I would like to say hello to all the regular posters.
So heres my story. I am 55years old and come to find out that I have (LD) along with ptsd, depression this is an on going thing with the VA.
It was a year ago last Feb. That I was forced to retire after 20 +years as a deputy Sheriff. To much stress and I did not handle a problem in a proper mannior. (please excuse the spelling, as it is at a 4th grade level).
I turned to the VA for help. I was under going treatment and couseling.
I enrolled in a surgical tech school. I needed to kept bisey. I made all of the class room stuff on the dean’s list. I found out that I was having problems with the internship. long, short they tossed me out of school.
I turned to The Department of Justis, They listened politely and said sorry there was nothing they could do to help. So I returned to the Va and ask for rehab. They wanted to know what I wanted to do. I told them I wanted to make and repaire guitars. I was informed that that was not a suitable job for. So the VA in all there wisdom sent me to another surg. tech. school to see if I could enroll. The school recuriter took one look at my records and said no way in hell. She insisted that she wanted to talk to the VA rep. that had sent me there. So back to the VA, the rep said he would try and get into the guitar school I wanted. Off to a out side Psychologist, she does a seriers of test,MENTAL STATUS EXAM,WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE 3 (WAIS3),WIDE RANGE ACHIEVEMENT TEST3 (WRAT3)MINNESOTA MULITIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY2,THEMATIC APPERECPTION TEST (TAT) AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THE CLIENT QUESTIONNAIRE PROBE. DADA? There turned out that there is a 15 point difference between my Verbal and Perforance IQ is significant and suggestive of right hemishperic dysfunction.
She goes on to say my spelling is at a fourth grade level and my math skills are at a eigth grade. So now the VA say’s no to the school. I ‘am now schedualed for a MRI. I’ll take the Mri July6. Whats wrong with making or fixing guitars, all I can hurt is a pice of a tree. I know this is written in mannor that is kinda off beat, but right now since of humor and prescribed drugs are the only thing that I’ve got. I am to heard headed to give up.
Welcome
The MRI is a really easy little thing, if you once worked in law enforcement, I would not sweat it! The MRI will show a doctor what is happening with that right hemishperic dysfunction issue. Remember how the brain has two hemispheres and all of that? By no means should you fret over that at all.
Repairing guitars is a neat trade but you should find out if it is marketable. For example, where I live in Memphis- that is a semi marketable trade because of those Gibson guitars. However, if you live in Alaska or something, then it is maybe not a marketable trade. Where do you live?
I assume the VA did not want to pay money for you to learn guitar repair because of how it sounds more like a hobby. You have to put yourself in their shoes and think about that. Maybe to them, it sounds like a hobby?
Is there another trade you could look into? Like,have you no income until you learn another line of work? If you were in law enforcement you could look into security or loss prevention, that is just an idea. Or if you were good with some of the classroom aspects of the surgical tech, could you look into another line of work similar to that which would let you use some of that knowledge? Or, is there a guitar center in your city? Is there a nice music shop(s)? You could go to a guitar center or something and ask to be an apprentice.
At least you are hard headed! That is good! In a way, you have already fought half of the battle because as long as you do not give up then you will more than likely figure out a way to move on up!
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I didn’t read your entire post but I would just like to say thank you.
Thanks for putting your life on the line every day and protecting and serving your community. It’s people like you who don’t hear that often enough. I have a lot of respect for police, fire fighters and people in our armed forces.
Re: new to forum
Thank you all for your advise and concern. It’s a little more complex than what was on the first letter. So after being rejected by the school, my VA rep said that he would ok the guitar school. But I was going to have to go throug a battery of test. Did all the test. I was told that paper work was sent to Austin Tx. for approvel. To weeks ago I was going to the VA, but before I left my house I get a phone call from my VA rep telling me that his supervisor had stated” there ain’t no way in the world that they were going to send me to school. Why because of the because of the physic report. Learning disability,ptsd and depression, and that phyic said there are indencation of a possiable lesson in the right hemispher. So now The VA is making a plan to have me rated as unhireable. In VA terms thats 100% disabled. All I am basically doing is walking my airedale pup and playing guitar. Thanks again everyone. and god bless all of you.
Re: new to forum
I’m also 54 years old, with a very different history but a few shared issues. Remember, 54 now is what 34 used to be. You have a lot of useful time ahead of you.
100% disability is not all bad. You will be able to pay the rent and the food bill and nobody will be yelling at you about going out and applying to work at WalMart. Then you can work on the guitar for yourself, you can do some work out of the house repairing guitars etc. (put signs up in the supermarket advertising services), and you can go to the guitar school on your own. I have had students on disability, and they treated it as younger students do financial aid, a way to give them support for their studies.
Being self-employed is difficult; you have to get yourself to do things instead of waiting to be told; on the other hand, you can finally work on your strengths instead of being yelled at about your weaknesses. I speak of experience, I am self-employed myself and have been supporting myself (with ups and downs, but continuously) for the past five years.
It is important to get something going in your life; even if you cannot do it at full speed, it makes a huge difference to say “I’m a musician and guitar mechanic” rather than “I’m unemployed” — so do it!
Good luck and keep up the music.
Welcome and I’m glad you are too hard headed to give up!
I wonder what they expect the MRI to do for you?
Again,welcome!
Barb