Disabled American Veterans

[Bryan Rocker]

Good morning all,

I was wondering how many disabled Vets hang out here? I am a disabled vet from 23 years of working on jet engines. I am wondering how you dealt with government and defense contractors who made the work place hostile because of your issues.......

I am home again because of declining spinal issues and refusal to provide any assistance......

[Bert Kemp]

Are you referring to how hard it is to get the VA to do anything or something else.
I have a hearing related disability and because I waited 40+ years to complain about it I'm finding it almost impossible to get the va to help with aids or any other thing.

[Von Bickley]

I'm a veteran and I'm disable, but my disability is not service related. I was going to my local VA hospital about 3 or 4 times a year for blood work and to get prescriptions refilled. Because my disability is not service related, I was paying for my prescriptions. My last visit to the VA was my last. They did not do a proper blood work on me, and I can get my prescriptions refilled at my local Walgreens much cheaper.

Like I said , my last visit was my LAST.......

[Bryan Rocker]

I was looking for folks who had issues with their employers because they did not support you with your disabilities....My issues are service connected but I do all my medical care through WPAFB Med center.

[Brett Luna]

I'm a retired veteran, so I get my medical care and other benefits through my local base. I'm sure I'm eligible for disability...I was a USAF PEBLO* for a while, so I'm passingly familiar...but I don't trust the VA these days and a lot will have to happen for that to change.

*Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officer

[Dave Anderson NH]

The VA has gotten a lot of bad press, much of it deserved. Having said that though quality depends very much on location and like most things in large organizations, much of it comes down to local leadership/management. Good leaders produce and demand good followers. I have had excellent service at the Manchester NH VA hospital for both a hearing test and a complete Agent Orange screening. In both cases it took less than a week to get an appointment, the service was excellent, and the people both caring and with good attitudes/morale. I was impressed enough that I signed up for and now volunteer there 1 day a week (today in fact). In the 4 months since I started volunteering, I have seen uniformly good service for veterans using the facility and have been impressed by a staff that goes out of their way to take the best care possible of my fellow veterans. I will say though that if you need to use a VA facility, going in with a negative attitude and being confrontational will not advance your case or care, these people have seen it all before and can only do what regulations and rules allow.

[Val Kosmider]

.... but I do all my medical care through WPAFB Med center.

^There's a blast from the past.....assuming this stands for Wright Patterson AFB.....spent a few months there recovering from a fractured spine, compliments of the USAF!


USAF PEBLO*....

*Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officer

Met with them on a couple of occasions as well! Andrews AFB IIRC. Spent time at Wilford Hall Med Ctr--who ever thought we would get back THERE ever again? Tyndall AFB, then Westover for more surgery, then Wilford Hall......then Wright Patterson, and out the door at Andrews. Quite a journey. Two years plus from injury to temporary retirement. Almost a decade to get it all finalized.

Employers never got involved with the whole issue of hiring a disabled vet, nor did they much care that a lot of the time I hobbled around like a cripple ("you are limping...did you know that"? Well, yeah, actually I did!). I used their health insurance, and more recently, have migrated to Humana Tricare. Remember CHAMPUS? What a mess. Never used the VA, so can't comment there, but I hear it is a mess.....and my Congressman (a complete tool) admits as much--even though he sits on the VA Committee; in fact, he might Chair it!

[Karl Andersson]

For what it's worth, employers who hire veterans can get tax and other incentives - and with the way bureaucracy goes, they may continue to get credit for the hiring even if they fire the employee or the employee leaves. It is inexcusable for a defense or government contractor to not provide as many accommodations as possible for veteran's disabilities, even moreso than other employers, as the government/ DoD has a strong focus on veteran re-employment.

You may know this, but any employee with a disability - veteran or not - is entitled to "reasonable accommodation" of their disability in the workplace through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - which means the employer is required to provide any equipment, scheduling, or other actions, within reason, to allow a disabled person to work and they are prohibited from harassing the employee due to their disability through labor and anti-discrimination laws. You may want to discuss your particulars with someone from the ADA helpline (look up ADA.gov) and see what assistance they can offer. Having worked in government agencies with both types of contractors, I also know the "customer agency" is usually very interested that contractors hire disabled vets - if the situation is bad enough, you may want to file a complaint with the agency the contractor worked for, as veteran employment is sometimes a requirement in their contract.

Karl

[Bryan Rocker]

Karl I am with you on providing "reasonable accommodations" but on 2 different occasions working for 2 different defense contractors, both the contractor and the US Air Force turned me down for ANY accommodations. Here is the dirty secret they won't talk about, if you file an EEO complaint they will instantly stop your employment. I have personally spoken to government civilians who have had EEO complaints in the process for 4+ years. It is pure white wash they are putting up....makes me angry but at this point I am unwilling to spend my reserves chasing this....

[Barry Walker]

I am a disabled veteran and want to second Dave Anderson's comments about the VA. My local clinic (Tallahassee, FL) has provided great care for what they offer. The staff is excellent but you may find, like you do in the military, a 10 percent that are there for a paycheck. It might be less here. The services that our clinic cannot provide are the ones that have trouble keeping up with on a national level. Hopefully the funds will start flowing to hire more providers. My local staff liked my attitude and suggested a few ways to attempt to get hired on. They have been great.

As for other employers, that's a fine line. I can understand that I should not apply for jobs that may aggravate my condition but sometimes you don't have a choice. I worked one job that was horrible for my foot but I powered through so I could go to college. It sucked but I made it through with a minor accommodation. They are hard to get if you apply for the wrong jobs.