Since her accident, I figure my wife has lost over $200,000 in potential income, compared to what she was making before the accident, and this amount climbs every day. Since she is going to a pain clinic in order to help her deal with the 24/7/365 pain that she has to endure, she is on narcotics and nerve blockers. Many companies wouldn't want to hire her simply because of the drugs, but also because of the insurance claims (more claims = higher insurance rates for the company and its employees).
Additionally, my wife was turned down for disability and had to hire a lawyer to get it. I found this ridiculous when her left leg is paralyzed from the knee down and even after three bone grafts, one of her bones never regrew together (I can't remember if it is the tibia or fibula). To assist in holding her ankle on her leg, she has two plates and 22 screws holding it on and taking the place of the gap in her bone.
The worse thing is, to qualify for disability, you pretty much have to be at the pverty level. You really can't have any money in savings or in a retirement portfolio (they require you to drain those funds first), but your house and car can only be worth a certain amount of money. What really ticks me off, though, is that she has to pay taxes on 85% of her disability because of MY annual income. We often say we should get divorced, because every time we turn around, the government is sticking it us for being married.