Benefits Rant!

I thought I had it figured out. With the company I work for, temporary disability (any sick time after 5 days) pays at 60% until you've been at the company for 3 years. After 3 years, it pays 100%. The first five days of leave are considered "medical" and paid 100% regardless of length of employment. So I was going to have surgery Dec 3, and when my disability pay kicked in on Dec 10, I would have been at the company exactly 3 years. 100% pay, right?

Wrong! Then entire leave -- medical and disability -- must begin AFTER the 3 year mark. If not, the entire time off is paid 60% even though I'll pass the 3 year mark while I'm out. This mean my surgery won't be until Dec 16th -- the next date my doctor is available. I even asked if I could take vacation for the first week, (I do have enough vacation days to do that) but no, once I tell them that it's medical related I can't use vacation time.

And why don't I wait until after the first of the year, you might ask? Well, our lovely company is changing their disability policy. The first three weeks would be paid 100%, the next three 80%, and any time after that 60% regardless of how long you've been employed. But as long as I'm already on disability before the first of the year, I'm on the old program.

How fun. NOT! I don't know which type of surgery I'm having yet, but I can't help but think that no matter whether it's TVH or TAH, I'm not going to be getting around all that well at Christmas. Luckily, it will be just me and DH home this year. DS is going to his dad's; DSS is going to his mom's. So I don't have to be all perky and fun, cook the Christmas feast, etc. But still...

Sigh... just wanted to get that out of my system. There is one bright side to this. I'm a cat breeder and have a litter of kittens that won't be ready to go to their new homes until Dec 7th. I was anticipating telling their new parents that I couldn't ship them that week, but now I'll be able to do it. And my house will be kitten free when I have surgery so DH will have fewer cat duties.

lisa

Hi Lisa,

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with setting the date. Hope that you get this worked out.

It sounds like the later date is better for you in some ways. You will be sore for Christmas, but if it is just you and DH, let him pamper you this holiday.

Best wishes,

Judy

I commiserate with you ladies!

I'm a contractor without any benefits and will be totally income-less once I leave to have the surgery. No job to come back to either.

Going to be living on savings that I was hoping would one day go to a house.

I've gone through the total freaked out and angry stage already. Now I've got the, “I'll take one day at a time and it will all work out” tape running through my head. Have to or otherwise I'll just be in constant panic mode and that won't help me get through this.

Well the good news is you now know what they will pay. The bad news is it stinks! And it really annoys me when nobody tells you how things work. I'd called our benefits counselor yesterday morning and left a message saying I needed information because I would be having major surgery. Didn't specify the date -- for all she knew I might have been talking about tomorrow. Did she call me back? Nooooo. So I called again today and talked with her assistant. At least she answered the phone.

I suppose I shouldn't be ranting since I have a job, have insurance, will get paid while I'm out of the office for surgery and recovery. But do they have to make it so hard to get info? Bad enough to be in physical pain, but this jumping through hoops is a pain of another kind!

lisa

I can relate Lisa - my company got AFLAC recently, but I was diagnosed 2 days before the contact was signed...can you say Pre-existing condition?

So I get to use my precious little vacation time and then just get no pay at all for about 2 weeks. I'm already planning on going back half days at 3 weeks post-op simply because I cannot afford to be off any longer!

At least my bosses are already trying to arrange things so it will be easier on me when I get back.

Spit, dandruff, stinky socks, and other bad words!

Good Luck to you Lisa!

Bella