FYI:BMI Standards and Disability

What is totally amazing is the scope of this thread and that some are against and some are for.

 

I wonder how many of those opposed to this are for UNIONS (the other leech on society)?

 

I supervised a union shop for 13 years.. Let's just say I'm not a fan..

 

don't know what info your talking about but the info i am giving here is from personal experience and people i personally know

i'm soon to be 55 and never had a problem till last year and got a pulmonary embolism which is caused by deep vein thrombosis which usually comes from sitting for long periods (truck driving)...almost died.... then when i went into the hospital and found some other things that were not good and had a complete physical less than a year before (not a dot) that was ok .... so you haven't yet reached that over 50 threshold things change quickly and without notice in your older years ...

.i have many friends from high school that i keep in touch with that have 9-5 jobs and eat somewhat healthy stuff cooked by the wife and one in the last month quit smoking 3 years ago but just came out of the hospital last week with pneumonia and found to have emphysema , and another 6 foot 195 pound guy this weekend that had a mild stroke and went into the hospital then had another stroke while in the hospital bad enough to have to drill a hole in his head to relieve the pressure ...

my point being you may think your healthy at 49 like i did and was up untill 53 then whamo your life changes quickly over weight or not.....i don't wish poor health on anybody but for seemingly healthy people it can change quickly and without notice in your older years ....

ps never smoked or did drugs..don't know where i gave you that indication

and read up on the changes proposed for 2012.......many will be disqualified and company's such as prime already disqualify for bmi it's right on their website under driver qualifications

 

Alot of the problem is envy, I see it every day !!!!!

 

Fair enough..

Really, genuinely sorry to hear that, hope you're doing better now.

Again these are serious things... and yes no matter what you do, it always seems that you could have done something better. However, why let the obvious things go by the wayside? Like over eating?

Point taken. However - again - many things can be prevented (or lessened) by lifestyle choices.

Miscommunication .... never meant to imply that you did drugs or smoked. I'm the smoker... and the drug reference was intended to illustrate that there are things in place to deal with situations that might disqualify folks from driving. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding.

I've read a lot on CSA 2010. I do understand peoples concerns ove BMI. However, again I think we will see some lawsuits for discrimination if there is not a treatment/rehab/probation period for folks to come into compliance. Just my opinion though.

As to the original topic, I think that is absurd to be able to collect disability for obesity. Not only is it a self inflicted condition but the "victim" has had plenty of time to correct it.

...........Jim

 

With that line of thinking, employers should not hire smokers, either. Smokers have a higher incidence of respiratory problems... and they can stink up a place pretty quickly. I do not smoke; my husband does. My car seats are clean and odor-free. His pick-up truck cab reeks of stale cigarettes -- not to mention the burn holes in the upholstery and the scattered bits of ashes all over the floor.

And there are plenty of smokers with COPD collecting disability.

 

Okay, I'll weigh in on this too. (pun most definitely intended)

I had the "opportunity" to collect disability due to a degenerative, painful genetic arthritis condition that can never be cured nor completely stopped in its progression, but can be slowed down. Had I opted to do so, I would have been able to collect about $1200/month. It's actually more than I've been making if you average the past five months. However...I would have had to look at myself in the mirror every day knowing I was taking a guv'mint handout and still try to respect myself.

I have lost about 50% of the range of motion in my wrists, I cannot crawl around on my knees with 75 pounds of gear either on my body or on my back with a charged 1 1/2 inch hose line in an inferno. When this was discovered, I could not feel my fingertips any more and was starting IV's by sight rather than by feel. Road Medic will attest this is a HUGE no-no. I compensated for the progression of this as long as I could until I simply could not do what I'd been doing any more. And I could go home and collect a check from a guv'mint I detest and feel obligated to said guv'mint for the rest of my days.

Or I could find something else that I am qualified to do that does not require such range of motion activities. That's why I'm driving instead of sitting on the couch watching reruns of CSI and eating ice cream.

Since I've been out here, the arthritis flares up less often than it did and that is most probably because I lost about 35 pounds after I started. There isn't a fridge or kitchen to raid all the time and when I eat at the buffet, which is actually fairly frequently, I start with a huge salad and then meats. I eat very little carbs and even less sweets. That's what works for me...but everybody's different and will approach things differently. The biggest plus is I can feel my fingertips again. But I will never be an EMT again. That life for me is over for good.

Regarding aspartame in diet beverages: someone mentioned the high sodium content of pop. That makes you retain water but will not in and of itself cause fat to deposit itself on your body. There have been studies, although I'm going to be lame and say I can't cite them, that have indicated aspartame has the opposite effect it was supposed to and, in fact, stimulates the appetite. So you eat more. The calories you would have gotten from either corn syrup or just plain old sugar is replaced with food. That's why you see the big gals and fellers at the BK ordering a Whopper Value Meal King Sized go to the drink fountain and fill that 44-oz cup with Diet Coke...thinking they are doing themselves a favor. If they would just get the full-blown Coke, they would feel full faster and not eat as much. And probably take in fewer calories overall. I do agree that aspartame has some sort of addicting ingredient in it...otherwise people wouldn't even use it because it tastes like %&$#.

 

I was wondering when someone would pick up on this.. believe me, there are plenty of employers who do not hire smokers for those very reasons and, from an employer's standpoint I can see the logic in it.

However, just like it is the Op's choice to over eat, it is my choice to smoke. As I said in an earlier post - If I can't find a job because I'm a smoker should I be able to collect disability? After all most sources agree that smoking is an addiction no? So my addiction would prevent me from getting employment, right? Hypothetically speaking of course.

Or would it be better for me to quit smoking even if it was only because I needed to work in my chosen field? Not to mention the health benefits? Just like it would be better for the OP to lose the excess weight.

As far as there being plenty of smokers with COPD collecting disability.... that's very true. If the condition is truly debilitating and that person cannot work at all...... I have no problem with that. Just like if the OP could prove that his condition prevented him from obtaining any kind of employment whatsoever, it would be a different situation. But, that's not the case here is it?

It seems by his own admission, he contacted a lawyer who suggested he try to collect (gee that's a surprise - not) and, was willing to help him for 25% of his initial settlement (surprise #2).

There was no medical evaluation. Nothing but a reference letter from someone known to the OP.

Client; I'm too fat to work.
Lawyer; Try filing for disability.
Client; Hello government? I'm too fat to work.
Gov; Can you prove it?
Friend; Yep he's fat.
Gov; Here's your check.
Lawyer; Pay me.

I think that the system is a little sideways here. I mean is this really the way the entitlement thingy works?



............ Jim

 

Therein lies the problem. I suspect most disabled people can do some type of work, but two conditions must be necessary to make it happen:

1) There must be work available and employers willing to hire a disabled person over a more able-bodied applicant.

2) The available job must pay a living wage.

This often isn't the case, particularly in a recessionary period.