ptsd Out Of The Mouths Of Docs

[nlualum82]

I'll be making a few posts in categories to cover my bases.

I am 47 and SC'ed for 50% hearing loss. I work as a mail processor at the PO, 16 + years (8 years 8 months 2 weeks and 6 days 'til retirement).

Last year I finally got active in the process and got good advice here at Hadit.

After seeing a VA Psych and an SO, I filed for some other things we felt should be considered. WHAM! Been between 5 and 8 months since the claims went in and I got 2 letter in 2 days advising me of 4 C & P's this month!

15th - ENT for chronic otitis

19th - Audiology for tinnitus

26th - a 1215 Ortho for a jeep wrecked knee and a 1300 in Psych for them to determine between PTSD with MST, depression secondary to hearing loss, something else, nothing at all?)

I picked up my progress notes from the PsyD at the Vet Ctr. and made my appt. with my VA Psych at the VA clinic.

The Doc. and I talked, I told him about the C & P's and he said they might not want me to work anymore.

Sounds good to me - my PO is known to be hard on its employees.

I have to wonder if it's possible, though. I thought you wouldn't end up TDIU unless you were unemployed. I would think the post office would avoid letting a vet go based on his disability, even imagine that these gov't entities would collaborate to find some function at the PO rather than put me on a Federal paycheck for sitting home.

Any thoughts?

It is pure speculation at this point, but don't want to make a wrong step.

[Guest VetWife Advocate]

Arch,

I am interested in knowing why the PO offsets it disability with SSDI?

Give me a bottom line example? VA--100% $2444 ? , PO $ ? , SSDI $

This sounds like where the Disability Commission want to go. Keep Vets from getting all of what is their just due!!

Glad you are getting those ducks straight. This is a good place to be, WELCOME.

Brenda

[sbrewer]

JR Reihs.

Is there any certain number of years worked as a a federal employee to take the "Fed Disability retirement under Fers"? Like could you have just worked 1 yr for example and get the "Fed Disability retirement under Fers"? Also, is there a link to this about this and SSDI percentage offset?

Thanks,

sbrewer

[john999]

The magic number under FERS is 18 months of employment to get OPM disability retirement. If you get SSDI it will offset your OPM.

[nlualum82]

I wish I was out! I have 8 years and 3 days until I could retire at 25 years.

When I started this thread I was waiting on C & P's. They were all settled surprisingly quick.

I am now 90%, breaks down as 70% PTSD/MDD, 50% bilateral hearing loss, 10% tinnitus, 10% L knee injury, 10% L knee degenerative osteoarthritis.

I had some illusions that I would find peace in TDIU if I even got a 70% total, but now feel that at 90% I am an eternity from it.

I have been given encouragement and advice here, but I'm afraid to miss work and as long as I'm there, they're as sadistically happy as they're going to be and I don't qualify.

Last night was really bad. From going in dreading it from lack of sleep and sore joints to making a mistake under pressure that threw everything late and left me drained, with wet, red eyes and humiliation.

We had the monthly mass mailing of a local chains sale booklet. They aren't real compatible with the 40k piece per hour machine. I stress alot about the 2 nights a month we face them.

I have finally been given a regular routine, thank God, but my partner on the machine (something of a pariah herself) has different days off and I have alot of stress about who they will surprise me with each time she's gone. She's now on a week vacation so all the more!

We have a lot to do and both keep moving to keep on track. The replacements are mostly new and bad, even the experienced ones just aren't completely familiar with my nightly tasks or are apathetic. I end up having to carry the load and run late whenever my usual partner isn't there.

Last night - night 2 of the dreaded mass mailing - the usual preparations undone and an uncommon mess at my site as I clocked on. I got the consensus pick worst partner and the young supervisor who is the epitome of the phrase "when a superior says 'no problem' they mean for them"

Uphill all the way from the jump! Then after a few hours of pushing hard in the face of certain failure - a belt breaks on the machine! I was "sweeping mail" and had to move to clear the area where the tech would replace it. In my haste, switching ends and thinking about everything waiting for me to do, I combined the last few trays of mail in reverse sequence.

This causes the machine to reject the mail and shut down repeatedly, which of course, kid boss brought the big boss to watch! Uncorrectably late from there on out, they hovered around me the rest of the shift.

The receiving offices will surely drop them a small complaint about the trays of non-sequenced mail resulting from my mistake, not to mention being a bit late.

I'm home now, still shaking. I needed to vent to someone who understood and need to hit the sack and make my usual vain effort to sleep.

In a less imperfect world, I'd at least try to recover at home a couple of days with FMLA from my VA Psychiatrist. Haven't been worked out before and I'd be scared to miss without a guarantee of being covered.

Sometimes numbly stumbling through is the best I can hope for.

[carlie]

Arch and all,

I'm pretty sure and want to remind all that there is not an offset

from SSDI - but I do believe there is an offset for SSI,

SSI is what you get from SSA because you don't have enough

earning quarters built up for the other.

Please correct this if I'm wrong.

carlie

[john999]

Lum82

I am pretty sure you could quite easily get disability retirement and then your TDIU would fall into place pretty quick. I got disability retirement and that was very good evidence of TDIU for the VA. It usually takes about 3-4 months to have your disability approved.