Leaving Work Due to a Disability

Society tends to have an ambivalent view of disability. On the one hand there is genuine compassion and sympathy for those who are permanently injured or disabled due to illness. Charities, religious institutions, and volunteer organizations depend upon this compassion in order to successful serve their needy populations. However, on the other hand there is popular image of people milking an illness or even faking an injury in order to obtain disability benefits and get out of having to work. It is this latter view that makes many people who suffer from a legitimate disability feel embarrassed about their condition and to downplay their situation.

The majority of those workers who are forced to stop working due to a disability are more deserving of compassion than suspicion or disdain. In addition to dealing with the life changing nature of their illness or injury, they are having to cope with real physical pain and emotional distress. They are also likely to face obstacles when they attempt to obtain long term disability benefits to help their family survive financially.

Anyone who is leaving work due to a disability needs to work closely with their company’s benefits coordinator to make sure they are filing the proper paperwork to protect their job and to obtain the necessary insurance benefits. They need to find out if they qualify for workers compensation if the injury was acquired on the job and whether their company offers long term disability payments. They may need to file for FMLA leave or switch their insurance while they are out of work. If the disability is permanent, they will likely have to terminate their job and deal with things like retirement funds and applying for federal disability benefits.