Question regarding reservist @ 100% P&T and not going back to work

PSYOP Warrior

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Ive been calling and trying to find resources on the outside regarding a Reserve JAG Officer or JAG Officer with experience with USERRA and laws that govern close to it but are not in the law.

(History) I was working for a private company - 8 years - and gave them orders I was deploying to AFG in 2011. They paid me military differential pay since my yearly salary was greater than my deployment pay. It was company policy to pay me the differential pay for the first 6 months but was under the discretion of the CEO to continue. I was injured twice in AFG and was sent to recover inpatient and outpatient at a WTB. I went through the med board and received a 100% permanent and total with my PCM and Neuro saying I have little chance to return to my baseline. They kept paying me differential pay.

I sent my final orders in OCT 2013 and told my HR my ratings and then received a phone call about returning to work. HR described the job they want me to work at that is not at the level I was at, but I am in no shape to be working. I still have migraines 3-4 times a week that shuts me down, severe PTSD, still black out about 1x every 3 months due the nature of my TBIs, and other unfitting conditions and issues I can go on and on about.

My question is I cannot return back to work/my civilian job or drive (2 hours) where they want to place me at. Can I send in a resignation and let them know due to medical and 100% P&T disability, work will be extremely difficult, not the best for me while still recovering, and not safe? If I do turn in the resignation can they add up all the military differential pay from the past 2 1/2 years and my company makes me pay it back? These are two legal questions that are not covered in USERRA but a JAG or Attorney can help answer or help me out. My HR keeps calling me and is stressing me out and I dont know what to do. Thanks.
 
Will they allow you to take a medical leave of absence? You may want to contact a ESGR advisor and see if they can mediate with your employer on your behalf.
 
I contacted ESGR and the issue is my company possibly taking all my military differential pay and making me pay it back. I cant make the right decisions due to me disabilities so ESGR wants my hire a private attorney since they are for getting Soldiers the jobs they had back and not the other way around.
 
Wow, quite a situation. Have you asked Jason if he knows anyone to help you in a PM yet?
 
Thanks grizz13. Ill send him a PM. Ive been back and forth with a free legal service regarding USERRA/ESGR for over a week and I have to keep calling them for an answer/ update when they say they will call me in the AM and never do..
 
Ive been calling and trying to find resources on the outside regarding a Reserve JAG Officer or JAG Officer with experience with USERRA and laws that govern close to it but are not in the law.

(History) I was working for a private company - 8 years - and gave them orders I was deploying to AFG in 2011. They paid me military differential pay since my yearly salary was greater than my deployment pay. It was company policy to pay me the differential pay for the first 6 months but was under the discretion of the CEO to continue. I was injured twice in AFG and was sent to recover inpatient and outpatient at a WTB. I went through the med board and received a 100% permanent and total with my PCM and Neuro saying I have little chance to return to my baseline. They kept paying me differential pay.

I sent my final orders in OCT 2013 and told my HR my ratings and then received a phone call about returning to work. HR described the job they want me to work at that is not at the level I was at, but I am in no shape to be working. I still have migraines 3-4 times a week that shuts me down, severe PTSD, still black out about 1x every 3 months due the nature of my TBIs, and other unfitting conditions and issues I can go on and on about.

My question is I cannot return back to work/my civilian job or drive (2 hours) where they want to place me at. Can I send in a resignation and let them know due to medical and 100% P&T disability, work will be extremely difficult, not the best for me while still recovering, and not safe? If I do turn in the resignation can they add up all the military differential pay from the past 2 1/2 years and my company makes me pay it back? These are two legal questions that are not covered in USERRA but a JAG or Attorney can help answer or help me out. My HR keeps calling me and is stressing me out and I dont know what to do. Thanks.

Wow, quite a situation. Have you asked Jason if he knows anyone to help you in a PM yet?

Thanks grizz13. Ill send him a PM. Ive been back and forth with a free legal service regarding USERRA/ESGR for over a week and I have to keep calling them for an answer/ update when they say they will call me in the AM and never do..

Wow, indeed; a complicated situation with potentially unfavorable results! :(

Have you considered applying for SSA SSDI disability compensation benefits in the interim since your official receipt of DoVA 100% P&T military disability compensation?

To that extent, I commend your current efforts to remain positively proactive for seeking a favorable resolution because if you don't then exactly who will?

Nonetheless, never default acceptance to potential injustice; fight then continue to fight some more until the expected resolution is potentially achieved in my opinion. ;)

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!
 
Thanks.... Im hoping a JAG or Attorney can help me out since my employer keeps calling me to come back. I quit answering phones call 1 week ago from my civilian job because it increased my anxiety and stress...
 
What does your employee handbook state about your military offset pay? I can't imagine they would have any legal recourse to collect it back.
 
Thats why I want a JAG or Attorney to answer the two questions. The handbook is not clear when a person is injured on Active Duty...
 
Can you just try to go back to your job and work for a week or so then quite at that point? I'm not sure thats a difficult situation your in. Good luck to you!
 
Im exploring all options. Its the fact they want me to work at a location about 3 hours away including traffic one way from my house. The old location was 25 minutes away. I was just wishing one of the legal experts would jump in and provide guidance or some type of legal template document that can be used as a resignation letter without me losing all the vacation, etc..

Thanks for the advice...
 
I don't see how they could "clawback"/recoup pay already received by you for work done. Sounds like you are unable to return to work, so the only other issue would seem to be the vacation time/etc. Seems to me you should be entitled to whatever you have accrued. I think part of the answer to your questions may turn on your companies policies. Would need to know what those are and then use them to cross reference USERRA provisions.
 
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