Disability Leave: Should I Stop Working?

If working with your medical condition has become so difficult that you are considering applying for a disabillity leave under your short term or long term disability benefits, then don’t second guess yourself. Your health should be your number one priority. If you are suffering and unable to work, you need to consider stopping. There are many advantages to taking the time off that you need – whether healing an injury, being free to seek proper medical care, or stress reduction. Adding strain to a bad situation can be even more detrimental to your health and make your condition worse.

Many people don’t realize that reducing their working hours by going part-time can result in a reduction of eligible benefits. Your insurance company will look at the average hours you worked over a period of time to determine the number of hours you are eligible to claim for your short term disability and long term disability benefits. If you choose to reduce your hours, you may only be able to claim benefits for the part-time hours you are currently working instead of the full-time hours you formerly worked. This is very risky. The reduced benefit entitlement may not be sufficient to cover your cost of living, medications, and treatments when you need them the most.

Before you take the plunge and reduce your working hours due to a disability, make sure you read your insurance policy carefully. Some group disability benefit plans may exclude you once you reduce your hours below a certain number per week. This means if you find yourself unable to perform your reduced workload in the future, that you may no longer be eligible to receive any disability benefits at all.

Even if you push yourself to the limits to stay at work, you may not be doing yourself or your company any favours. You may risk delaying your recovery or injuring yourself further. If you ask yourself honestly whether you are doing your job to the best of your ability, you would probably say no. This opens up the possibility of your employer noticing that you’re not doing your best work and not contributing to the company like you once were. Employers may choose to terminate your employment “for cause” (which means you cannot sue for wrongful dismissal) if you are not doing your job properly. Applying for disability leave from work before this happens may be the best step you can take to preserve your career and your financial security.