Chronicity of Unemployment with Brain Injury

Stories of Chronicity of Unemployment after Brain Injury

The following are stories of real life survivors of brain injury.  Clicking on the titles will take you to their actual story.

Craig – Difficulty Dealing with Work Compromises After TBI

Now did you lose the job or did you quit?: “I had quit. They wouldn’t fire me. I tried to get fired, but they wouldn’t fire me.” How long after your accident did that happen?: “Oh, I made it a year and a half, for almost a year and a half and, they got to the point it was, I felt that’s when the guilt started coming in. I knew that I was putting people in harm’s way by allowing this to continue.”

Michael – Petit Mal Seizures Created Problems with Census Bureau Job

Is that year and a half you worked for the census bureau, is that the longest you’ve had a job?: “Longest full-time job.” And you’ve had some other part-time jobs since?: “Yes. Three of the last five I ended up losing my temper and quitting. The first one was at Fayola’s in Kentucky, by where I used to live. We had bought a house right by Fazoli’s. We lost the house so we had to move to an apartment and it was too far of a drive for me, because I used to just walk to work. So I called and told them that, you know, the, the drive is too far and we got into it and I said fine, I quit.”

Michael – Chronic Unemployment after TBI

At some point, two many jobs, for too short of time catches up with the disabled person, trying to return to work. While someone who communicates as well as Michael does and who has a college degree might seem employable, the shear number of jobs and the short tenure, throws up red flags. Ultimately, even a good impression made in an interview, can’t overcome the shortcomings of such a resume. How long has it been since you had a job?: “Since 2006.” Are you finding it so difficult to even get a chance, that you have basically given up?: “Every now and then I will get the urge to go find a job but most places don’t want to hire me. I don’t have any track record since 2006.” Are you finding that the number of short term jobs that you have had is a problem as well?: “I think so.” One of the patterns we see with brain injury is that gaining a job is much easier than keeping it. But that eventually if you’ve had too many jobs on your resume that just prevents you from even getting a job. Are you finding that?: “Well actually, now a days they do something else. And I don’t know if it’s legal or illegal but they do a credit report on you. And just, and until maybe 2000, I don’t know, sometime early 2000, my car accident was still showing up on my record.  And the bills have gone up, that were there that were never paid by me.