Applying For Voc Rehab, While Working

[AFKY22]

I just applied for Voc rehab, and want to know what to expect.

I work for the local VAMC, as a patient care provider, and fabricate devices that are often quite heavy. On a daily basis i lift heavy loads, pull materials, push metal rods and move heavy boxes. I on a daily basis lift patients, help them dress and work often for longer periods sitting which is uncomfortable on my back.

I am 10% sc for DDD-L spine. My back is limiting what i can do at work and i am 31. i am concerned about how much longer i can continue in the profession i work in (also what i did in the military), i have never had another job.

What can i expect from the meeting, and could i continue working in my current job until i complete the new training?

I would like to get into a field with less bending/lifting/pulling/ and manual activiites. I am considering teaching as an alternative.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[john999]

I think they usually want you to go at a pace that will justify the expense. They like job oriented training where you can get a job at the end of the training or education. They don't want to pay for PH.D. in philosophy. If you can train for something with a certificate at the end of that makes you very employable that would really be a selling point. If you have DDD you know that as you age you are not going to be able to keep pace with the job you have. When I was a postal worker that is the argument I used. I was near 50 years old. That was the hard part since I probably would not be able to get the same overall benefit package from entry level job even with a few years of training and I would be too old. The Voc Rehab people agreed with this and they said I was not really suitable for the program. This actually helped with my IU claim later.

[rpowell01]

AFKY22,

Yes I will share will you my story. I have Cervical Disease, Spondylosis of the Thoracic Spine, Type II endplate disease at T9, Lumbar Disc Disease and I have Lumbosacral Joint Disc Disease. I know what you feel and I know what you are going through. It was 15 years ago I was discharge from the Army. I was 29 and on top of the world. You don't think about what that Army Doctor told you before you leave, "It is degenerative". At that time I didn't know what that meant because I didn't want to know. But now I can tell you what it means because I am feeling it everything. Earlier this year I filed for Vocational Rehab benefits. I went to the appointment and the counselor asked me a series of questions. She wanted to know what my SC'd is, do I have any claims pending and what experiences I have. After I talked with her about the problems I have with my current position, how it aggravated my SC'd condition she stepped out of the room. A few minutes later she came back and stated to me "I had to talk with my supervisor because we had to make a legal obligation decision". She told me that I should not be in the current position because it is aggravating my SC'd injuries. See I have been a Florida Certified Corretional Office for 20 years. In between this I turned over a new leash and took a year long college course in Computer Networking. I new back in 2002 that I needed to change careers because I starting feeling it in my back, opening cell doors, standing for long periods of time and having to use physical force on people well that took the cake. So in 2003 I was offered a IT position and I accepted it. Everything was going really good and then in 2009 a oneday notice was given to me that my position was being eliminated (Workforce reduction). The only thing I could do was fall back to what I use to know and that was being a Correctional Officer. Well 7 years later I didn't realize my neck and back was more brittle than before. It just isn't panning out. So, I applied and the counselor told me I qualified for Vocational Rehab. Whenever she explained to me that the VA would pay all my tuition, books and give me a good allowance of $859 a month, my mouth dropped and I was stunned. This was all back in March and on May 2nd I will be starting my education, again. Good thing is that Networking Class I took, I already have 30 credit hours. I will be attending Florida Technical University and everthing is online. College have come a long way with the online courses that is being offered. I asked the counselor how much is allowed each year and she told me they pay up to $25,000 a year for tuition. My friend you cannot beat that deal anywhere. Good thing is you are still qualified for Grants and Loans. Myself I will not get the student loans, don't want them, can't stand them, they just put people in hole they can't dig their way out of. BTW, my Cervical Disc Disease has now turned into 2 bulge disc and 1 herniated disc all mainly caused by cervical strain that I have had for 15 years. Take care of yourself while you can because later it will get you.....

Remember your allowance is paid to you based on if you are full time or part time...I am going full time :>)

Hope this helps...

Edited April 22, 2011 by rpowell01