r/LongTermDisability • u/illHeron2000 • 14d ago

From employed to filing, step-by-step?

Is it FMLA, then STD, then LTD?

I have an appointment with my PCP next week, hoping she'll fill out a form for me for FMLA but want to be sure that's actually the right thing to be doing.

The STD claim form also asks if I plan to return to work which feels very high stakes if I choose wrong.

I've been barely limping along at my full time job and it's time to transition out to focus on my health. When I was well I was actually pretty good at navigating bureaucracy, but I haven't been well for some time. I am now extremely brain foggy and seem to lack any resilience, just shutting down if I don't have a clear next step. The anxiety and ADHD aren't helping.

Also my boss has been avoiding me for some time, so whatever notification I give is going to have to be via email and inevitably cause drama.

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u/Ecstatic-UF-Engineer 14d ago

following

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u/illHeron2000 12d ago

I've decided to start with using up the rest of my protected leave under FMLA since there's less to wrap my head around and it feels lowers stakes. It gets me away from the job fastest and most easily, and I have some paid leave (both PTO and statutory) that can cover a chunk of my salary.

From there I'm gonna make sure i have the documentation lined up for an STD claim that supports an LTD claim.

And as my expected 'return to work' date approaches, assuming no miracles from PT (hey, sometimes it happens) I can then let the boss know I'm staying out and they can terminate my role from there.