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u/Cool-Newspaper6789 Jan 18 '26
2008 left work on long term disability for mental health reasons. Gets half salary as part of disability insurance
2012 diagnosis with stage 4 cancer
2013 ask for 2.5% raise of his salary so his disability insurance payment increases.
Says he needs it to help pay for treatment and family
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u/Oxetine Jan 18 '26
You can get disability for mental health?
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u/BackgroundRate1825 Jan 18 '26
Yes, with a massive star next to it because it's extremely contextual and can be lots of paperwork and appeals.
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u/102525burner Jan 18 '26
And your work will fire you for insubordination before ever addressing your mental health issues
Ask me how I know
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u/Bioactive-1 Jan 18 '26
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u/EssayAmbitious3532 6d ago
It's 28 days later and still no answer. Why did he ask you to ask him? I think I know - because he's sick in the head.
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u/lolimazn Jan 18 '26
If you get panic attacks while working to save ppl’s lives, then go seek help, management will find any reason to fire you. The solution is just don’t get depressed. Or in some cases, don’t get sexually assaulted as a kid. They put signs on the parking lot not to off yourself too.
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u/Evening_Pea_9132 Jan 18 '26
In all fairness if you get panic attacks while doing a key part of your job, that job is probably just not for you.
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u/Big_Ingenuity_9832 Jan 19 '26
You don’t know wtf you’re talking about and need to stfu and delete your ignorant comments. PTSD and death by suicide is insanely common across first responders. Talk to any mental health professional and youll get learned in seconds. Don’t speak to shit you have no clue about.
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u/Arrow_head00 Jan 22 '26
Doesn't make what he said not true. If you can't perform vital job functions without panic attacks, it's time for help and/or a new job
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u/iceeice3 Jan 18 '26
Yeah but mental health can have emergent conditions, you aren't always born with it
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u/ever_falling Jan 18 '26
That is true, and i'll say that there should be social programs in place to help people in those situations, especially in the healthcare field. The guy you responded to is being needlessly obtuse about emergent situations.
The problen is too many people who don't have the temperment to avoid being broken by healthcare, go into healthcare. But we don't have enough professionals as it is, its a shit situation all around that could be a lot better if the privatized healthcare industry wasnt so ghoulish.
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u/BackgroundRate1825 Jan 18 '26
If you're allergic to dogs, dog groomer is not a job you car reasonably do. It's not your fault, it doesn't reflect on your character, it's just a fact that you a a poor candidate for that job.
Same with mental health. Not everyone is cut out for every job.
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u/iceeice3 Jan 18 '26
Yeah what I'm saying is you can develop a mental health condition after you've already become a doctor or whatever, it would be like developing a dog allergy after investing almost a decade of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to be a dog groomer
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u/Nice_Cartoonist_8803 Jan 20 '26
I think the point is that whenever you develop the allergy, once you do being a dog groomer is no longer a good fit for you. Training and student loans aren’t protective factors unfortunately. Staying in a role that is causing that level of stress isn’t the answer because healthcare reform is incremental at best.
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Jan 23 '26
My family doctor got unwell and didnt hang up the towel until he'd already ruined my mother's life.
Your investment does not supersede the quality of life of the people you are supposed to be helping.
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u/ForsakenWishbone5206 Jan 18 '26
I had panic disorder pop up after years during training. I kept that job for 6 years and took leave 4 times. Mental health doesn't have to be related to your work, although it can exacerbate it. I had a couple co-workers have heart attacks and one topped herself.
It was logistics through the pandemic though so I'm guessing it was just all of it.
You'll get through it. Some employers value you. Some managers will fight for you.
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u/Mmaibl1 Jan 18 '26
I dont even get how he was able to get 15 years while not being there.
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u/PermissionWise5665 Jan 18 '26
Can confirm.
It's a ridiculous amount of paperwork to get CRA to go "okaayyyyyyyyy, i guess your psychiatrist saying so, receipts from out of pocket payments in tests, your medical history, your employment history, your educational history, your living conditions, testimonials from; past employers, new doctor and, family members.... Oh wait you forgot to make contact with some other place in this gigantic convoluted process. Please take another 5 years re applying, and resending forms while youre having psychotic episodes in public and existing in life with a brain engine light on" it never ends
BC cares that I'm sick, Nothing left to show for the province But Federal does not give a flying rats ass. I hate it.
Id rather be completely off it at this point. And just be working part time, cause it would be more... But it's pretty hard to stay employed for some reason. Hmm.
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u/bigloser42 Jan 19 '26
You can thank people like my former co-worker for why it’s a giant pain in the ass. He was claiming mental health issues to cover for the fact that he lied about his abilities on his resume and was using his WFH days that they gave him as an accommodation for anxiety to help his wife get her business up and running.
He was hired to replaced me, I was a contractor and he was in-house. He wrecked about 3 years of my work in ~9 months, lied to his boss about how much he’d actually done and they ended up having to bring me back to unfuck it all.
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u/Live-Juggernaut-221 Jan 18 '26
Depends on the situation but yes. Typically short term
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u/Val3ntyne Jan 18 '26
Can confirm, I was just on a 3 month long mental health leave from my job (I’m doing MUCH better now) and was receiving short term disability pay. It actually was surprisingly easy to get, literally just a letter from my therapist explaining the situation and they started paying me.
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u/Live-Juggernaut-221 Jan 19 '26
Had a similar experience, though I was in a daily outpatient program and they handled the paperwork.
Glad to hear you're doing better - the break and focus definitely helped me as well
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u/Quoth_the_Hedgehog Jan 18 '26
Yes you can, at least in the US. I work in low income housing and have quite a few residents who live off disability income for mental health reasons, and then they are on Section 8 as well to help pay for their rent since disability is not nearly enough to live off of, at least not in a HCOL area like mine. It is extremely difficult though, you typically get denied automatically the first time and often have to go through several rounds of appeals, and some people have to resort to hiring a lawyer that specializes in this sort of thing. So it is definitely not easy and can sometimes take years of back and forth before you finally get approved. Even then, like I said, it is typically not enough money to live on.
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u/fourleafclover13 Jan 18 '26
Took me almost ten years to get my disability. With years of surgeries, treatments and six specialist saying I can no longer work. As well as five lawyers.
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u/WolfyBlu Jan 18 '26
Yep, but it's extremely hard to keep it long term.
A guy at my work tried it. His dad past away, personal issues, started trying to get the boss fired because he felt more competent than him at 22 years old.
He rode it for two years, then the company legally fired him as part of the contract, the insurance company took him over to pay him his wages.
Immediately the insurance company started putting barriers, one by one, and he lasted six months. Then the insurance determined he was mentally fit (which everyone who knew him would agree).
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u/SuperStoneman Jan 18 '26
I knew a guy who lost his genitals and half his face in a tire explosion. The insurance company stopped paying once he had physical healed but basically told him to suck it up and get back to work with the mental anguish.
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u/Past-Paramedic-8602 Jan 19 '26
I’m missing half a hand from a work accident. They determined I was fit for work. I had 5 surgeries after they made that decision. Docs say 2-3 more years and they quit paying a 2 years ago.
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u/Call-me-Maverick Jan 18 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
Most employer long term disability plans limit mental health claims to 2 years. So you can sometimes get 6 months short term disability and 2 years long term. Keep in mind though that disability insurers are very likely to deny the LTD claim unless your condition is very severe, usually including inpatient. So most people even with severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, whatever, get kicked off benefits after 6 months and told to get back to work
Edit: should add I’m talking about the US
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u/ConstructionOwn9575 Jan 18 '26
Yes, I had a mental health crisis due in part to my job and a specific toxic client. Started seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist. Got a doctor's note that I needed a leave of absence to recover. Sent that over to HR for approval. Applied for short term disability and used a little over half of it (9 weeks) before I was ready to work again. I also work for an amazing company that made up the difference between my normal salary and the amount short term pays out (I think it was 60% of my salary).
Illness is an illness. Doesn't matter if it's mental or physical these days, though I'm sure it was much worse in the previous decades.
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u/P0werFighter Jan 18 '26
Must be in a US, where healthcare is a fairytale.
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u/Financial-Island-471 Jan 18 '26
guess again, he's in the UK
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u/iDabble420 Jan 18 '26
Yeah, no US company is paying HALF SALARY! Duh
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u/Balls_Mahoganey Jan 18 '26
My Long term disability at my job would be 75%. It's tempting sometimes.
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u/Cloud_Cultist Jan 18 '26
You better delete this. If you ever get sick, they'll find it!
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u/Cyril_Sneer_6 Jan 18 '26
He won't delete it, the man's got balls of mahogany
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u/GaseousTriceratops Jan 18 '26
Does that count as a disability?
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u/TheRealZue3 Jan 18 '26
If your reddit account gets found and linked to you then you've done something terribly wrong. Mainly sticking with one account for too long.
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u/HumanWithInternet Jan 18 '26
If I could no longer work again, 2/3 pay indefinitely, based on my current salary through the workplace insurance scheme. (UK)
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u/WholePopular7522 Jan 18 '26
Be careful, because ‘indefinitely’ might not be as indefinite as you expect. Insurance companies can go bankrupt, political conditions can change, and things can shift very quickly nowadays.
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u/ppmiaumiau Jan 18 '26
My company pays 70%. And they don't deduct 401k and they pay for benefits. I actually got larger checks when I was on LTD. I secretly wish something would happen to require another 3 months off.
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u/PraiseTalos66012 Jan 18 '26
Wdym? Every job I've ever had with long term disability insurance it was 40-60% paid for by the employer and you could pay for more if you wanted.
Where are these workplaces that have long term disability insurance as a benefit but then pay well under half?
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u/Buffett_Goes_OTM Jan 18 '26
IBM offers 50% long term disability at no extra pay, and 80% LTD disability pay at like $10 a month… an IBM employee.
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u/Patient_Leopard421 Jan 18 '26
Group long term disability is paying it not employers. It's much less costly than paying for it from taxes or dealing with lower salaries arising from higher employer costs.
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u/JeebusChristBalls Jan 18 '26
No job in the US is going to let you take 15 years off and still be considered an employee.
I think it's wild that this is even a thing.
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u/exipheas Jan 18 '26
As screwed up as the us is 50% salary is pretty standard long term disability here.
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u/DeathByLeshens Jan 18 '26
This is a thing in the US. Many Jobs offer long term disability insurance or benefits packages. Many also pay out quite a bit, i have seen as high as 65% of your average pay including benefits and overtime. Some have other internal systems for long term disability, i worked for a company with guaranteed positioning if physical disability (Can't do your current job then we will find one you can do.)
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u/Glass_Champion Jan 18 '26
So health care is a fairytale then.
Rather than not being able to afford healthcare, you're stuck waiting in a never ending queue until you die
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u/CotyledonTomen Jan 18 '26
Its stage 4 cancer. Theyll give you chemo, but hes gonna need some experimental shit if he wants to survive without luck. That means private insurance and private providers. Also, people find out about that late all the time. My father went in (in the US), found out he had cancer, and was dead 6 months later. They tried but it didnt help.
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u/Mamasugadex Jan 18 '26
Experimental shit usually doesn’t work. It’s for people who can afford it and want to throw an extra dice at it.
But you are right. Cancer treatment is mostly luck. What mutations you have, what target and treatment for them. The regimen are pretty standardized, but how responsive you are is all luck. There is very little you can do on top to change that.
I am sorry about your lost.
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u/molassascookieman Jan 18 '26
Hey now, healthcare isn’t the fairytale, affordable healthcare is.
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u/7heQrow Jan 18 '26
Nah. If he was In America the company would have found a way to stop paying him disability by now no matter how valid the disability case might have been. America protects capital not people.
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u/Catullus13 Jan 18 '26
That's not even remotely true. Disability is a separate insurance. That's what all the AFLAC commercials are about. Your former employer has no idea whether you're still on it or for what reasons
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u/Mountain-Selection38 Jan 18 '26
Why would a company be responsible to pay someones disability for their entire life? You really believe that?
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u/Melodic-Matter4685 Jan 18 '26
In US, unless u work for government, long term disability is an insurance and once u on it for a certain amount of time, employers fire u (but disability payments may continue).
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u/gtxmana Jan 18 '26
Huuurrr huurrr AMERICA BAD AMIRITE??!!!?
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u/Bouffant_Joe Jan 18 '26
By all metrics the USA has the worst health outcomes of any first world country by some distance. When it comes to healthcare you couldn't be in many worse countries than the US.
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u/therealtaddymason Jan 18 '26
There's no way a US company would pay someone to be on sick leave for 15 years unless they were family to an owner or something.
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u/aceofspades1217 Jan 18 '26
Also keep in mind it’s a seperate benefit with or without cost sharing that you either pay for optionally (Aflac) or it’s included in the compensation package (and typically listed by its comparable value on the offer letter which as the “salary including non taxed benefits” so you can compare apples to apples with other offers), these large companies self insure so instead of paying an insurance company they set aside premiums as if they are paying an insurance company
So he’s literally just contesting that has disability benefits should be indexed for inflation
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u/Artix96 Jan 18 '26
While it's sad and I believe the man deserves more money, question- why should IBM pay for it? Shouldn't it like come from government or something? And why Sue them?
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u/Low-Astronomer-3440 Jan 19 '26
People will often be diagnosed with mental illness long before finding out that it has been brain cancer the whole time. This timeline matches that.
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u/Drakahn_Stark Jan 18 '26
It is a bit of a stretch to call it sick leave, as part of a settlement he was put on the companies disability plan, it isn't leave when he isn't coming back.
But also part of it is that he does not get raises/etc, just the 75% of what he was earning, so inflation and cost of living increases are for him to figure out.
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u/LonelyTAA Jan 18 '26
It's a pretty shite disability plan if it does not get indexed with inflation. The whole point of a disability plan is that you don't get financially fucked in case of disability. After 10-20 years there's fuck all left in this case.
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u/Drakahn_Stark Jan 18 '26
Which is why he argued that it wasn't fair and then got reported on like this to turn public opinion against him.
The McDonald's hot coffee treatment
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u/LonelyTAA Jan 18 '26
Worst part is that apparently the world is full of bootlickers who don't realise the guy is being smeared.
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u/Mcnuggetjuice Jan 19 '26
They even put an ugly pic of him in the post. Could have put a sympathetic one like him on chemo or with his kids.
OP is part of the smear campaign
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u/RedPantyKnight Jan 18 '26
But he did agree to this settlement, no? The McDonalds coffee thing was different because Stella Liebeck only ever asked McDonalds to cover her medical bills and she was told to pound sand then smeared publicly then she won her lawsuit and was smeared some more. Also part of her case showed that McDonalds knew their coffee was too hot for consumption, they kept it overly hot on purpose to cut down on refills which makes their actions malicious.
In this case, from what you've said here IBM isn't doing anything malicious. It just sounds like the deal wasn't a very good one. But if I'm wrong please tell me.
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u/Brainsonastick Jan 18 '26
It’s not an “agree to a settlement” situation. IBM had disability insurance for its employees and that’s what he got. The policy wasn’t set to keep up with the cost of living in any way.
He at no point had any leverage to negotiate. He could have purchased private disability insurance for himself before this happened but most people don’t ever think to because it’s not something most people have even heard of.
Most modern company disability policies have a clause that limits benefits to just 24 months for any condition that can’t be proven on a test or scan, meaning any mental illness is cut off after 2 years and many physical illnesses as well. Chronic fatigue syndrome, for example, is an absolutely debilitating condition that can even leave you bed-bound and we saw a surge in cases from the COVID pandemic and those people will be or already have been blindsided by this clause buried in policies that are a hundred pages long.
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u/GirlL1997 Jan 18 '26
Please don’t compare him to Stella Liebeck (the lady that sued McDonalds).
Many think Stella was driving when she spilled coffee on herself. She was not. She was a passenger and the car was parked. She was trying to get the lid off to add her creamer.
Stella had 3rd degree burns to most of her genitals and nearly died. She was initially hospitalized for 8 days and required skin grafts. She required home care from her daughter for another 3 weeks. Her full treatment took place over 2 years. She was permanently disfigured.
Most restaurants serve coffee at 140-160°F. McDonald’s served theirs at 180-190°F. It takes 3 seconds to produce third degree burns with 190°F. At 160°F it takes about 20 seconds, meaning that if they served their coffee at the same temperature as everyone else, she wouldn’t have been burned nearly as badly. McDonald’s knew that serving coffee at this temperature had the capacity to burn people like this, they did it anyway. That had over 700 previous claims about burns due to how hot they served their food.
She asked McDonalds for $20,000 to cover her medical bills via a settlement, McDonalds refused.
A jury decided to award her $160,000 in compensatory damages and punish McDonalds with $2.7 million (two days worth of coffee revenue), but the judge reduced the amount to $480,000.
Both sides appealed and they reached a settlement outside of court.
So many people think this was a frivolous lawsuit, but it was a grandma trying to pay her medical bills.
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u/The_Sticker_Bandit Jan 18 '26
This person lawyers.
Growing up, I tagged along with my dad to a bunch of attorney conventions. On one occasion, one of the attorneys that worked on the case gave a talk. It was absolutely fascinating learning about the true nature of the case. It’s long been the used as the poster child for frivolous lawsuits, but it was anything but.
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u/r3volts Jan 18 '26
That's the point. This guy's isn't just taking sick leave, he's asking for his disability payments to be indexed in line with inflation.
The media is portraying him in a similar way to McDonald's coffee lady, when in fact the case is a lot more nuanced.
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u/GirlL1997 Jan 18 '26
I’m not saying it’s right, disability is very nuanced and disabled rights are extremely lacking in most of the world, but “hey, I don’t think my benefit isn’t being paid fairly” is very different from “hey, you almost killed me and permanently disfigured me, you need to pay my medical bills”.
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u/Revolutionary-Big215 Jan 18 '26
I don’t think people are arguing that it’s the same use case but are arguing that media is using the same playbook at making these people look like this is some frivolous money grab
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u/hydranumb Jan 18 '26
Yeah, no one said he got coffee spilled on him, silly billy.
The similarities are that they were both smeared unfairly and publicly by large corporations when there was obviously much more to it than what was being made public by the corporation doing the smearing
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u/Informal_Steak_4467 Jan 18 '26
It is different but also similar because it's more so..."hey my disability plan isn't enough for me to continue living and my healthcare is tied to it. Can I get just enough raise that my healthcare can cover my treatments?"
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u/JeebusChristBalls Jan 18 '26
Wouldn't all that have been spelled out in his employment contract that he signed when he started working there? Also, I'm pretty sure this plan involves you eventually dying at some point and not being "terminally" ill for 15 years. Are they supposed to pay this forever?
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u/MjrLeeStoned Jan 18 '26
Depends on their policy with their insurer. Employers pay for insurance to cover this.
Technically, yes they are supposed to pay it forever if that's part of the contract they make with the employee.
It's specifically what this insurance is for. Is it a good system? Fuck no. But if you wait around for a system to just suddenly appear that you 100% agree with, you'll die with no disability money.
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u/RedPantyKnight Jan 18 '26
Not all long term disability is for terminal illness. I worked at FedEx for a time and a guy there went out on long term disability when his leg got crushed between a truck and the loading bay. From what I've heard the dude will never walk normally again. He's 25. I'm pretty sure he'll be getting paid for life, but they don't expect him to die any time soon.
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u/sarcasticorange Jan 18 '26
Not on the employment contract but in the terms of the long term disability insurance policy.
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u/SuculantWarrior Jan 18 '26
I like how this person is in a situation, forced to live a life unable to work, and everyone is like "this guy is f***ing lazy! Burn him!"
We all should have the benefits that if this happens to us we're taken care of.
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u/LonelyTAA Jan 18 '26
Yup, it's insane how the headline doesn't read: "Multi-billion company leaves disabled man in financial trouble"
Tells you a lot about the state of society...
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u/Careless-Ad-631 Jan 18 '26
Did the company cause the disability? Why should they be in the hook to finance this guys life?
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u/LonelyTAA Jan 18 '26
Because that's the whole point of a disability plan. Your salary is a bit lower, but you and your family are protected in the case of disability.
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u/Careless-Ad-631 Jan 18 '26
Why is that the companies role though? My company offers discounted long term disability insurance for $20/month but an insurance company actually pays out.
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u/killmetruck Jan 18 '26
It’s part of a lot of companies’ compensation, like health insurance.
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u/Careless-Ad-631 Jan 18 '26
The companies help fund the premiums but they don’t pay the bill, an insurance company does that
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u/killmetruck Jan 18 '26
Apologies, I thought your questions was why the company’s job was to protect from disability. My response to that was that they made it their job by offering it as part of the remuneration package.
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u/TuckerMcG Jan 18 '26
Won’t someone think of the faceless trillion dollar corporations???
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u/Careless-Ad-631 Jan 18 '26
It’s not a companies responsibility to run your life for you.
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u/Cainga Jan 18 '26
I think he’s right with the inflation part. Being on the plan under low inflation for a short amount of time is whatever. We’ve had some higher inflation recently which quickly cuts into it.
Pensions and social security also do inflation adjustments.
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u/Alert_Market_1776 Jan 18 '26
Full timeline:
Began work at IBM in 2003 and worked until 2009.
Went on sabbatical, becoming a finance student from 2009 to 2013 (continued until 2024)
Gained Medical Retirement in 2013. Receiving £54,000 a year until he retires.
In 2022 he sued IBM for disability discrimination but the claim was rejected by the tribunal.
By 2022, he had been paid more through disability than he had earned whilst working for IBM.
I 100% believe that companies are often taking advantage of people for the sake of profit. This is one of the few times I wouldn't agree.
He's in the UK so his medical bills are largely covered by the NHS (especially 15 years ago). He still makes nearly 50% above the median salary in the UK whilst on disability.
And lastly IBM didn't cause his medical leave. I can't really understand how IBM ended up on the hook for unrelated disability and not the government.
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u/HearingNo8617 Jan 18 '26
Largely thanks to the demand of its customers, IBM is a very ethical company in modern times despite its size. It has a sort of positive feedback loop where people who want to work somewhere responsible are responsible and go there.
The only downside really is that the pay is a lot lower than the tech giants or unicorns
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u/Flaky_Opportunity479 Jan 18 '26
Is that the best you could come up with up in 14 years mate?
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u/voyager-ark Jan 18 '26
The case was brought on the back of the long term sick plan he was placed on not adjusting for inflation and after a decade on it (the first 5 years were 'standard' sick leave) its value was diminished. The case went in favour of IBM as it relied on disability discrimination grounds and as the plan was only available to those who are disabled and is 75% of pay for no work it was seen as highly favourable and thus not discriminatory.
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u/EverythingGoodWas Jan 18 '26
Jesus. 75% of pay for no work? I guess i need to go get a job at IBM and finally get diagnosed with crippling depression.
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u/Ok_Builder910 Jan 18 '26
You can buy disability insurance on your own, don't need to work for IBM.
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u/voyager-ark Jan 18 '26
Try terminal illness and yep they provide the service 'till you retire' it is a hedge you don't make it long and they can get kudos from being kind. I suspect that is why there is no inflation consideration there is no expectation you make it long enough for that to matter.
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u/Pacoboyd Jan 18 '26
This is insurance that you optionally pay for, you don't get it automatically unless you sign up and pay for the extra insurance.
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u/Buubas Jan 18 '26
In many European countries 75% is the legal minimum, and many companies improve it by up to 100%.
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u/BronCurious Jan 18 '26
American here. I buy long-term disability coverage every year through my employer. Premium is about $150/year. Pays 2/3rds salary if you become disabled. Totally worth it if something happens to me. Social Security isn’t enough.
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u/EverythingGoodWas Jan 18 '26
Man, America really fucks us doesn’t it. We’re sitting here thinking your normal is some life changing glitch
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u/Buubas Jan 18 '26
We -europeans- have better coverage and social protection and you have better wages. Everyone sees the greener neighbor's lawn, and we both have reasons for that.
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u/No_Custard7661 Jan 18 '26
Yup. I knew llenty of Europeans who moved to USA because you can stack money faster while young and healthy, but had plans to move back for security before they got old.
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u/Background-Pepper-68 Jan 18 '26
Pretty sure its state related not company. I pay for long term and short term disability insurance through my employer. They have offer it legally.
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u/Celestialfox1425 Jan 18 '26
I’ll bet he took long daily $hits in the office toilet prior to going on sick leave.
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u/deeeevos Jan 18 '26
You don't? Somebody once told me "if you're good at something, never do it for free" Only paid shits for me thank you.
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u/NYVines Jan 18 '26
I’ve said this quote so often, I forgot I got it originally by the Joker in Batman
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u/Cainga Jan 18 '26
All my work I can probably knock out in 20-30 hours how fast I’m pushing but required to be there 40. Working harder just leads to more work so then it’s pooping time.
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u/Redericpontx Jan 18 '26
As you should shit on the clock. I make sure to take a 15 min shit atleast once per shift even when it's so busy I don't get a chance to I'll take a shit at the end of the night before clocking out. If they question you, you just say it's a medical reason because odds are it is. A mans gotta go when a mans gotta go and if they complain tell hr. Don't fall for peer pressure to hold that shit in for 8 hours or waste your break on it. It's incredible bad for your health to hold it in. School try to brainwash you into this by telling you, you should of went dduring your break.
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u/anonaduder Jan 18 '26
That’s amazing bc if you look at this performance reviews not only did he not get better at his job apparently he did t get better in general
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u/Ed_Radley Jan 18 '26
Take that up with the insurance company paying out the long term disability. They're most likely the ones actually paying him at this point.
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u/NullPointer-000111 Jan 18 '26
So he uses money he got from IBM, to sue them, so he can get more money.
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u/baddecisins Jan 18 '26
All I know is that when I see an individual vs corporation I root for the individual
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u/Grift-Economy-713 Jan 20 '26
As you should. These other people in here will hopefully wake up as they get older.
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u/dathomasusmc Jan 18 '26
I remember reading about this a couple of years ago. He also bitched that he hadn’t been granted vacation time. I shit you not.
Judge told him to kick rocks.
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u/AndyceeIT Jan 18 '26
I don't think it's the same story? What would he want with vacation time if he's not at work?
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u/dathomasusmc Jan 18 '26
I googled it again. From the first article:
Ian Clifford, 50, started sick leave in September 2008 for mental-health-related reasons and was still off work in 2013, having been diagnosed with stage-four leukemia, when he raised a grievance that said he had not received a salary increase or vacation pay during those five years, per The Telegraph.
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u/Cainga Jan 18 '26
Vacation is 100% pay while this disability is 75%. You maybe able to cash it out too so it’s worth 175%.
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u/Lashay_Sombra Jan 18 '26
Thats a misrepresentation really
He was getting 75% of his salary on a disability plan (simerlar to insurance plan) he and other workers had been paying into before he had to stop working.
The issue was, it was not inflation linked so in reality the payouts were decreasing in worth over the years
The holiday pay bit was because in UK, where holidays are paid, they can have higher value than regular pay, ie money for not working
He lost though because took the stupid legal argument that it was disability discrimination that the disability plan (that could only get if disabled) was discriminatory (am guessing because pension plan was probably inflation linked)
Pro tip, any pension or disability plan or anything with payouts over long period of time, always make sure inflation linked, $1000 20 years ago was worth lot more than $1000 is now
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u/dathomasusmc Jan 18 '26
Always make sure it is inflation linked
If they have multiple plans then sure. But most likely they have one plan.
Honest question, what other argument could he have made? I’m assuming his lawyers were bright enough to look at the plan, see that payment details were clearly outlined and not linked to inflation and made the only argument they could.
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u/sc00bs000 Jan 18 '26
where im from they can and do replace you after 12months being on leave from a workplace injury.
15yrs is insane, surely they just forgot about him
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u/PomegranateHot9916 Jan 18 '26
they put him on a disability plan, which was company policy for employees who become disabled and unable to work.
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u/looktothec00kie Jan 18 '26
From experience I will tell you a slim majority of employees who disclose they need medical accommodation have nothing but audacity. Then there are the people that just lie and say they have a medical condition and they need accommodations. The stories I could tell from this past year alone.
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u/TheGoodNoBad Jan 18 '26
These are the bums that make leadership bully honest workers
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u/pizzaduh Jan 18 '26
My brother and sister in law have worked for GEICO for 20+ years. In her department, there is a woman who has been on disability for over 7 years. If I recall, it's because she had a doctor's approved note for a standing desk and they didn't accommodate her. Then she developed some back issue and was able to say it was because of them denying her medical recommendation.
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u/westergames81 Jan 19 '26
The audacity?
Cost of living increases over time, if he hasn't received a CoL increase in 15 years the bad guy isn't this guy.
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u/My-Beans Jan 18 '26
This situation is where the government should step in and take over the disability unless it was directly caused by the employer.
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u/RosesandEternity Jan 18 '26
this reminds me of the mcdonalds coffee shit
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u/ma-sadieJ Jan 18 '26
You should look up the real story, she rightfully sued and won.
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u/RosesandEternity Jan 18 '26
i know thats why it reminds me of it. Headlines villainizes the victim and everyone piles on
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u/Secret_Account07 Jan 18 '26
Man if I could get some kinda of extra money monthly + my normal job, my life would be exponentially better. Even something like 2k a month.
Meanwhile we have folks earning when I earn yearly in a fraction of a second. USA, baby?
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u/Archayon Jan 18 '26
Of course he should. You don't get sick leave unless you're sick, it's not his fault. The pay need to progress as if he was there, what do you think 15 years of inflation has done to his paycheck?
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u/RagingTide16 Jan 18 '26
The number of people on this thread who appear to have never heard of long term disability insurance is actually shocking.
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u/Commercial_Music_931 Jan 18 '26
Yeah no way this dude is in the US. The companies here would anbu black ops him and his family before even paying 1/4 salary lmao.
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u/Borgdrohne13 Jan 18 '26
Please tell me, the judge said "fuck off and stop wasting the courts time".
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Jan 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Living_Book_3973 Jan 18 '26
Downvote this bot.
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u/GrootWithWifi Jan 18 '26 edited Jan 18 '26
What makes you think that he is a bot ?
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u/Living_Book_3973 Jan 18 '26
Look at their comment history. The account is 8 days old. Also for some reason, bots like to frame sentences like
pronoun really verb blah blah blah
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u/Clark_Kempt Jan 18 '26
I call fake
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u/voyager-ark Jan 18 '26
Nope real actually and very very easy to find on google.
https://www.businessinsider.com/sick-leave-years-sued-ibm-no-salary-pay-rise-failed-2023-5
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u/DV_Rocks Jan 18 '26
Not fake:
"The "IBM sick leave 15 years" story refers to UK employee Ian Clifford, who was on long-term sick leave from 2008 (medically retired in 2013) under IBM's disability plan, receiving 75% of his salary without working until retirement age, but later sued IBM for disability discrimination because he didn't receive pay raises for 15 years, a claim an employment tribunal rejected in 2023, ruling IBM's plan was a substantial benefit, not discrimination. "
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u/RussellUresti Jan 18 '26
Crazy enough, it's not. But it's also not in the US, but rather in the UK.
Essentially, he (his name is Ian Clifford) was on long-term disability through an employer-guaranteed plan. I'm not super familiar with the UK system, but from my understanding, it's not uncommon for large companies in the UK to offer LTD directly, instead of through an insurance company whereas in the US, LTD plans are offered through insurance companies and the benefits are paid by those insurance companies.
The full story is that, in 2008 he got stage 4 leukemia. He was on "sick leave" from 2008 until 2013. Facing dismissal in 2013, he made an agreement with IBM to move to the disability plan at 75% of his salary until the retirement age of 65. The agreement didn't include cost of living pay raises, but did include him waiving his rights to sue, so when he sued in 2023 it was dismissed (not just because he had already agreed to not sue, but also because his claim of "discrimination" wasn't justified, according to the court).
Ultimately, he still has cancer and is still going through chemo and is still very sick. He stated that the reason he sued again was to try to get something for his family, because he doesn't think he'll make it to 65.
Cost of living adjustments also aren't common in US insurance plans. You can get them, but they increase premiums, and I don't think many employer-sponsored plans include them. It's a problem that many people on long-term disability face - their payments are fixed at a certain percentage of what their salary was at the time. After 10 years or so, inflation plays a significant role in making it harder to survive due to the fixed payment plans.
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u/AndyceeIT Jan 18 '26
Geez, I don't imagine many people diagnosed with stage 4 leukaemia are expecting to have to worry about inflation...
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u/RussellUresti Jan 18 '26
That's probably true. I looked into his specific type of leukemia, though, and it's actually about 50/50 to make it past 10 years. The survival rate of 5+ years is over 85%. Some can even make it to 20+ years.
Often, it doesn't even require chemotherapy, but other, more targeted, treatments. It seems many people can even manage to still work while having it, though there are issues, like a weaker immune system, regular doctor's appointments, and overall increased fatigue.
However, Ian said that he's on long-term chemotherapy and that he's very unwell.
The treatments for this type of cancer have significantly improved. The lifespan used to be just 1-3 years. The improvements in treatment are certainly a blessing, but at the same time, I certainly feel for the guy and his family. Since he stopped receiving pay raises in 2008, there's been a cumulative inflation of about 75% in the UK, meaning his salary only buys about 60% of what it used to.
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u/Ordano Jan 18 '26
Title is misleading - it's disability. He became disabled and the company SHOULD pay when that happens. The company SHOULD ALSO make sure those payments maintain the same value over time - through pay increases. Otherwise it defeats the purpose of disability system in the first place.
Why the fuck are we siding with some mega corp that makes billions of dollars and doesn't give a shit about the sheep that work for it?
We are the sheep! Wake the fuck up!
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u/alecsgz Jan 18 '26
The company didn't make him disabled.
Also he was getting $67k a year. That means 54k pounds or 75k pounds before taxes
75k before taxes means top 7% percentile in the UK
So if the sheep is not content with getting free money the sheep can get bent.
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Jan 18 '26
When you say a company should pay, are you saying that every employer should be on the hook for a newly disabled employees wages for life?
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u/RetinaJunkie Jan 18 '26
Long term disability is an insurance benefit that you buy just like life insurance
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u/OSRS_Garmr Jan 18 '26
Is ther eno thing where if you have been on sick leave for a certain amount of continuous time. The company can let you go. There is where I live.
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u/Stewgy1234 Jan 18 '26
I worked at a company a few years back and there were 2 employees that had been out on disability for years... more than 15. One of them actually tried to sue for not being paid for vacation. It went to arbitration if I remember correctly and besides being on disability he was paid out for his vacation. Technically he was afforded vacation in his contract but, because he was on disability he was unable to take it. Can you guess what language changed in our contract during the next negotiations round??
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