sunny 100 degrees outside, which didn't help).

Doc says that it's the exertion of going uphill & likely the heat/humidity we experience on my side of the island, along with feeling under the weather because of my morning sickness. "Going slow" and "resting" are going to be key, but he says that my baby isn't in danger. He assures me that as the nausea/shortness-of-breath improves as I move into the 2nd trimester, I should start feeling better. And of course, if it gets worse rather than improving before my next visit, to call him.

I'm glad the shortness-of-breath is not something I need to worry about, but I am still concerned about my distance from the parking lot.... I am going to have to eithther pester my husband to start dropping me off in the mornings. Or I may make some waves (parking spots are sooo political), but I will have to ask my boss if he can make some changes to our stall assignments. There is a separate lot that is slightly closer (already full) but at least is not on a hill.

[Mrs. MC]

There IS such a thing as being temporariilly disabled. People can even apply for this status to receive money and Medicaid. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to apply for this status. Some people's pregnancies are not a "peice of cake" like most people's. I definitely could have been deemed disabled for my pregnancies so I don't see why this is such a stretch of a concept for some people to grasp. Good luck, do what your instinct tells you to.

[Mrs. MC]

Originally Posted by omgsweet

I think people feel that way because it is usually a choice to get pregnant. I've never heard of a person choosing to be disabled.

I don't feel like this is necessarily true. There are plenty of people who drive motorcycles,hangglide, od on drugs who become disabled as a result of a choice and there are also some people who get pregnant accidently

[omgsweet]

Originally Posted by Mrs. MC

I don't feel like this is necessarily true. There are plenty of people who drive motorcycles,hangglide, od on drugs who become disabled as a result of a choice and there are also some people who get pregnant accidently

Yea, I agree. I was just trying to think of why some people feel that way.

[sweetneet]

junkenpo - glad to hear your doc says it's nothing to worry about. hope it gets better in your 2nd trimester...for me, once the morning sickness died down i felt soo much better in every aspect (more energy, could walk around for longer periods of time, etc). and yeah, for now definitely get your DH to help out when he can ..i always had my DH drop me off places and i think it helped a lot. hopefully the weather when the weather starts cooling down it will help also.