ptsd In Trouble At Work!

[usdart]

I was in a Training session and the instructor made fun of me so I walked out.

This is Required Training and my Boss wants me to come by and 'talk about it'.

Boss knows I have PTSD but, I don't think he understands at all. Man, I am in deep doo-doo now.

What can I say to him to lesson my stress and get him off my backside?l

Edited February 3, 2014 by usdart

[jbasser]

Under Fers, you need a Doctor to get involved. They you show the bosses a letter from the doc statiing your issues that you cannot be around people or something like that. Dont give them your disability info. Then ask for reasonable accommodations and EEO will be in touch. Next contact Harris Federal (http://www.harrisfederal.com) and ask them what it would take to retire you. Get the records and file the claim. Right now they are alomst a year out as they only have about 4 to 5 people (OPM) processing these claims. If the Doc takes you off of work, Them use FMLA and get out of there.

J

[justrluk]

You don't need a VA rating to ask for accommodations. You only need a statement from a physician stating your conditions and the limitations. It is then up to the fed agency to either accommodate you or find a position in which you can serve within your limitations.

[Vync]

Correct. Call the folks at JAN, the Job Accommodation Network (800)526-7234. They'll listen to you and offer advice. If it is serious, they can refer you to various legal resources and possibly even the EEOC itself. The number of employees and whether they are Federal or otherwise matters based on which rules apply. Just because a corporation is large doesn't mean they will bend over backwards to help. In fact, sometimes they play dragass on accommodation requests. Nothing pisses me off more than to hear that an employer is violating the rights of a disabled Veteran, or any disabled person.

[usdart]

Thanks everyone..I met with him yesterday and he tried to be a Psy on me. Telling me it is no big deal and making me feel foolish about my concerns.

I told him the Training is NOT in my Job Discription. He says , 'yes it is, we put it in there'. I reminded him he could not Change my Job Discription at will. It has to got through the Union and be approved.

He asked me for a copy of my Job Discription...That shows how much he cares, he doesn't even know what I do.

He wants to meet each Monday Morning to 'talk' and you can probably guess how that will go.

My Union Rep is unreliable as She is on the Companies side. She wants a promotion and move upwards. I am kinda stuck.

[justrluk]

At any point in meetings with supervisors, you can request a witness be present. Find someone you trust and ask if they can attend these meetings. Also, write down what is said, dates, times, etc. He's building a case that he is counseling you so when the time comes, he can say he did what he was supposed to do/required to do under the contract and OPM rules. You have the right for representation. If you can't get support from your local union rep, talk to the steward. Find someone to sit in with you. If you do this alone, you risk getting emotional (trust me on this one). If you do, that is the trigger the boss needs to file paperwork to either have you removed from your present position or fired. I've not read some of the other responses, but how long have you been there? If you are over 3 years, it will take quite a bit to remove you. Also, talk to civilian personnel at your location. BLUF: you have to get comfortable talking to strangers about your issues. If you don't, you risk your job. I don't know about you, but I need mine and have been down this road (as have others here). It's not easy, but if you get your family doc to write a letter for you, you can start the process of reasonable accomodation. This can be anything (e.g., workstation near a restroom, better chair, ramp if you are wheelchair-bound, having a rep when you talk to your boss about performance for emotional reasons, etc.) within reason. If the organization cannot accomodate, they have to prove it. You can't request an elevator in an existing structure (cost prohibitive), but you can request to work on the first floor if you can't climb steps. Take control of this before it becomes a real problem to go to work each day. Let me know if you need any specific rules (I'm a fed supervisor).

[john999]

As Justrluk says "Be pro-active" about the reasonable accommodation. Don't have fireside chat with supervisor without a witness. You want to set this up so that you have taken all the steps required, and if your employer starts to take action against you then you have many ways to go.

I worked for the USPS. They would spend a millon dollars to deny an employee accommodation. When I asked to be returned to dayshift after they changed me to night shift after 6 years on days I used the fact that VA had DX'ed me at the time as being bipolar. They refused to accommodate me. I filed a workers compensation claim after I saw a psychiatrist who was very smart, and treated many postal employees. Workers' compensation (OWCP) granted by claim, and the USPS had to move me to days again, or pay me to stay home. There are many ways to skin the cat. The really funny thing was that the USPS had to continue to pay me night differential and double Sunday pay because that is what I was getting on the night shift. They really hated that and really hated me, but they were stuck with me for an extra five years.

The day the USPS fired me I filed for worker's compensation because they had begun to screw with me again and I just blew up. I went from work directly to VA nuthouse for in-patient stay. I eventually got WC for about a year and then switched over to TDIU and OPM retirement. I had SSDI by this time. The thing is to lay the foundation for this well in advance. You don't have to do it just like I did it. If you are not too ill I would buy a private disability policy. I did that many years before the USPS fired me. I am still collecting on that policy 13 years later.