ptsd Disability Discrimination At My Job

[martin]

hi folks, well its martin. i have written a couple of posts titled "back from Iraq, and cant work" well, its coming to a head now.i am still waiting for a response from the V.A. in Houston about my compensation. nothing yet. my file has been at the rating board since Dec 8th, 2006. i was sent home again from my job a s a police officer in january 2007, after i got a release from my doctor to go back to work. well, the ptsd subject came back up again, and this time i was sent home without my badge and i.d. and went back to square one, and was told i couldnt return until i get a release from my doctor. apparently the one i had 6 weeks prior must have expired because here i am sitting at home (again) unable to get a release bceause my job made it impossible as they conveniently changed the S.O.P. for my job discription. i didnt do anything wrong, i have never been disciplined, or even had a complaint in 23 years of being a police officer. i'm pretty easy going,BUT! i think enough is enough. i'm 2 1/2 years short of my pension, and i've been kicked to the curb, with no regards that i have a wife and 4 kids to support. not being able to provide a living, i am seeking an attorney to file a law suit as i feel my rights under the disabilities act are being violated. it got out somehow to the Houston Chronicle,(by one of my allies at the P.D.) and i was contacted for an interview for tomorrow. i consented to one. i was told that this is notgoing to go over well with the public,(no matter of their thought on the war) and will be given alot of publicity. all i did was serve my country the best to my abilities, now i'm being penalized for it. i'll see how it turns out. i am also supposed to have two V.A. reps here with me as well during the interview. i guess i have to be an ass and sue. has anyone else gone through this themselves, and if so, what was the outcome? i posted a very old picture of myself going through USMC infantry training school in the 70's.(after vietnam) i wonder if i looked as stressed now as i did back then?..thats it for now...martin

[free_spirit_etc]

I was reading something about Vietnam Era Vets supposedly being a "protected class" for jobs. I hadn't heard of that before. So when I was at a meeting at one of the schools where I teach - and they started talking about how thye have to protect diversity -- and affirmative action - and all that jazz.. I said "Oh...so you give preference to Vietnam Era Vets??"

They thought I was kidding or something. They acted like "well THOSE TYPE of people aren't really cut out for....

??????????????????

So much for diversity!!!

Free (whose husband was a Vietnam Era Vet!)

I worked for the federal government for 27 years and am positive about discrimination against Vets with retention rights.... NO doubt in my mind. It is really a pathetic situation..... you are a Vet with 10-pt retention rights and they try their best to find ways to get rid of you. MOST people in the federal service are NOT Vets.... with no retention rights in a Reduction in Force. They do NOT want you there.... to bump someone..... their friends.

[spike]

Check this out. I was speaking to a fellow Vet at my previous employer in the lunchroom where nobody was but i guess in earshot (speaking quietly). I quietly informed him that the things he knew were going on in my personal life (friends at time) and telling him that if he gets back from IRAQ and he starts having Nightmares like I did with other deployments, etc. Go to VA and ask to be checked for PTSD starting like I was. Well in the next upcoming days, there were people talking amongst themselves, asking if I was going to go postal, etc.....I brought this issue up with HR and they told me that I should never had told anyone friend or not about relating issues of Military at work. It is a place of work and therefore, it was inappropriate for the place to rumor mill that Vets like that are nuts......they were saying....but it was more inappropriate to speak about my disabilities at work. Shortly there after my office was moved....even though I was a great worker (leading the companies top 10), until my disabilites hurt me more and needed accomodation for my bad back, and knees.