Many people believe that a person with a medical issue or who receives a disability can’t work. This is not the case. People with medical issues can often work, and people with disabilities are allowed to work up to a certain income cap without losing their benefits. This is not to say that people who have medical issues don’t run into challenges with making a livable wage here and there. However, with some creative thinking and a little homework and research, you or a person you love with medical issues can make a great income in spite of your illness or challenge. If you’re interested in learning more, read on.
Disability Incomes
Of course, if you suffer from a medical issue, your first concern will likely be your health and a treatment plan that will work for you and get you feeling better soon. Maybe you’ve just received a diagnosis that scares you and is wondering when to get a second opinion, or maybe it’s that you are having trouble picturing how you’ll make an income with medical limitations. Before you panic, know that earning money and recovering or going through treatment can be done at the same time.
Whether your sickness is permanent, like chronic pain, or temporary, like a broken back, you can start by applying for disability. Maybe you just received an ovarian cancer diagnosis. While your prognosis looks good, it could be a year before you’re off treatments, and you want to do your due diligence now when it comes to how you’ll support yourself simply for peace of mind. You can apply for disability for either the short or long term. Your case manager, social worker, or even financial services at the hospital will be able to point you in the right direction if you aren’t sure how. While wait times can take a while, if you have your medical records and test results on hand, it will speed things up. If you were working, you’ll likely be eligible for SSDI benefits based on your former income. If not, you could get SSI at a lower rate, but it’s still something to work with going forward.
For some, there’s a stigma that comes with applying for disability. When used correctly, this entitlement benefit is a great one to free up extra time for exploring additional treatment options and giving yourself a greater shot at recovery. Your health may even depend on it. For others, a reluctance to apply for disability comes from the myth that it will stop you from gaining other forms of income. This isn’t true either. In fact, people on SSDI can make up to about a thousand dollars a month in additional income. Combined with your SSDI check, this could quickly add up to make a dent in your bills.
Passive Incomes
One way to earn money while you’re sick, whether on disability or not, is passive income. This is money that will require upfront work but not full-time hours. Try googling Yieldstreet complaints and you’ll quickly get the idea about just how many opportunities are out there for passive incomes. From alternative investments to more creative streams of income, Yieldstreet will point you in the right direction.
For example, you could start a YouTube channel to document your health journey and help others while making a little extra money. Blogging, becoming a social media influencer, or even signing up with a mobile advertisement company could get you paid to do less work than your old full-time job. Trying the stock market or looking into investments like real estate or collectibles are other forms of passive income that would work for you too.
Part-time Incomes
If you can still work but need to control your house, so you have time to rest, gig work is a great option. Places like Uber Eats and Door Dash will pay you to deliver foods as often or little as you want and in between Orofacial Pain Treatment or dialysis. This could work whether you’re waiting for disability to go through or not. Slap a magnet on your car, and you could get paid for mobile advertisement passive income during your drives back and forth.
One way to think about making income with a medical challenge is to make time for your health plan and treatments but to also put free time toward easy streams of revenue. By diversifying types of passive income while considering entitlement programs and alternative jobs, you’ll put yourself in the position of finding different ways to survive in spite of your ailment.
Returning to Work or Career Changes
If you know you’ll eventually turn to work, there may be nothing more to do than wait out your illness. But if you’ve applied for disability and been granted it, you’ll want to talk to the social security department about the programs they have for returning to work. From training programs to help with career services, resumes, and more, they have career specialists who will help you to return to full-time work after a sickness or getting hurt.
Sometimes, returning to work after a medical issue requires a change in careers or new skills. Maybe the first step is returning to school for a new degree of skill. If that’s the case, another stream of income could be student loans. While working toward more diversification of your work skills, you’ll still be able to pay those bills and make the best choices for your treatment plan with your doctor.
Any medical issue can be scary. Between grappling with the initial diagnosis and working with a team for treatment decisions, there’s a lot to think about. And while medical bills and health insurance could add to the stress of it, take a breath and know that an income is still possible. From capitalizing on active investments to acquiring streams of passive income or filing for entitlement benefits, there are ways to do this with some creative thinking. Even better, your health care provider will likely have a team on hand to work with you if you ask for it. In the end, your health needs to come first, but with a good support network like your spouse, physician, pathologist, family members, and professionals, you’ll soon be able to get past the downside of that original diagnosis and find yourself making money again.
