Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
A serious health issue in your family is something we all hope never happens. However, statistically, it is likely that most people will deal with some sort of health or injury crisis in their lifetime. Furthermore, a chronic or long-term illness could put you and your family at financial risk, especially if one of the main breadwinners are unable to work for any length of time. Here are some wise tips for financially surviving a serious health issue.
Financially Surviving A Serious Health Issue #1: Know Your Legal Rights
If you’re too ill to work and your income is less than a certain amount, you may be eligible for social security disability benefits. Unfortunately, this is only applicable if the illness is expected to last more than a year or if it is a terminal, so even a few months of debilitating illness may not leave you entitled.
A better option for combating short-term illness could be to take out short-term disability insurance as detailed here https://www.thebalancecareers.com/workers-compensation-and-disability-2064297. This can help to pay out compensation when you are ill much like sick pay. However, unlike sick pay you could be entitled to your full income. This is also an ideal option for those that are self-employed.
In some scenarios, you may be able to make money through a legal claim. This is likely to be the case if someone else’s negligence was the cause of your sickness. This could include medical malpractice such as a botched operation or wrong diagnosis for which you can find special attorneys at sites such as https://www.salvilaw.com/legal-services/medical-malpractice/. Alternatively, it could be work-related sickness, a personal injury from a car accident or an injury as a customer in the retail or hospitality injury, all of which are also good times to pursue a lawsuit.
Financially Surviving A Serious Health Issue #2: Talk to Your Employer
It’s good to let your employer know the full extent of your situation. If you’ve rarely taken absence in the past, a generous employer might be able to help. If your illness still permits you to do computer work or answer the phone and it’s simply a mobility issue, it’s possible you may be able to continue working from home. This may include reduced responsibilities, but you could still be getting a good wage compared to what you may be living on were you on sick pay. Just make sure that you’re not exerting yourself too much as this could have a negative effect on your recovery.
Financially Surviving A Serious Health Issue #3: Make Money Online
There are lots of ways to make money online, even if it is only small contributions to help you get by. Such work can be done in your own time and may not be particularly strenuous. For example, sites like http://www.swagbucks.com/g/paid-surveys can pay you to fill out online surveys. Such surveys pay different amounts depending on how niche the topic is and how long the survey. You won’t make a full income completing surveys, but you could make enough money to help.
If you have a skill you can offer to others, sites like https://www.fiverr.com/ are a good option. This could be a digital skill that doesn’t require you to physically exert yourself such as writing product reviews on a blog, photoshopping images for people, editing videos, designing a website, managing someone’s social media, producing a beat for a rapper or designing a logo for a company. The greater the skill you’re willing to offer, the more you can charge.
Financially Surviving A Serious Health Issue #4: Ask for Help
Charities
There may be charities local to you that can offer some financial support if you’re struggling. Some churches have food banks, clothing sales, and other services for free or low cost to help those in the community.
Friends and Family
Friends and family may be able to help offer some financial support. After all, you would likely help them if they were in need. Even something as small as offering to buy groceries could be helpful. You could even borrow money with the intention of paying it back if you don’t want to accept charity.
