[bluemountains]

Recently I have had to consider whether I should take a leave from work in order to get my symptoms under control. For now, I believe the latest med changes may help; however, I am curious about how others have handled a leave from work-the length of time, the necessary legal steps, etc.
I am a teacher, and I do not think the quality of my teaching is suffering; however, I do have to take off a lot of time for appointments. I am now considering what I should do in the immediate and long-term future. I absolutely love my job and consider my students a part of my therapy, but it is getting much harder to plan, grade work, attend meetings, etc.

Of course, if I do have to leave work, our family will also lose a major chunk of income, so that is a whole other issue to deal with!

Thanks,
Bluemountains

[pegasus]

Any chance of going part time?

[tutitaylor]

I understand your situation. I took extended sick leave for 12 weeks and then with my Pdocs advice quit perm. Our family had to readjust our budget. It wasn't easy at first, but we managed. This was a repeat attempt at going back to work. My pdoc said no more working for me. It all became too much for me. If you think that you are slowly losing control of your situation it may be better to start with sick leave and see how you feel then. (You do not have to legally state anything more than you are sick and get a docs note) It is better than making everyone angry and stressing yourself out because you can't keep up right now. It is OK to admit you need a break. Since I have not had the added pressure of a job outside the home, I have become stable and life is much more enjoyable for me. Wishing you all of the best!

[dragonfly2]

If you do decide to take time away, you are allowed to take up to 12 weeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for your own serious illness or that of a family member. You can take FMLA in large blocks of time or in smaller increments within the workday for appointments.

Here is a link to more information about how the law works: http://www.aaupaft.org/pdf/FMLA.AAUP.UnionGuide.pdf

It's a university union website, but the law is the same.

I've taken FMLA for mental illness for both myself and my daughter, both on a long-term and intermittent basis. The time away has always been helpful, not just for the treatment, but to give me some distance from the daily grind and help me put things into perspective and see what my options were.

If you do decide to leave work, be sure to look into Social Security disability. Your benefit would increase by 50% because you have children under 18. Something else to consider looking into is whether or not your teacher's union contract provides for a disability retirement option. I was recently approved for a Federal employee disability retirement that I didn't know was available to me until I stopped working.

I hope the med change will be just what you need to get through this rough spot. But consider looking into intermittent FMLA for those appointments at least.

[bluemountains]

Originally Posted by dragonfly2

If you do decide to take time away, you are allowed to take up to 12 weeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act for your own serious illness or that of a family member. You can take FMLA in large blocks of time or in smaller increments within the workday for appointments.

Here is a link to more information about how the law works: http://www.aaupaft.org/pdf/FMLA.AAUP.UnionGuide.pdf

It's a university union website, but the law is the same.

I've taken FMLA for mental illness for both myself and my daughter, both on a long-term and intermittent basis. The time away has always been helpful, not just for the treatment, but to give me some distance from the daily grind and help me put things into perspective and see what my options were.

If you do decide to leave work, be sure to look into Social Security disability. Your benefit would increase by 50% because you have children under 18. Something else to consider looking into is whether or not your teacher's union contract provides for a disability retirement option. I was recently approved for a Federal employee disability retirement that I didn't know was available to me until I stopped working.

I hope the med change will be just what you need to get through this rough spot. But consider looking into intermittent FMLA for those appointments at least.

Thank you for the information, Dragonfly. This is very helpful! After another work-related breakdown last night, I am doing some research today about taking a leave.
I am in the southern US, and teacher's union contracts are not legal here; however, we do receive the state employees retirement benefits, so I will be checking into this tomorrow. You say that you received a federal employee benefit, was this because you worked for the federal govt., or is it a benefit that is available to anyone who is deemed disabled?

Bluemountains

[dragonfly2]

Originally Posted by bluemountains

Thank you for the information, Dragonfly. This is very helpful! After another work-related breakdown last night, I am doing some research today about taking a leave.
I am in the southern US, and teacher's union contracts are not legal here; however, we do receive the state employees retirement benefits, so I will be checking into this tomorrow. You say that you received a federal employee benefit, was this because you worked for the federal govt., or is it a benefit that is available to anyone who is deemed disabled?

Bluemountains

I worked for the Federal government (Dept of Veterans Affairs). I also receive Social Security Disability (SSDI) and that is available to anyone who is disabled. It's a bit harder to get than the Federal employee disability, but it's definitely worth trying for. With the Federal disability, you only have to prove that you can no longer perform your current job or one at a similar pay level if you can be reassigned. With SSDI, you need to prove that you are unable to perform any job. So, someone with chemical sensitivities to a particular building could get Federal disability and then go work somewhere else with certain income restrictions (really!), but someone with SSDI would be unlikely to work somewhere else, at least not right away. There are provisions under SSDI for people to go back to work and they fully support that, but you have to wait two years before you're eligible to do that. I was first on SSDI in 2000, but was eventually able to go back to work after a few years. I worked for seven years before having to go back on it, and it was much easier to restart my benefits then instead of going through the whole process over again. Bipolar disorder is a recognized disability under SSDI. I do not receive the full amount of both benefits (no double dipping!). The government offsets my Federal benefits by a percentage of my SSDI benefits, but it is definitely worth it. I would definitely look into your state employee benefits. There may even be long term health insurance benefits there for you even if you're not working. You do need to know that if you are approved for SSDI, there is a six-month waiting period before your benefits begin. And that's calculated from your last day that you were able to work, not your approval date. And they will pay you back benefits if your application takes longer than six months. People are getting approved sooner than that now though, unlike when I first started.

And don't think that just because you're able to function some of the time means you don't qualify for benefits. Part of the SSDI provisions pertains to your ability to function on a consistent basis. They understand that people with disabilities have good and bad days. If you do file an application, you need to focus on what a typical bad day looks like for you. And you need the full support of your doctor (has to be an MD or DO). Without that support, you don't really have a chance. I actually changed doctors because my providers at that time had their heads up their proverbial you-know-whats and wouldn't listen to me. My current doctor literally said he would eat his shoes (nice Italian ones at that!) if I didn't get it after looking at my file and my condition.

I'm sorry you're struggling right now. But know that you do have options.