Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Depressed woman loses benefits over Facebook photos

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    Guess it is my turn to weigh in on this topic. I feel for this woman, I really do. My previous job (before going on disability for bipolar) was with Equitable Life (an insurance company for both group and individual insurance). I was a computer programmer for all divisions in the company on the group side. That isn't to say I know how Manulife's way of working things is, just that I know a little for how my company worked. I find it hard to believe that they made the decision to cut her benefit based on her Facebook photos only and I believe near the bottom of the article Manulife indicates something to that nature. These companies usually don't make moves like that unless they are pretty sure. But then again I could be very very wrong and if this lady is really sick then I truly hope she gets all her money.

    As for Facebook. When it comes to computers. My moto. Nothing is private.
    That goes for other sites, too.

    I was also reading about the process of going off work. Yes, I have been down that road too. I have been where you are Woody. Went through a complete payout and now I am on CPP. I have been off since 2003 and I would say that this year is the first year I have ventured out of my home and allowed the public to see me happy. I always feared that I wasn't allowed to be happy while on disability even though I had discussed this with my doctor and she told me that it was ok cause my bipolar is brought on by stress. Now, that article proves to me that there are people out there who still don't get it cause even if Manulife didn't do it like it was reported THEN the reporter has it all wrong!

    Comment


      #17
      I did some volunteer work the other day. Just a small project. Couple of hours work. Mostly cutting and pasting and making it look nice. Drop in the bucket compared to what I use to do. At first it felt nice you know. I helped. But then guilt. I do not know if it is the cycle of my BP ... but yeah guilt.
      Woody

      Comment


        #18
        Hello Woody, If it wasn't for feeling guilty, some days I would have no feelings at all. Guilt and self doubt are two of the worse parts about bipolar, for me at least. Take Care. paul m
        "Alone we can do so little;
        Together we can do so much"
        Helen Keller

        Comment


          #19
          Having to go off work and onto disability - talk about stress for anybody, and especially if you have mental illness. Just gazing at a lot of small print and questions on a form, let alone how to put things into words (if I could even find a pen in the rubble of my apartment), was almost too much. And to this day I can hardly bring myself to think of the phone conversations with the insurance reps without feeling physically . It's about having to deal with the biggest difficulties while in your most vulnerable state. There is just something fundamentally wrong with the whole picture. Shouldn't it be that at your most vulnerable you are able to get the most help? I was pretty niave but learned the hard way that if I didn't call in my own troops (ie. about the approx. 2 people left in my life) I literally might not survive. BUT I did, and here I am. Miracles do happen, they really, really do.

          gtchamp, I don't know exactly what a computer programmer does, but I hope it didn't involve phoning people like me - one big frazzled nerve. It was incredibly hard for me although it didn't seem to faze the person on the other end. What a nightmare.

          I can relate to the guilt thing when you actually feel good and do something productive, and then feel like somehow you've been caught playing hooky. Good for you gtchamp for venturing out, and to you Woody for the volunteer work, and for that matter to anybody who does something constructive to be well, even if others don't "get it". I do believe we are back to stigma here...

          How unfair to be financially punished for being ill - any sort of ill - but that's reality, isn't it? In my case I probably got off lucky; I lived on zero income for over a year, but had savings to draw on (very frugally). Perhaps I'm not quite ready to call it "all good" yet. Hopefully someday, though.
          uni

          ~ it's always worth it ~

          Comment


            #20
            Depressed woman fails 1st try to recoup benefits

            Following up what has happen since we first saw this news story
            There are some more details that have come to light. Read more here.
            It just makes me more angry at the system. I think she is getting a bum rap and they are just taking advantage of her at a time when she is in a bad way.
            Woody

            Comment


              #21
              Hello Woody. This woman is going to have a tough battle. Two seperate insurance companies, neither of which has a financial interest in the other and in fact are competitors, seem to arrived at the same conclusion.

              I hope that she wins but it doesn't look good with both her disabilty insurance and mortage insurance cancelled by different companies. Thx for typing the link. The case is very interesting. Take Care. paul m
              "Alone we can do so little;
              Together we can do so much"
              Helen Keller

              Comment


                #22
                It's been a while since anything came up about this woman's situation, and I'm wondering whether anybody has heard anything lately?

                I know someone who has creditors after them and is on facebook; I imagine it could be used to track them down.
                uni

                ~ it's always worth it ~

                Comment


                  #23
                  I have not heard anymore Uni
                  Woody

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X