It is Official...

[Guest Broomhead]

Well, as of Friday August 27th, 2010, I am no longer employed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). I now fall under the Department of Labor due to my Workers' Comp Disability status.

I am not sure whether this is good or bad. My future is so foggy and is mired in so much uncertainty. There is a lot of damn stress coming my way.

[kb4ns]

Hate to hear it man. Nothing good comes from stress, but I know better than say not to worry. You have my best wishes!

[Guest clownsdd]

Don't understand. What is the WCD status?

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

What happened when you got hurt with TSA?

[Guest Broomhead]

Basically, I am on Workers' Comp right now and I can no longer perform the basic duties of my position. Therefore, I was removed from TSA as an employee. I still work for the Feds but now technically I work for DOL instead of TSA. Status is that I am on Workers' Comp and can no longer do the job I had before I was injured. I am still getting paid, all my OJI medical fees are covered, I am still getting insurance and retirement benefits, and I will soon be meeting with a vocational rehab person to see if there is a position in the Federal, State, or Local Government that I can perform in with my current permanent restrictions.

Sorry for the confusion.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Broomhead

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

It's cool... I might have missed this, but how did you get hurt?

[Guest Broomhead]

I was inspecting bags on the curbside of BNA, Southwest's area, when I stepped back and tripped over a bag. I fell backwards and landed half on a bag and half on the concrete. I ended up fracturing L5 and had the L5-S1 disc degenerate due to the fall. I had a Laminectomy/Discectomy/Fusion L5-S1 which resulted in nerve damage from excessive scar tissue. I'm still in tremendous amounts of pain and can't do anything without the pain flaring badly.

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

WOOOOOOW!!!!! THAT SUCKS!

I'm sorry man... I hope everything goes well for you

[Guest Jamie]

I am still getting paid, all my OJI medical fees are covered, I am still getting insurance and retirement benefits, and...

Sorry you got hurt, but I think you really need to take a step back and take stock of the situation. Because as of right now, at least, you really don't have it near as bad as you could. ( There's a lot of people out there with no job, no income, medical problems but no insurance, and no real prospects of getting any of those things. )

Also, life and the future never go according to plan nor have any guarantees. Be thankful it's going as well as it is, and never make the mistake of thinking it can't get any worse.

[gregintenn]

I'm very sorry to hear that.....unless you happen to be the S.O.B. who stole my sunglasses from my suitcase.

[Guest Broomhead]

Sorry you got hurt, but I think you really need to take a step back and take stock of the situation. Because as of right now, at least, you really don't have it near as bad as you could. ( There's a lot of people out there with no job, no income, medical problems but no insurance, and no real prospects of getting any of those things. )

Also, life and the future never go according to plan nor have any guarantees. Be thankful it's going as well as it is, and never make the mistake of thinking it can't get any worse.

My bad. I wasn't trying to turn this into a sob story. This is simply a milestone in my life that I am extremely uncertain of. I know I am in a better financial situation than most, and I don't take that for granted. I probably will never return to gainful employment of any kind and may end up on disability drawing Social Security/disabilty. That scares the crap out of me. I am the man of the family, I am supposed to provide for my family and I no longer can do that, that depresses me. These are things I just need to work through. Sorry if I was trying to lay this out while violins played sadly in the background, I never meant it that way.

[VERO1]

If TSA is anything like the Post Office's workmans comp/disability (and I am sure it is) you have good reason to believe stress is headed your way! Good Luck!

[Guest Jamie]

My bad. I wasn't trying to turn this into a sob story. This is simply a milestone in my life that I am extremely uncertain of. I know I am in a better financial situation than most, and I don't take that for granted. I probably will never return to gainful employment of any kind and may end up on disability drawing Social Security/disabilty. That scares the crap out of me. I am the man of the family, I am supposed to provide for my family and I no longer can do that, that depresses me. These are things I just need to work through. Sorry if I was trying to lay this out while violins played sadly in the background, I never meant it that way.

Don't look for trouble 'til it shows up. I know and have worked with an awful lot of people that were in wheelchairs, needed canes or walkers, or had any number of other disabilities, that managed to stay gainfully employed. No, they didn't do the kind of work that they may once have, or that they wanted or liked, but they did manage to hold a job.

I even worked with a woman for a while who had MS, and didn't know how long she was even going to be able to take care of herself, much less work.

Anyway, don't take it that I'm trying to get on your ass about this stuff. I'm not. I just want you to, as I said, take a step back ( and watch out for obstacles on the ground behind you this time ), and realize that the uncertainty of life works both ways: No, you can't always plan on the good working out like you want, but the bad you think you see coming doesn't always get there either.

Right now you're probably in a panic and depressed over what has happened, and what you think may be going to happen.

All I'm saying is don't get too worked up until you really need to, and to keep a cool head and think. If you can do that, then things are much more likely to work out for you, rather than against you.

[Guest Broomhead]

Thank you Jamie. I needed that.

[Guest Jamie]

Any time.

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

Oh MY GOD!!!!!!

GOOD ADVICE FROM JAMIE....

:panic:

[Guest Jamie]

You're climbing into the same boat with Strel, Drew.

[vontar]

Take care, follow your doctors advise. My uncle kept hurting his back and would not follow his doctors advise.

after about 3 operations, the doctor told him that was it, there would nothing else he could do, my uncle finally listened.

[323ssplt]

Broomhead:

A few years ago I found myself in a similar situation: long story short, while I was on active duty with the Marines, another marine shot me with an M16. Did quite a bit of damage. After some surgery, they referred me to a medical seperation board. The head of the board told me he was going to forgo the six month "wait and see" period and recommend that I be immediately discharged. Now, I know taking a round to the knee is nowhere near as bad as a spinal injury, but I told him I wanted to fight it. I went through two terrible rounds of physical theropy just to learn to walk right again........Fast forward a few years.....Because I was stubborn, and REFUSED to accept what the governemnt had laid out for me, I am stil in the Marines, although left active duty a few years after the incident and joined the reserves, and still have a fairly normal active life.

My reason in telling this story is, DO NOT DESPAIR!!! You still have your life, after that, all other things can be overcome with some heart and a strong headed attitude. KEEP THE FAITH BROTHER!