Anyone have financial advice?

Topher67

Hi everyone. I was diagnosed last week with colon cancer. I am scheduled to have colon re-section 12/22 and was told I will be out of work about 6-8 weeks. I have great insurance that is going to cover medical bills, but I only have 2 weeks of vacation time to help pay other bills. I don't want to end up homeless after surgery. Does anyone know where I can get answers for short term medical disability or other forms of help.
By the way, I live alone and parents are on Soc.Sec. so there isn't anyone else that can help out.
Desperate in NC

jen58

financial advice
unfortunately, you are pretty much on your own -- does your employer not provide for short term disability? if not, there are probably very few programs that can help you

first, start off with a social worker at the hospital, they should be able to direct you to something that may be of assistance

however, in my experience searching for financial help, places are limited to helping with transportation and help with chemo meds that insurance does not cover

but there are no programs, at least in my state of MO, that assist with bills, including living expenses

your best bet, talk to your employer & good luck

bdee

Short term
Do you work for a large company or small? I would say talk to your employer, see if you can do any of your work from home. Or ask if some of your fellow employees can donate their vacation time to you.

Debbie

Julie 44

bdee said:

Short term
Do you work for a large company or small? I would say talk to your employer, see if you can do any of your work from home. Or ask if some of your fellow employees can donate their vacation time to you.

Debbie

FMLA
Make sure you apply for family medical leave that way your job is secure. There is also intermition medical leave which you can work when you feel up to it and stay home when you dont and you can't get any flack from your employer Do this so your employer doesn't screw you out of your job.....Good luck and remember we are all here for you....JULIE

snommintj

bdee said:

Short term
Do you work for a large company or small? I would say talk to your employer, see if you can do any of your work from home. Or ask if some of your fellow employees can donate their vacation time to you.

Debbie

yeah, you're pretty much screwed, here's what you can do
I don't know what stage you are but if you're stage 4 you will automatically qualify for social security. If you've worked on the books and paid your SS you should get approved quickly. If you haven't worked on the books then you're gonna have to go completely broke, have virtually zero assets then you will qualify for SSDI. If you qualify for SSDI you'll probably qualify for your states medicaid program instantly. If you're not stage 4, you will probably have to go through the SS screening. It's a case by case process and I have no idea how it works.
Another route you could go is unemployment. Talk to your employer, see if they will terminate you. If you get terminated before the end of the year you may qualify for the govt extension of benefits. You may also qualify for the govt subsidy for cobra. They pay about 65% of your cobra premium.
If you decide to keep your job. You should get some sick and vacation time next year. You may have to use it all up in the first month. With your current time and your time for next year that should only leave a few weeks without pay. You may have to forget christmas this year.
extra income. Gold is up right now, if you have any, sell it. The premium you get should help with the bills. If you have friends and family, you may have to ask them for any scrap gold they may have. My buddy needed some money for a plain ticket this christmas. He asked a dozen or so friends for any scrap gold. He got a few tiny chains and rings. It didn't look like a whole lot but turned out to be about $1000. If you have any thing of value, have a yard sale. This will probably get you through, but things will be tight.

Topher67

jen58 said:

financial advice
unfortunately, you are pretty much on your own -- does your employer not provide for short term disability? if not, there are probably very few programs that can help you

first, start off with a social worker at the hospital, they should be able to direct you to something that may be of assistance

however, in my experience searching for financial help, places are limited to helping with transportation and help with chemo meds that insurance does not cover

but there are no programs, at least in my state of MO, that assist with bills, including living expenses

your best bet, talk to your employer & good luck

No short term disability
No short term disability available. Thanks for the advice about a social worker. I will look into that.

Topher67

bdee said:

Short term
Do you work for a large company or small? I would say talk to your employer, see if you can do any of your work from home. Or ask if some of your fellow employees can donate their vacation time to you.

Debbie

Small medical office. Under
Small medical office. Under 15 employees. Can't give away time off that I know of, but I did talk to my manager and he is going to talk to the big man when he gets back in the office next week to see if there is anything they can do for me.

Topher67

snommintj said:

yeah, you're pretty much screwed, here's what you can do
I don't know what stage you are but if you're stage 4 you will automatically qualify for social security. If you've worked on the books and paid your SS you should get approved quickly. If you haven't worked on the books then you're gonna have to go completely broke, have virtually zero assets then you will qualify for SSDI. If you qualify for SSDI you'll probably qualify for your states medicaid program instantly. If you're not stage 4, you will probably have to go through the SS screening. It's a case by case process and I have no idea how it works.
Another route you could go is unemployment. Talk to your employer, see if they will terminate you. If you get terminated before the end of the year you may qualify for the govt extension of benefits. You may also qualify for the govt subsidy for cobra. They pay about 65% of your cobra premium.
If you decide to keep your job. You should get some sick and vacation time next year. You may have to use it all up in the first month. With your current time and your time for next year that should only leave a few weeks without pay. You may have to forget christmas this year.
extra income. Gold is up right now, if you have any, sell it. The premium you get should help with the bills. If you have friends and family, you may have to ask them for any scrap gold they may have. My buddy needed some money for a plain ticket this christmas. He asked a dozen or so friends for any scrap gold. He got a few tiny chains and rings. It didn't look like a whole lot but turned out to be about $1000. If you have any thing of value, have a yard sale. This will probably get you through, but things will be tight.

I did sign up for Aflac at
I did sign up for Aflac at work. Of course it will not cover anything unless I am placed in intensive care after surgery. My cancer and sickness policies both have 30 day waiting periods and my cancer was diagnosed before the end of the 30 days.

Buzzard

Topher67 said:

Small medical office. Under
Small medical office. Under 15 employees. Can't give away time off that I know of, but I did talk to my manager and he is going to talk to the big man when he gets back in the office next week to see if there is anything they can do for me.

Churches.....
Try your local church. They sometimes have benevolence funds they use to help out individuals in need. Simply tell them your plight and see if they can help or know someone that could on a short term basis......

You may be able to work a little extra and bank hours. Im sure that there are several in the office that would like some time off so maybe you could do some of their days or nights and swap it out for a payday. Above all be sure to try and protect your job so that when you are able to go back to work the job will be there.

Patteee

I got 2 grants totaling
I got 2 grants totaling abouut 2300. CHeck with your doctors office- they should be able to tell u what is available.

dianetavegia

Topher67
HI Topher, What type job do you have? I had resection and was out of the hospital in less than 2 days. Other than no lifting, etc., many jobs could/ can be done. You're going to need days off during chemo, most probably. Think one or two days every two weeks for 6 months.

I don't know of any help.... Sorry.

geotina

Financial
What type of cancer do you have, where is it? My hubby's was transverse colon. He was in the hospital 6 days, home recouperated for a week or two then went back to work. He is in an office setting. Depending on exactly what you have you may be off a lot less than 6 to 8 weeks. Just a thought. Other than that I really don't have much to offer. Good luck - Tina

TLG320

Our experience
Hi Topher,

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. My husband had a right hemi-colectomy on the 9th of November. He had open surgery on Monday, was home on Saturday, and on Sunday, was up and walking around our neighborhood. He can't lift more than 15 pounds for another three weeks or so, but he's been able to move around and be pretty active since he got home from the hospital. You might be surprised how quickly you'll bounce back from the surgery. My husband is 42 and was in great shape and active before heading into surgery. Even though you might bounce back quickly, it may be a good idea to have a family member or friend stay with you for a few days once you get home. You'll be surprised how challenging some simple tasks may seem - things like taking out the trash, reaching for items on high shelves, carrying grocery bags...

Like Diane mentioned, you'll be needing to take some time off during treatment as well. I hope you have an understanding employer who will work with you as you go through the coming months.

I'm not sure what to tell you about your financial situation, but check out this link:
https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/factsheet/FactSheetSearch8_3.aspx

Have you discussed FMLA with the person who handles human resources at your office. They should also be able to provide you with some additional resources.

You're in good company here!

Tashina

PamPam2

help
Hi Topher
You won't know how long you will actually need to be off yet, or if you're going to need chemo and how that will affect you. I sent you a PM with some of the things I have found that helped me finance wise, I listed some of the agencies and assistance I have received. Hope you find some useful ideas.
Pam

Unknown

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

Holdtight

unknown said:

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

Hi!
Yes I agree with Lois. Cancercare is one. You need to contact your insurance company and request a case manager they will direct you to programs within the American Cancer Society specifically for your needs. Healthwell has picked up my neulasta co-pay which is 75.00 a pop. Good Luck and please keep us posted.

Kerry S

Don't project gloom
@, I went deer hunting 2 weeks later.

Your body will bounce back quicker then you think it will. If you think gloom and doom, that is what you will get. I have learned that the docs always tell you the worst case.

If you want the best case, THINK IT.

sfmarie

FMLA
I think you would qualify for state short term disability under the Family Medical and Leave Act. I would also ask your employer and tell them of your situation. I have read many stories where other employees have donated their vacation time to another employee, maybe your company would allow such a thing and your co-workers would donate! Best of luck. I wish there was a better system in place to help people going through this. The last thing people need to worry about is finances!

Topher67

sfmarie said:

FMLA
I think you would qualify for state short term disability under the Family Medical and Leave Act. I would also ask your employer and tell them of your situation. I have read many stories where other employees have donated their vacation time to another employee, maybe your company would allow such a thing and your co-workers would donate! Best of luck. I wish there was a better system in place to help people going through this. The last thing people need to worry about is finances!

Thanks everyone for the
Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm not sure if the FMLA will work for me..we have under 50 employees so my understanding is that it is voluntary for my employer to abide by the FMLA. We did have another employee a couple yrs ago that was out for colon resection due to diverticulitis and didn't have any problems with work. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My manager keeps telling me he is looking into options for me, possible working from home a little, or getting an advance on time off maybe, I don't know since he hasn't been too specific about what he looking into..

khl8

Topher67 said:

Thanks everyone for the
Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm not sure if the FMLA will work for me..we have under 50 employees so my understanding is that it is voluntary for my employer to abide by the FMLA. We did have another employee a couple yrs ago that was out for colon resection due to diverticulitis and didn't have any problems with work. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My manager keeps telling me he is looking into options for me, possible working from home a little, or getting an advance on time off maybe, I don't know since he hasn't been too specific about what he looking into..

Fmla
You are not covered under FMLA as there are not the 50 of more employees, However, if they allowed someone else to "take time off for illness" than they have set a precedent.( I got this from my sister who has her masters degree in Human resources.)
And they have to extend that to all employees.
I was in the same position, but I was allowed to work from home and it worked out best for bothe myself and the employer, I was able to "go back" to work after a short rest and then my work was not having to be done by someone else.
hang in there! I only had to use 8 sick days. It was rough, but I worked from a recliner for a few hours, then took a nap, and then repeated.
Kathy

lizzydavis

khl8 said:

Fmla
You are not covered under FMLA as there are not the 50 of more employees, However, if they allowed someone else to "take time off for illness" than they have set a precedent.( I got this from my sister who has her masters degree in Human resources.)
And they have to extend that to all employees.
I was in the same position, but I was allowed to work from home and it worked out best for bothe myself and the employer, I was able to "go back" to work after a short rest and then my work was not having to be done by someone else.
hang in there! I only had to use 8 sick days. It was rough, but I worked from a recliner for a few hours, then took a nap, and then repeated.
Kathy

The United Way
You might want to try the United Way in your area (in the phone book). Here they have a HELPLINE for many different things - just tell them your needs. I volunteered there about 5 years ago. They usually refer you to the agencies with money to give - Some pay light bills, rent, clothes, food, etc. Also, the local Cancer Center here also has forms to fill out and nutrition supplments, and financial help. It couldn't hurt to give them a quick call.