Maintaining Employment with MS and Applying for Disability

For most of us, work is woven into daily life and identity. It provides income, but also purpose, community, and independence. So when multiple sclerosis enters the picture, one of the first and most consequential questions people face is what it means for their career. Symptoms like fatigue, cognitive changes, and mobility issues can prompt difficult decisions: Should I stay in my job? Request accommodations? Plan for disability benefits down the road?

In this episode, we hear from two experts who help people navigate these complex decisions with employers and benefit agencies every day. The conversation covers how to stay in the workforce longer, when and how to disclose a diagnosis, the workplace accommodations people actually use most, and how to plan ahead for a disability claim including FMLA, private disability insurance, and Social Security Disability.

This episode is sponsored by TG Therapeutics.

Dr. Jamie Holloman, neurologist at the MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews two leading experts:

Philip Rumrill PhD, CRC

Phillip Rumrill PhD, CRC is one of the most prolific and influential researchers in the field of employment and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Rumrill is the Red Cedar Distinguished Professor of Counseling and Counselor Education at Michigan State University, where his work focuses on chronic illness and emerging disabilities, reasonable accommodations and assistive technology, workplace discrimination, and self-advocacy strategies for people with disabilities. A certified rehabilitation counselor who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas, he has devoted roughly 35 years to studying the psychosocial and vocational dimensions of MS.

Jamie R. Hall Esq

Jamie R. Hall is an attorney whose entire practice is devoted to disability claims. For 17 years, he has represented clients in short-term disability, long-term disability, FMLA, and Social Security Disability matters, working on a nationwide basis with a clientele that is roughly half MS patients. A graduate of Villanova University School of Law, where he served as an associate editor of the Law Review, Mr. Hall has represented disability claimants before administrative law judges, the Social Security Appeals Council, and the federal courts across two dozen states.

Links to employment resources mentioned in the episode:

Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation website:

https://dese.mo.gov/adult-learning-rehabilitation-services/vocational-rehabilitation

National MS Society Employment resources:

https://www.nationalmssociety.org/resources/financial-planning/employment-with-ms

Job Accommodation Network:

https://askjan.org/resources/Job-Accommodation-Network.cfm

American with Disabilities (ADA) Regional Centers:

https://adata.org/find-your-region