So I let myself think big. 

 

What if we gave employers tax credits for every formerly disabled person they hired to work from home?  In this day and age, it's no big deal to network computers in remote location.  We can supervise and monitor employees who are working from home.  And there are so many jobs that are done from a computer, telephone, fax, and mail.  I'm not talking about creating busy work; these jobs already exist -- data entry, telephone call centers -- smarter people than I can fill in the blanks.  But how many of you who are disabled wish you could work, and would work if you could work from home?  Giving employers a tax credit is far less expensive than keeping someone on Social Security disability benefits -- especially when the person who used to be on disability starts earning money and paying taxes.  This is a no-brainer, right?

 

And what if there were short-term disability, so you could take six months if you were flaring or needed surgery, and then go back to work?  How many people hang onto Social Security disability at times when they might be able to work because it was so hard to get it the first time that they're afraid to let it go?  What if short-term disability was easy to get, so you would know it was there when you'd need it in the future? 

 

Those are a couple of things I've been thinking about.

 

Send us your ideas along with your mailing address.  We'll publish our favorite in next month's newsletter.  The winner gets a free copy of our Know Your Rights handbook!