When suffering does not destroy you, even though you have been to the edge of the abyss, you know something that you cannot know in any other way. Someone else is sustaining you. You are indeed living by a life not your own. Or as I love to say, "Your life is not about you." It is henceforth, most truly, about God. And you are merely "free sample" of what God has always been doing. - Quote from Richard Rohr

January 04, 2007

Update on my retirement

Ok, here is where I stand... they (social security) had to deny me because I'm working right now. I'm trying to get all my paperwork in for retirement from the state, which if approved then I have my insurance paid for the rest of my natural life... very important when you have stage 4 cancer, eh? As soon as I quit work, hopefully by 2/28 then I can re-apply to Social Security. However, I'm thinking more likely it's going to be March because not all the required paperwork has been submitted. We are waiting on my employer's piece and Dr. Duvic's piece. Which entails several detailed pages for them to fill out. That's bureaucracy for you, eh?

So as soon as I'm no longer working then I can apply again for social security disability. Then it takes 5 months for them to make a decision. But I have only 60 days to reapply w/out having to do all the paperwork again. And I think my 60 days start sometime this week. The counselor at SS was very nice and is really working with me. She said she'd deny me after she got back from vacation to give me more time, but silly me I forgot to ask when that would be!

But here's the deal. The state takes normally 2-4 months to approve/disapprove a disability retirement. I don't know when the paperwork from Dr Duvic is coming and the people here at work are just now getting all the information today. Even though I gave it to them last year :).

If I don't quit by 2/28 then I have to start all over again applying with social security because my 60 days will have expired. To apply it takes about 7 hours worth of work. You have to fill out all sorts of stuff and apparently they don't save all the work if I have to reapply. If I can get in under the 60 days then all my hard work is saved until June. Weird huh? Once again bureaucracy rules!!!

So I'm looking at all my options. We could go thru March of course without me working, however, what if the state denies my disability? Which I don't think they will as I have very compelling letters from my doctors saying that I really need to quit work! My primary wouldn't even write me a note requesting I work only 30 hours a week because he said I just need to quit! Period.

So, these are my prayer requests: That God's will be done and He be in charge of this whole thing! Specifically that His timing will be the ruling force and not mans. that I will find favor with man. I'm not really stressed out about this, I feel His presence and know He is going to take care of me! Besides, I'm ONE person who LOVES change and the unknown!!!