I am strugging to figure out how to pay my bills while im out for surgey because my doctor wont let me go back to work after a week i have to wait 2 weeks and i only have 15 hours of PTO saved.. I NEED HELP!!! Does anyone have any ideas?

What kind of job do you do?@@jessicamanus23

Are you able to take short term disability? Would you be able to work from home? If not, you may need to post pone and take some time bank some PTO and extra money to cover bills. Would after the first of the year be a problem? If you get an income tax refund you could use that to pay bills.

Will your job let you get an advance on your sick leave/vacation?

Do you have a disability plan at work you don't know about?

Do you belong to a credit union where you can take out a small loan at lower interest?

Credit card advance?

Get only what you need to pay off bills that could hurt your credit or charge you a crazy late fee.

Do you and your company qualify for FMLA? I used that and got paid 100% my salary.

@@Pillar2butterfly - Depends on what state she lives in. In some places FMLA will only hold the job. It will not pay a salary.

if i post pone surgery until the 1st then my out of pocket starts over and i dont qualify for short term until after a year and i cant apply for short term until ive been there for a year and my year ia on 11/06/15 and surgery is 11/04/15

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I would talk it over with your surgeon. I don't know what kind of job you do but if it's not terribly physical I would tell the surgeon your situation. Two weeks is probably just his/her protocol for everyone. If you have a sit down type of job he may let you go back after a week.

Can you take 2 days sick time so you meet your 1-year anniversary - and then file for short term disability?

I cant take 2 days because they make you go through a physical and everything so I won't be getting it right away. I work for sitel in Asheville nc so I sit a a desk all day

Edited October 15, 201510 yr by jessicamanus23

I would say talk to your surgeon and explain the dilemma to him. I told my surgeon that I wanted to take no longer than a week off from work and he agreed I could go back to work in less than a week because I also have a sit down job. Talk nice but firm and let him know that you have to work in order to pay your bills. Also, see if your employer allows "PTO donation". At my previous job, we were able to give our PTO to a fellow employee up to 4 increments at a time.

How much time are you looking to be away from work?

I cant take 2 days because they make you go through a physical and everything so I won't be getting it right away. I work for sitel in Asheville nc so I sit a a desk all day

So wait, you can't even use the 2 days PTO you have?

The way it's set up is to qualify for short term I have a physical and everything to go through and I'll already be out on my one year so I won't be able to get short term I can use my PTO but there's a whole week I have to be out where I won't be working at all and I'm gonna use it there so I at least get something

Lexigurl: I'm hoping to only be out a week but my surgeon is like 2 weeks but I go for post op on the 23rd and I'm gonna talk to him again about it and let him know what's going on

I would just talk to your surgeon. If your just sitting barring you have no complications I don't see why you can't go back after a week.

I agree with the others- explain things to your surgeon. One of my friends only had enough time saved up for two weeks off (she is a nurse and the surgeon usually has people with strenuous jobs take off four weeks) he let her go back after two.