100% Disability & Work

[david walker]

Trying to help out a friend. if you have 100% disability can you go to work at a state job as a correction officer & keep your money?

[Pete53]

I am with Don its none of their business.

100 P&T Schedular for Panic Disoreder

[jmack]

Just to piggy-back off Don and Pete, with the support and understanding from my wife, I don't owe none of them an explanation. Until they can walk in our shoes, those of us with mental illness, they can continue on their ignorant ways. The way I feel is that it's taken me a long time and lots of therapy to accept the fact that I have a mental disability. There are alot more that's not man or woman enough to admit their problem. Like I said earlier, I tried to work, but eventually I couldn't do it. Yes, there was this part of me that was still in denial of being disabled. 40 something and disabled? Major Depressive Disorder and medicated? No way!!! Yes way, got it and got the T-shirt. 100% P&T. Heck,Iam underpayed by the Government and they know it. Give me back ALL my good health and my good job and you can have this stigmatic label. Or give me and the rest of my fellow veterans the benefits we deserve without penalty whether we work or not, IU or P&T. "All paid some, Some paid ALL". It belongs to "US" anyhow!! There I go again, any suggestions on how I can remember these DARN meds, and take them on time?

jmack

[Justme1949]

Maybe I should have started a new topic however my husbands newly awarded claim falls(I think) in this thread. He filed a claim back in June '06 for 4 things. It was a long 15months gathering his records military and medical. :) There where many times we both felt like throwing in the towel and not looking back. Finally, this past September we recieved the brown envelope and just about fell over when we read it. He was awarded 100% P&T schedular for PTSD! I just started crying and my husband just kept reading it over and over to make sure he wasn't missing something. I put this in this thread because my husband does work full time. In fact it was even mentioned by the Doctor who did the C&P exam,the notes from the VA psychartist and the VA pyschologist. I even mentioned it in the letter I wrote about his PTSD and how it affected our lives(38years). I've read all the posts in this thread and can certainly understand why one would think 100% P&T PTSD and work does not happen!

However, it did for my husband and I have to believe there are others too that just don't know about the Hadit forumn.

Justme & Hubby(Vietnam Vet'69)

[timetowinarace]

Maybe I should have started a new topic however my husbands newly awarded claim falls(I think) in this thread. He filed a claim back in June '06 for 4 things. It was a long 15months gathering his records military and medical. :) There where many times we both felt like throwing in the towel and not looking back. Finally, this past September we recieved the brown envelope and just about fell over when we read it. He was awarded 100% P&T schedular for PTSD! I just started crying and my husband just kept reading it over and over to make sure he wasn't missing something. I put this in this thread because my husband does work full time. In fact it was even mentioned by the Doctor who did the C&P exam,the notes from the VA psychartist and the VA pyschologist. I even mentioned it in the letter I wrote about his PTSD and how it affected our lives(38years). I've read all the posts in this thread and can certainly understand why one would think 100% P&T PTSD and work does not happen!

However, it did for my husband and I have to believe there are others too that just don't know about the Hadit forumn.

Justme & Hubby(Vietnam Vet'69)

Thanks for your input. This topic comes up allot here.

There had been another (newer) member here awhile back that said he also was awarded 100% (mental) while working but eventually had to quit. So I believe your correct that there are more out there. Those opposed to the idea just seemed to ignore his post. I know of one 100% PTSD Vet that is still working.

I think it is a shame that even some our own Brothers and Sister Veterans hold those of us with mental disabilities to a different standard than physical ones.

I hope that I will someday be able to work again. To take away my comp because I am willing to work (think) twice as hard as 'normal' people to accomplish (overcome) something would be criminal in my opinion.

Time

Edited November 12, 2007 by timetowinarace

[recruiterrick]

If you are 100% for a mental condition working is a big issue. If you are 100% for a mental condition and the VA finds out you are working you will be called in for a C&P exam. They will ask you if you are working. If you say yes, you will then get a rating decision a few months later telling you that you have been reduced to 30%. The main thing that kept me from getting a rating higher than 30% was the fact I worked full time at the post office. If you can maintain full employment then you probably are not 70-100% mentally disabled. It stands to reason although it may not be fair since they guys with physical injuries have an opportunity to have much better lives than a person who cannot get out of their chair for days due to depression.

I also worked at the post office as a letter carrier. I got into it with the postmaster and I quit. I quit a wonderful job that I really enjoyed. But because of my military career, I was was unable to deal with the stress any more. If you have depression issues, don't work at the post office!!! :)

[Ricky]

I do not know the official VA position on this but my personal opinion is if you can work by all means work and your VA benefits should not be affected.

Any disabled vet, physical or mental, that works has to try 2, 3 sometimes 4 times harder than his non-disabled coworkers to complete his mission. Based upon that they should not take money away from any disabled veteran for working.

Most likely if you possess a mental disability you will continue to go from job to job. Anyway work if you can cause it kinda hard to provide for a family just on the little stipen you get from VA. Even if you draw SSDI along with your VA taking care of a family these days would be and is nearly impossible.

My only concern is that you tell the VA that you are working. If you do this and they continue on then you are ok. If you don't tell them and you draw compensation while working they may try to turn it into a case of fraud. You know how they think at the VA. I truly believe that they take things in which a vet should simply be slapped on the hand for and run to court with it cause they want to jump up and down in front of congress and say "see this is why we are so far behind - these lousy veterans are submitting frivious claims". Not that any vet is this is simply my opinion as to why the VA prosecutes even the littlest violation. If they would look internally they might just see a whole lot of employees that should be standing in front of a judge.