Posted on May 28, 2009 at 12:01 am hi everyone, hope someone can help. I'm a stay-at-home mom and recently my husband got into an accident on the job. his Paycheck is our only source of income and we have a mountain of bills to take care of, aside from the hospital bills, and the debt collectors have been calling us frequently. Need advise on how to clear things up. thanks

Posted on May 28, 2009 at 1:08 am You may file for a disability claim. Download a form from the Department of Labor or obtain it from their office in your state.Expect to fill out the forms for your husband if he is unable to do it himself. Some of the fields would require the doctor's collaboration: like the date of hospitalization, the treatments he has received from his primary doctor and his specialist (if applicable)The doctor is also expected to fill out his/her side of the form as it is about his/her professional diagnosis.While you are at it, make sure that you have all the supporting papers or documents photocopied.Your husband's employer has to fill out his/her side of the form too. Double check the fields and when you are satisfied, send that disability form to the Department of Labor Temporary Disability Department. If there were errors in the paper, they would send it back to you, if everything is okay, there may be a wait period, but you may expect to receive a check from them.

Posted on May 28, 2009 at 1:58 am thanks, but are there any Fees that we need to pay to secure those forms? and How long is the wait period? i'm afraid that we might lose our electricity and water bills... could you give me any idea how long this would take?

Posted on May 28, 2009 at 2:41 am They are government forms so I assume they are free and the wait period is for processing. By the way what is the nature of your spouse's work? He may be able to avail of the company's hazard pay? Is he insured?

Posted on May 28, 2009 at 4:10 am Sapphiretrix41,I suggest you try to find out if your spouse's place of employment offers insurance benefits for their employees. I'm assuming that his employer may be extracting a portion of his salary that goes towards this specific fund. Try to get in touch with your husband's employer's Human Resources department, I'm sure they'll be more than willing to help you.If I may ask, would it also be possible for you to earn extra income while he's recuperating? That way, at least you can still be able to take care of your immediate needs like your utility bills.

Posted on July 24, 2009 at 8:27 am In regards to debt and disability- I was in that situation once and want to remind people that your creditors cannot garnish future disability payments if you are sued. I had one collector in particular who made that threat until I found out that wasn't even a possibility.