Ladies and gents, make sure to look up the Americans With Disabilities Act, Cancer is one of the "protected" disabilities from which you cannot be fired from your job if you tell your employer.

I will try to find the info to post it unless someone does it first!

Social Security disablity is fast tracked for certain breast cancers. Anyone who is dx at stage IIIb or c or is stage IV automatically qualified for disability if they meet the work requirements.

I don't know how many "quarters" you had to have worked or how recently you have worked. I know "badboob" didn't qualify .. I'd be very upset if I were her!

You're right, Kelly. Diane was a stay at home mom like me. She doesn't qualify for disability. We never worked...LOL Shoot, with all the hand-outs Obama is giving he may just change that law. I think I'll write him and see if he acknowledges me.....HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!

I don't remember what the # of quarters required is, but I do know that younger people have a different requirement than those approaching retirement age. I had 3 kids in 6 years, volunteered with a government agency for 20-40 hours/week, went to school full-time for 3 semesters, coached soccer and basketball, sat as a parent rep on our county's partnership for families and children, worked part-time, volunteered at my kids' schools, and was helping dh get his truck driving business started. I was "working", but the thing with volunteer and part time work is that one is able to pretty much set their own hours and that's what worked for us. I thought I was doing the "right" thing...The plan was to finish school once my youngest started junior high. I was dx'ed 3 years ago--he didn't start junior high till this year so that plan didn't quite happen.


I think it's strange that I cannot (nor can any stay-at-home spouse) receive partial benefits through my dh's contributions. We have to file taxes together and LIVE off that one paycheck...seems like the benefits should be shared too if the working spouse agrees to it. Lots of people are surprised to find out that non-working spouses don't share benefits.

What really burns me is that I cannot draw now, but my kids can draw a check after I'm dead (I do have enough work credits to draw regular SS at retirement age--it's just that they don't expect me to live 24 more years with stage IV. It's WHEN I earned the credits that causes the problem now). That just doesn't seem right to me. I'm glad they'll get something, but it would be nice to have it now when our expenses are a bit more because of the cancer. It really makes me feel like my contribution to our family and society in general aren't valued very much. We made the choice to have me stay at home and we did without a lot to make that happen; it just feels like we're being penalized for that choice. The budget takes a big hit when you suddenly have to start paying for things that the stay-at-home spouse used to be able to do.

I wish I had at least known about the "work credits" rules beforehand. I'm not sure I would have made the choice to not stay at home, but perhaps we would have done something more to prepare for a rainy day.

Didn't mean to write a book here; this subject has been very frustrating to me and I am sort of like a dog with a bone when I start talking about it! LOL

(((HUGS)))
Diane

I think the lesson is for women that can ... do the research to find out what the required hours/quarters are .. then do that so if it's ever needed, you can fall back on it.

It was the same with Cam, she has always worked with me, never could decide who was the boss. I thought I was smart...by keeping her name off the business..Accounting..I thought that if ever there was a mal practice suit she would not be touched.. Never had a problem, but she does not have the quarters