Dear Shade,

Without knowing all the details of your company's short-term disability policy, I really can't answer whether they have to pay this. There should be a process to appeal their doctor's decision. Have you followed up on that appeal process yet? If you haven't, please do. At the very least, if your doctor and theirs disagree, there should  be a process by which you get a second opinion from an independent doctor.

I don't know of any "medical retirement" per se, but you can apply for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration. To do so, you will need to have doctors who support your application. For more information, start with Disability Benefits - SSI and SSDI.

Hope this helps!

Teri