New Job- How long to wait before surgery?

[Brooke]

I am getting ready to start a new position with a new company. The best I can determine their employer sponsored health insurance does cover GCS.

How long should I wait before a surgery date? I am thinking at least a year before actual surgery- which works well enough for scheduling with a surgeon/getting a date.

It also appears they cover electrolysis for surgical area. So part B of this is how quickly should I take advantage of this as well. Ie benefits that are trans related.

On a related note, how do you go about getting the time off required for recovery, especially if you are planning additional surgeries.

Has anyone used short term disability during the recovery period for both approval of time off as well as an income stream during that time?

Thanks for the feedback!


~Brooke~

[Dena]

Insurance policies used to have a pre existing clause in them where you couldn't get coverage for a pre existing condition for a set period of time. I suspect it didn't apply when a company switched policies but Obama care may have totally eliminated those clauses. Check your policy and if the coverage starts now, use it whenever you are ready.

[Brooke]

Will do, thanks Dena. I'm also curious just as to etiquette as well. A company hires someone to be there everyday, not to use them for health coverage. I also imagine that by using my benefits for trans coverage that it would get back to my employer for usage statistics.


~Brooke~

[Dena]

That is a loaded question. When I transitioned, one of the reason everything was paid out of pocket was to avoid paper work showing up in the HR office. My work hours were only impacted by one full physical a year and the remainder of my treatment was done in the evenings or on the week end. If they are aware of your tradition, then you should discuss it with the HR office but it shouldn't be an issue. If they aren't aware, then it's up to you.

[Brooke]

They are not aware. I transition legally and socially before starting, and I pass, so no clue.

In your situation how did you deal with the recovery process?


~Brooke~

[Dena]

You don't want to do it the way I did because I got canned. I planed on using my vacation time but nobody told me how much I had so I figured two weeks of time off would be all I would need. Because I couldn't pee, the hospital stay was a couple of weeks pushing me into 3 weeks off. I had about 4 days at home before returning to work and I was so exhausted I had a difficult time getting to work in the morning however I was putting 8 hour days in. This is the reason I warn people to plan for 6 weeks to two months of recovery time. After about a month of work, I was canned and in the exit interview, I was given my final check which had about 4 weeks more pay than I though I had coming. I explained this the the personal person and she said it was vacation pay. Had I been aware that I still  had vacation time left, I would have used it instead of attempting to  kill my self by returning to work way to soon. I sometime wonder how much of a hand my boss had in it because he told me I didn't have much vacation time left and he was a born again christian.

Anyways, that company is no more and I  would like to think had they kept me, they might still be doing business today.

[Kendra]

> They are not aware. I transition legally and socially before starting, and I pass, so no clue.

From your new employer's standpoint, the recovery timeframe is similar to a hysterectomy and you might even call it that.  When the time comes, maybe you can proactively have the doctor write a note for your employer to document this non-elective surgery has an estimated recovery time, without disclosing the surgery is GCS.

[Brooke]

From your new employer's standpoint, the recovery timeframe is similar to a hysterectomy and you might even call it that.  When the time comes, maybe you can proactively have the doctor write a note for your employer to document this non-elective surgery has an estimated recovery time, without disclosing the surgery is GCS.

That's along the lines that I'm thinking. One thing I don't know is if come insurance renewal time for my employer is if they receive stats of what services have been used. Part of this is wanting to stay stealth, of course. I am also trying to find that line of courtesy, respect, etc for my employer as these surgeries have a long recovery time, and i will be leaving them understaffed during that time. Where is that line of trying to make sure I'm not neglecting my responsibilities in the role, while also taking advantage of medically necessary healthcare coverage.

I think there is this weird internal battle for me, where yes, surgeries to address gender dysphoria is medically necessary- but can be undertaken at any point in time.


~Brooke~

[Kendra]

The cost of GCS probably won't cause a spike in any insurance report your company receives, compared to the medical cost of cancer and birth complications.  A co-worker of mine developed a brain tumor which triggered heart failure, the first round of bills exceeded $1m USD.  His wife showed me a prescription that cost more than $10,000 USD to fill. 

This CNN Money article might contain some insight:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/12/news/economy/employer-health/index.html
Although the US HIPAA defines privacy disclosure for medical providers and not employers, it seems logical a well-managed company won't want the liability from having access to detailed medical information.  If a company looks too closely and then terminates an employee for any reason, that company has higher exposure to a wrongful termination claim. 

It's good you are conscientious and concerned about medical leave causing an additional workload on others, but the same happens during parental leave and other valid reasons where people need to take care of themselves and family.  This is one reason companies historically discriminated against cis-gender women until employment law changed.  Fortunately some companies go well beyond the minimum as they compete to find skilled employees. 

I should also say - congratulations on your new job!  Sounds great to be starting out there as your true gender.

[Brooke]

Actually yes, that does help! Thank you. And also, thanks for the congrats! It's been very rewarding beginning new relationships as Brooke, where I am completely stealth, and accepted at face value as female. Dream. Come. True. !

Thank you!


~Brooke~

[eyesk8rboi]

I am getting ready to start a new position with a new company. The best I can determine their employer sponsored health insurance does cover GCS.

How long should I wait before a surgery date? I am thinking at least a year before actual surgery- which works well enough for scheduling with a surgeon/getting a date.

It also appears they cover electrolysis for surgical area. So part B of this is how quickly should I take advantage of this as well. Ie benefits that are trans related.

On a related note, how do you go about getting the time off required for recovery, especially if you are planning additional surgeries.

Has anyone used short term disability during the recovery period for both approval of time off as well as an income stream during that time?

Thanks for the feedback!


~Brooke~

Hi Brooke!

It depends on your works policies! I'm going to give you the view from a supervisor standpoint.

Most places have a 30-90 window before you can receive the insurance. After that you're good to file any treatment that is covered, with whoever takes your insurance. Most places require you to be there for at least 90 days - 1 year before you're given vacation, PTO, paid sick days, ETC.

I would definitely at least wait a year, and while I understand stuff happens beyond our control like getting sick, losing a family member and other acts of the universe that may prevent us from working every scheduled work day of our lives, I would definitely try not to miss any days if humanly possible. Show you have a great work ethic, always be on time, and don't ask for much as an employee and once that year rolls around, request time off for your surgery and file it with the insurance.

I'm going off experience from the jobs I've had. Obviously I don't know your company or their full policies, but just a generic I definitely agree a year is a good period to wait, as by then you should have vacation / PTO and an well-established relationship with the company!