The Foreign Service Journal, November 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2013 17 and this time I’ve hired a lawyer. To apply successfully for disability, another programwe all contribute to through our paychecks, I must stop working with no guarantee I’ll receive compensation. And I must use a consider- ably smaller income than I’d expected for costly medications and frequent visits to specialists for the rest of my life. The Department of State insists it has met its legal responsibility by referring me to the Workers’ Compensation Program, managed by the Department of Labor. In a series of meetings with MED and HR, I was told that workers’ comp is the only avenue for receiving compensation to cover my medications and medical bills. MED noted that its ability to advocate for me is extremely limited, but did give me a letter attesting that, as a requirement of my State Department employment, I worked in an area where dengue fever was endemic. Several years ago, Iraq returnees sounded off about their frustration with the inadequate treatment of Post-Trau- matic Stress Disorder. A similar outcry will be heard as more Foreign Service employees find that State does not value the physical sacrifices they have made. Helping State’s “Wounded Warriors” Instead of dragging its feet, State should implement new policies to assist employees who return to the U.S. with life-changing illnesses or injuries. This should include assistance, both in terms of applying to the Labor Department for workers’ comp and within the department itself. DOL obviously does not understand or appreciate the inhospitable environ- Instead of dragging its feet, State should implement new policies to assist employees who return to the U.S. with life-changing illnesses or injuries.