Surgery - time off - paid?

[Prehistory]

I have a chronic ankle issue that hasn't been resolved in 4 years. I can't walk too much or otherwise it starts to ache quite a bit. Now, my job involves a bit of walking, not too much but enough to bother my ankle. Been at this job for a year now, salary position.

To prevent any further damage to the ankle I may have to get surgery which means I have to take few months off from work. The injury didn't start at this job, but having to walk at the job compounds the problem and the pain is getting worse.

Question is, do I get paid anything at all when I take time off for surgery? My company pays for my health benefit and I read the employee benefits booklet but I'm not sure if that covers me since this is not a specific injury that happened at work.

Is there a government agency that helps out? ankle heals slowly and it may be a long time before I can go back to work...

Thanks.

[gotak]

Just ask your manager. A lot of larger sized company have disability benefits covered as part of the health plan. Typically there are long and short term disability benefits.

Also just for sake of finding out all the facts. What is the nature of your job? If the walking isn't off road there are solutions like a scooter or the segway which can allow you to move around without walking as much. Some health plans cover mobility aids up to a certain amount. Again you need to find out from your company.

[Prehistory]

It's a small company but there are disability benefits - short & long term. But they break it down to accident and illness and I'm not sure if I qualify under the heading.

What is the best way to handle this as far as finding out if I qualify for disability without informing my employer? I do not want to tell my employer of my health issue unless I know for sure that I need surgery and need to take time off for x amount of time.

It's an office job for the most part but I do need to walk some times. Also, I'm not friendly with the manager and we are not going to chat about my health issue.

[NutsandBolts]

My honest advice is to keep quiet about it for now and find a Workers Comp lawyer. Around here they charge about $50 for a consultation, and he should tell you exactly what needs to be done. If your job aggravated an "old" injury does not necessarily mean you are not covered, but you need to know your rights.

Regards

[Just thinking]

Call Service Canada and they should be able to help you. I think that you would be eligible for short term benefits through the government, and the benefits from work would be to top you up (kind of like maternity benefits).

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's the way it works.

[sleepyguy]

Depends what your LTD and STD benefits are. I've been with my company forever so I would get full pay for up to 12 weeks for STD... then it scale to LTD which slowly trickle down to about 60% and stays there until they want to pay me out (severance to replace me) or keep paying me while I'm out.