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Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
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Cigna does not. He just got denied long term disability through Cigna. He has paid for this benefit for 30 years through his job. Since 2003 he his suffered from sino-nasal undifferentiated carcinoma AKA: SNUC. This is a rare and extremely aggressive disease. I did not know it at that time but he was diagnosed the same week his wife died from MS. He went through chemo and radiation to the head and neck. He went into remission and all was good. During this time we became friends online as my husband had just recently passed away. 2008 a new tumor shows up. We decided to get married so that I could be his next of kin to help out. This one will require surgery involving removing his right jaw, his right eye orbit, the roof of his mouth, and his right sinus The right eyeball sits on a titanium sling to hold it up. They stripped veins out of both thighs to rebuild his face. It was a 17 hour surgery .They had to put in a trach tube for him to breathe and I attended tracheostomy class before they would let me take him home. Also classes on how to change out his PICC line ports. 2011 his scans show another tumor growing fast. Since he did not have radiation last time the gave him the decision whether to try it again. With the knowledge that he could go fully blind and become brain damaged. He chose life with radiation and chemo. He can no longer eat food, just feeding tube, his vision is very bad as is his hearing. His legs are atrophied and he can't walk around much. Present day: Hubby is getting around some. He cannot eat food, just feeding tube. The titanium sling is starting to poke out of his cheek so they are doing fat transplants from his belly. I offered some of my fat, but they declined. It is very difficult to carry on a conversation with him. He does not understand what you are saying. He has no strength to walk around the block. I am just wondering how Cigna could even consider my husband capable of resuming his job of a software engineer or any job, for that matter.
CIGNA and Social Security should both consider him disabled. You need a lawyer. Seriously. You also need to talk to an accountant. Friends in a similar position file "married filing separately" so as to not screw up the SS disability.
Most lawyers will give you a free consultation. I'd go talk to one. If your husband can't go to the lawyer's office be sure to tell them you need the lawyer to come to you.
If you don't know it, doctors or insurance companies carry no legal weight with Social Security Disability; only a judge can declare a person legally disabled. So the other posters who have advised you to secure an attorney are steering you right.
If you don't know it, doctors or insurance companies carry no legal weight with Social Security Disability; only a judge can declare a person legally disabled. So the other posters who have advised you to secure an attorney are steering you right.
I am not sure if she has tried through ss disability. Sounds like insurance only.
OP, I would get a lawyer, if you can, and appeal. Also, if you have not already, try for SSDI. You do not need a judge or an attorney to go and apply for that, and you also need neither of them to get it.
Many people are denied, I will say that. I was not. I keep impeccable medical records on myself, and my doctors filled out everything they needed to and I would say I got it in about 3 months. You have go to a Psychologist appointed by them.
I ended up with Medicare as well, and just last year, I started getting extra prescription help. Not everyone qualifies for that.
My medication so far this year has added up to over 50k, so there is no way I could afford that.
I know dealing with your husbands illness has to be so tough on you, both of my parents had a few different cancers between them.
It's hard, but you have to be very pro-active, and if you need to, try and enlist help. Make sure you take care of yourself, because you are no good to him if you are not healthy.
I wore myself down terribly when I was taking care of my mom. Thank goodness I didn't have RA back then.
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