Bipolar Disabled Navy Veteran Seeks Debt Reduction Assistance
by Rich Johnson
I served 5 years in the Submarine Service as a nuclear power plant operator. I was medically retired from the Navy in October of 1994 due to a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, my primary disability. The secondary disability diagnosed is for PTSD stemming from childhood experiences. I have also been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. I joined the Navy in 1989 and entered the Nuclear Power Program. I completed the program in July 1991 and volunteered for submarine duty. My initial major symptoms of Bipolar Disorder began in early 1992. It began with manic episodes, which consisted of extreme agitation and an inability to sleep. At times I would go an entire 72 hours without sleep and would then crash for a day. This cycle would usually repeat itself several times. After about 3-4 weeks of that I would come down hard and fall into severe depression. I had frequent crying fits and could barely get up and get dressed. I was at odds with everyone. Even the simplest tasks at work became overwhelming, and I often thought of suicide. There were times when even the short walk from the boat to the barracks was too much and I would collapse in a heap crying somewhere along the way. In late 1992 I sought help from a Navy therapist. I saw him for multiple sessions until we left the shipyard to return to our homeport in April of 1993. I became partially stabilized during this time and had started moving forward with some of my childhood issues. I married my first wife in late 1993 and in early 1994 I began to experience severe symptoms again and soon had my first experience with rapid cycling. All of this resulted in behavior that was not in my best interest to say the least. During this time I also began hearing voices. The one I remember most sounded like what I would think God would sound like. I was contemplating suicide and I heard a loud booming voice that said "So what are you going to do about it?!" It seemed to me that the voice was trying to taunt me into completing the act. I went to see a Navy psychiatrist and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In October of 1994 I was honorably discharged with a disability retirement. I applied for and was granted VA benefits at 30% service connected. It was at this time that I began seeing my current VA psychiatrist. I applied for VA Vocational Rehabilitation benefits and was admitted to the Environmental Engineering program at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA in September of 2005. Early in my fourth semester I fell apart and had to withdraw. The stress of performing in school and commuting in a big city was too much to bear any longer and I could not stay focused. As a result I transferred to the University of New Hampshire for a more quiet existence. During this time I began seeing my Navy therapist again. None of this helped very much and I had to drop to a reduced course load to further lower my stress levels and still ended up failing one course. This coupled with serious marital issues destabilized me even further and resulted in two back-to-back hospitalizations in December of 1997 and January of 1998 for severe depression. My wife left during the summer of 1998 due to my bipolar disorder and we were divorced in February of 1999. I graduated from UNH in May of 1999 with an Associate's Degree in Civil Engineering Technology with a specialty in Surveying and Mapping. I went immediately to work as a land surveyor. I met my second wife during this time and re-married in 2001. I left the land-surveying field and in May of 2002 I moved to my current job as a Power Plant Operator. I maintained a reasonable degree of stability through 2004. From mid 2004 until mid 2007 I became destabilized and was hospitalized three separate times with the longest one lasting 2 months. During this time my VA disability was increased to 70%. From Late 2007 until early last year I was very stable and was doing well. In August of 2008 my second wife left due to my bipolar disorder and we were divorced in January of 2009. In January of 2010 I began to have severe panic attacks, which occurred repeatedly over several months, and similar bipolar episodes have been occurring since then. I am currently under significant stress due to an ongoing court battle with my ex- wife that is going into its third year regarding $72,000 in student loans that I signed off on for her education. She was ordered to pay them off in the marital settlement agreement and a subsequent contempt order. Given my current issues I find myself wondering what is going to happen to me if I get really sick again and cannot work while we go through the medication change process again. Over the last 12 months I have had to take over 250 hours of FMLA sick time due to my bipolar disorder. Though I have learned how to handle a significant amount of stress the combined stress of this court battle, my precarious financial state, and my current state of depression is becoming quite overwhelming. I currently see my therapist at least once a week for talk therapy and maintain close contact with my long time psychiatrist at the VA. My financial hardship involves the paying down of my post-divorce debt totaling $52,000. This is being done through a debt management plan with MMI.org and will be complete in about 4years and 6 months. The payments for the debt management plan are $1,344 per month. My mortgage is $1,579 per month. The total for the two loans I signed off on is $72,000. The two loans are currently in voluntary forbearance status and I am not making payments on them at this time. I cannot afford those payments until my own debt is paid so if I my ex-wife does not pay the debt, my credit will go from poor to ruined. I make decent money and I am currently able to meet all of my obligations but just barely. My bills are current but I have no savings and therefore no safety net since all surplus funds went towards my ex-wife's education. My only surplus is the one credit card I still have. I have no available equity in my home. I have two aging vehicles that are paid off. If I need to make major repairs or if I have to replace one of them I will be unable to due to my credit status and lack of savings. I have had to represent myself in court but as things become more complicated I will need to hire an attorney but have no funds available to do this. I have 3 courses left to finish a bachelor's degree but have no way to pay for the classes. This coupled with recent issues at work is causing me an increasing amount of stress and is contributing significantly to my current instability. I currently work full time and I receive a disability payment from the VA each month. I take overtime at work when I am able though given my current troubles it will be some time before I can handle the stress of working any overtime. Taking a second job at this time is also out of the question at least for now until my mental status has improved significantly. I have never applied for grants or other assistance outside of the VA until I found this web site. I am seeking help through grants, benefits, sound advice, etc. to help me with reducing this very large debt load as much as possible. I will also need assistance with future legal bills. The further back from the financial edge I am able to get the less stress there will be contributing to my current partial relapse and the greater chance of my recovery. I do not want to end up on disability unless I have no other choice. Thanks in advance to all of those who take the time to read this and provide input. It is much appreciated.
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