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B. Bruce Anderson (banderson @ RTC.GOV) asked me: >Would you mind clarifying what you mean by, "Too many folks wait far beyond >that, only to see the last quarters of their SS reflect a decrease in income - >thus a decrease in SS Disability Income." Thanks. Sure. Two ways, and I'm taking this from the Disability pamplet put out by the Social Security Administration (05-100290). ON PAGE 6 "Age 31 and older -.... You generally must have earned at least 20 of the credits in the 10 years immediately before you became disabled." ON PAGE 13 "The amount of your monthly disability benefits is based on your lifetime average earnings covered by Social Security." There are people I've known who have taken large decreases in earnings in order to maintain a job while under the beginning stages of PD, simply because they, or their bosses, do not think they can fullfill the requirements of the high paying position. Three years prior to cashing it in, their income continued to decline - thus having a very strong and negative effect on the final SS Disability payments. In the long run, this can add up to a lot of money, but so can the negative effects of our need to work. When I finally agreed to leave my last place of employment as a well paid sales exec., I literally cried. For the next three months I refused to unpack my briefcase, dispite the fact that PD had caused several of my customers to call my company and comment about my possible drinking problem. Shaking hands, unstable walk, etc. I understood, but I didn't want to quit. And if I had any choice at all, I'd be back at work Monday morning. It was certainly hard for me to accept that my PD would never get better, but in the long run, it is wiser to call it quits than to go from a $80,000 per year position to a minimum wage position just on the off chance that the PD will go away. This is to say nothing about LTD, sick leave, vacation pay, medical benefits, life insurance, etc., all which decrease with the lower paying positions. 'nuff said.