How do you prove you can't work?

[Fadeaway]

We don't know the extent of the Op's disabilities I think there are a lot of assumptions being made.

That said, yes, you do have to jump through all of the hoops to prove you can't work. I am one of the lucky ones, I got first try and never had to go through a lawyer, but they have wanted me to do this for reviews. It's there job to try and prove you can work before they accept that you can't.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@anonymous, it is in no way that simple to get on disabilty. My step mom fought for 5 yrs and still got denied in the end. I have both mental and physical diabilties and doubt I would be approved for disability and all my Drs say I wouldn't be approved. They don't have to legally give you anything.

I have majory anxiety and panic and I disocissate a lot, hurting myself during it and not knowing how I got from point A to point B, point B being the train tracks a few yards from my front door once.

I have a huge terror of people that is so crippling that I would rather starve then go to a store. I disoscciate almost everytime I try to go to a store. I DO need a service dog for that reason amoung other reasons. I have trained him to alert to panic as if that panic is high enough I disocissate and have hurt myself while disossiating. With his alerts, I can sit on the floor where I am, have him lay across me so i cannot move.

I have major physical symptoms due to mental reasons that greatly impact my abilty to work and function. I have fallen alseep out of no where sitting up. I have had dizziness, confusion, blurred and double vision, slurred speech episdes that happened all at once fully out of no where that lasted hours, all of it a medical mystery and all of it while working.

I have lost my abilty to speak (which is what I do for a living) during full flashbacks because I had a customer that sounded like my mom.

I have a major amount of things that impact my job. Both mental and physical. In '09 I fell 3 stories and broke my back. I have a Medtronics drug infusion pump implanted in my right side pumping free base morphine, marcaine, and clonidine through a cathiter directly into my spinal cord just to allow me to walk. I have so much pain that, at times, not allowing that to show in my voice is impossible and tears come rolling down on their own, without me actually crying. I have to tell myself "breath in, breath out" just to keep myself talking and trying so damn hard to keep my voice from crackling.

But, still, I work. Working is very important to me, personally, and recently fought on here about disabilty when I had lost my job. Though I have many reasons to try for disabilty and can accept, to a point, that I am disabled, I knew I could still work. Working gives me more then money and a way to pay bills. It gives me purpose, independence, a way to be a partly functional member of society. It is the best distraction ever as when I wasn't working my mind went wild. I can shut off most of my issues, comparmentalize and numb off my issues, for my job. I knew that, though I am close to not being capable of working, I am not there yet. And I want to work for as long as absoultly possible. And though it is not my dream job, I am working on getting the education need, from home where there aren't people and I can work at my own pace, to slide into my dream job one day...hopefully. But, nonetheless, I get to do what i love partly and that is good enough for me for now.

I work as tech support in a call center. There are many things I cannot do (stand being a big one), but I can sit, take calls, and fix peoples internet, PCs, and phones and I am ok with that.

@Wyska, Saying you cannot work because you cannot do school is like saying you cannot eat an apple because you can't eat an orange. They are worlds apart. The workforce is made up of unnumberable amount of fields and job tasks. If you couldn't do school because of people, don't work around people. If it was because of deadlines, don't get a job with deadlines. I mean, there are so many things one can do that is completely different then school that it isn't logical to say you can't work because you can't do school, in my opinion. Especially if you have never worked before. If you work in a few fields doing a few different things and cannot seem to keep a job due to these symptoms, that would be much different.

Just my opinion. Not making assumptions or judgements at all but rather just opinions going off of what is written here and my own experience. I predict you are young. In my opinion, not at least trying to work is doing yourself a disservice. And vocational therapy is to help you find a job you can do and love. The definintion of vocational is training/"therapy" around a job or jobs in general. It is there to help people work, or to try to. If the vocational therapist tries and tries for a long time and fails, then that, in my opinion, would prove you cannot work. But, don't go into it with that mindset but rather a mindset of "awesome! Someone here specifically to help me find a job I CAN do!"

 

[anonymous]

@anonymous, it is in no way that simple to get on disabilty. My step mom...

I was trying to help you guys with my experience. I went through the application process with the doctors and the lawyers. It worked and I know the law. I'm sorry if you can't get it to work. I had the right people helping me.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I'm sorry if you can't get it to work.

Then you submit the application and by law they have to give it to you.

No, they don't. They don't have to legally do anything no matter what your doctors say. At least in the US. It is why my PDoc stopped doing them.

So, its not that I "couldn't get it to work". It is factually incorrect information. If the judge thinks you can do a certian type of work (like, you can sit and take calls still) then you will not get disabilty. And if you have a hardass judge you may not get it anyway. And certianly if you have never worked before, there is zero way for the judge to know if you can or cannot do certian lines of work...because you have never done it before, so thats almost a certian denial. And not "just the first time" but every time.

 

[EveHarrington]

I was trying to help you guys with my experience. I went through the application process with the do...

It's not as simple as having the right people helping you. You ALSO have to be unable to work due to a disability! Po roving this can be very difficult.

 

[Wyska]

I struggle to see how work and school are different. You have to get up everyday at the exact same time, you do the exact same thing every day, you have a lot of responsibilities, you have to deal with people and pressure and to me it's the same thing...the thing is with work is, I can't leave often for having panic attacks and i won't be able to drive myself home either or have someone pick me up..if theres somthing thats ntohign liek that fine, i can do it but it just seems like thats the reality of work life and i just cant do it atm

 

[EveHarrington]

I struggle to see how work and school are different. You have to get up everyday at the exact same time,...

You won't understand until you actually TRY various kinds of work.

What you describe is just one kind of work. There are many kinds of work out there.

 

[scout86]

It might be true that you can't work right now. But, jobs involve many different levels of interacting with people, different amounts of pressure, different levels of responsibility. Work can be much more flexible than school, it just depends on the job and the person. Personally, my job is a lot easier to handle than school ever was. Won't be true for everyone, but it won't hurt to explore the possibilities, will it?

 

[joeylittle]

You have to get up everyday at the exact same time, you do the exact same thing every day, you have a lot of responsibilities, you have to deal with people and pressure and to me it's the same thing

The biggest difference between work and school, I think, is that at school - all the pressure is on you, the student, to perform. Meet deadlines, achieve learning and knowledge, demonstrate competency in a number of things that continue increasing in difficulty.

Not all jobs require that level of performance. So, think just about taking one class in school - and think of it as a class that was not overwhelming for you. Maybe stressful, but not overwhelming.

Now, imagine only having to do that one class. And, not every day. It also doesn't take up the whole day they way multiple classes would. So, just one class.

Probably, the second time through the class, you'd start feeling more relaxed about it.

What I'm describing is equivalent to part-time work in a focused area that is geared towards your ability to succeed in it.

Now, still - maybe that turns out to be too much, because of life things (like not being able to transport yourself without help) - or, maybe there is a job that you can do, and that you can feel comfortable in, but there are no jobs available doing that actual thing in your area. There are a lot of ways that it doesn't work out, and some of those ways go towards building a disability case, and some go towards building on the things that you learn you can do.

I hope this helps explain how work and school can be different. And, how vocational rehab is partially all about figuring out what that limited skill set is that you can develop and be comfortable doing.

 

[Wyska]

this is probably gonna sound like im plotting something but im curious if you have to be fired for it to count or does quitting for some reason also work?

 

[joeylittle]

if you have to be fired for it to count or does quitting for some reason also work?

If you are working through a vocational rehab service/organization, then you won't just quit or be fired. There's a process, and you will go through it. Your job is just to try your best, and communicate honestly. Theirs is to help you navigate the process.

I know not all cities have this really mastered, so I'm describing how it's supposed to work...not always how it does. But you won't know unless you try.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

You have to get up everyday at the exact same time, you do the exact same thing every day

Nope, not all jobs. Many jobs have very flexiable schedules. Some allow you to make your own hours. Then you have morning, mid day, evening, graveyard shifts so there are variants there. No job is every day. Full time are either 5 days a week or 4 days a week depending if you are 5 8hr shifts or 4 10hr shifts. Nurses (not sure if all) work 16 hr shifts I believe so they work even less days.

ETA: Oh, and to add to this you also have split shift and my job has shifts that are different start and end times different 2 days.

Then you have part time which is less still. If you aren't in great need of money, don't live alone, or are under 18, I would start with part time to get your feet wet then move up as you can.

you do the exact same thing every day,

Also not for every job. My job, for instance, it is true that I am fixing internet, PCs, and VOP phone, however every single situation is different. Every customer hands me a brand new problem to solve. Eventually, it can become mundane and for me that is very true as I thrive best when challenged. But thats what promotions are for.

you have to deal with people and pressure

Again, not every job. I do have co-workers but at my last job they allowed anyone that wanted to, to work from home. I know many more call centers are doing that now. And many more jobs in general. I opted out of that as I would be fully isolated and could handle co workers because I had/have my own cubicle.

The public, customers there personally in front of me, I cannot handle. Thus why I work in a call center. I have been doing call center work since I was 18, well before my accident. I cannot handle customers in person so I chose a job where I didn't have to be in front of the public.

You should google job fields. You would be super suprised at how many fields there are that will allow you to cater to your symptoms. Or, at least the worst ones. And many more companies are offering work at home due to technology increasing. I know, I get the calls when their internet is down.

And you have a vacational team to help you find just the right field and right job for you! That's awesome!

the thing is with work is, I can't leave often for having panic attacks

FMLA. It is there for a reason.

i won't be able to drive myself home either or have someone pick me up..

From 18 to 21 I rode a bike to & from work as well as stores and the laundry mat. I didnt get my DL until I was 21.

But, start trying to arrange that, now. Start making plans now.

The moral of my post is you can't say "I can't do *this*" if you have never done *this* before. It just doesn't work that way. Hense the referal to the vocational therapist. To help you find the field you can do, you are good at, and will excell in. Or to fail over and over and then they can say you cant work as, at that point, you would have tried several different fields. But have have to try it first.

im curious if you have to be fired for it to count or does quitting for some reason also work?

In my opinion, you need to flip your mindset. Right now its "I cannot work because of school and I will make sure I can prove that" (in my opinion - how it seems to me) and you need to be going into this like "a vocational program to help me see if there is a field I can work in and be good at".

I was out of work for 2 yrs and let me tell you, working is good for your mind and issues (or it is for me), gives you a sense of purpose, makes you a cotributibing member of society, keeps you from fully isolating, boosts self esteem, distracts from all the issues for a good chunk of the day...oh, look, you also get paid!