Why Being Disabled Is a Full-Time Job for Many People
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Job Title
Chief Medical Officer of Personal Health Affairs (AKA Social Security Disability Beneficiary)
Job Description Full-time position, flexible hours.
Prerequisite: Ideal candidate would have a background in all of the following areas: analytics, accounting, patient advocacy, medical billing, insurance underwriting, legalese, pharmacology, healthcare administration, Social Security Disability, Medicare and Medicaid. Preference for those with M.D., Ph.D., CPA, RN, NP or Esq. after their name.
Skills: The ideal candidate would be well organized, exhibit patience, possess a friendly phone manner, anticipate problems, show initiative, diligent in finding correct answers and keep meticulous notes. Job Duties May Include:
- Schedule, prep and arrange transportation for 1-3 doctors’ visits per month. To include compiling a list of questions, a list of medications, changes in symptoms and providing medical records from other healthcare providers
- Interpret insurance policies and medical billing codes
- Reconcile medical bills
- Track payments toward deductibles
- Inquire about incorrect medical or insurance bills
- Fill out paperwork proving disability 3-6 times per year
- Coordinate medical records between doctors, insurance, and disability carriers
- Research medical conditions and make recommendations for changes to treatment plans
- Keep up with latest medical advancements
- Understand health care legislation
- Ability to multi-task while being on hold for hours on the phone
- Excellent note-taking skills
- Spend an abnormal amount of time at the pharmacy
- Develop and implement a plan for organizing medication
- Willing to be a medical guinea pig
- Ability to educate others
- Must be able to face stigma, prejudice, patient-blaming, accusations of being a drug addict, labeled as lazy, being fired by doctors, lose friends and miss important events
*Candidate must be able to perform these functions regardless of, and in spite of, his or her health condition at any given time.
*Candidate is also expected to maintain all household duties such as cleaning, laundry, cooking, parenting and managing relationships.
*No training is available for employees.
*If you are unable to perform your duties, you must nominate a loved one to take over your duties.
*Inability to master all of these skills can result in loss of benefits, health insurance and access to care.
Salary
Candidate will only receive insurance benefits and compensation if he/she is able to complete the tasks above. Lapse in attention to these details could result in loss of benefits. Sick days and vacation days will not be offered, however candidates will be able to work from home.
Are you qualified for this job?
Chief Medical Officer of Personal Health Affairs is a title befitting for those who are applying for or are maintaining Social Security Disability benefits. There are 8.8 million Americans employed in this job, with another 2 million having applied with no response or are actively appealing a denial. No one could ever be prepared to perform all of the job duties listed above, but we don’t have a choice.
No one ever grows up saying, “I want to be disabled.” Some people go to school for multiple years to master just one of the dozens of areas we have to learn as a trial by fire. The description and prerequisites are not an exaggeration of the skills needed to effectively manage the Social Security Disability system. Having an accounting degree, a background in law, and a medical license would be the right combination of a perfect candidate.
Being disabled can be a full-time job. The amount of time it takes to stay on top of your health and keep up with paperwork while often feeling the worst you ever have in your life can be all-consuming. The next time you hear that those on Social Security Disability are “milking the system,” or we “need to take ownership of our health,” remember that for many, being disabled is a full-time job. And we are some of the hardest working people you may know.
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Thinkstock photo by iStock.
Katie had her first migraine attack at age five. Right before her 30th birthday, she had an attack that hasn’t stopped, she is always dealing with some level of pain. Unable to work in her beloved career, she found purpose in writing about her struggles and triumphs in her ongoing migraine journey. Her personal mission is to “Live a Fulfilled Life with Chronic Migraine and Pain.” Katie is passionate about education, breaking the stigma and raising awareness of the effects that migraine disease has on the person as well as those who love them. In 2013, she joined the writing team at Migraine.com, the largest online migraine community, which reaches 500,000 people weekly through all social media outlets. In 2017, Katie began her own blog, Golden Graine. She has also written for Pain Pathways Magazine, The INvisible Project, US Pain Foundation, The Mighty, The National Pain Report, Medium.com, and XOJane. Katie is a member of the American Headache and Migraine Alliance (AHMA), National Headache Foundation and a proud Ambassador and Advocate for the US Pain Foundation. She’s been on several patient panels about “Patient Centered Clinical Trials” and met with pharmaceutical companies who want to understand the patient perspective. Katie supports the efforts of Miles for Migraine (including running her first 5K last year) and has created an opportunity for advocates to commune together during the annual Headache on the Hill event. A native of West Virginia, Katie moved in 2016 from Washington, DC to Santa Monica, CA. She credits her amazing support system with giving her the drive and energy to tackle the issues of migraine head on.
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