Hello,

The purpose of this post is to pose a question.

Just call me Knoble. I am a survivor of sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a Roman Catholic Priest and as an U.S. Army soldier at the hands of a fellow male soldier.

My life has been made difficult; to say the least, by the abuses I suffered. My sobriety and even freedom have been compromised and I am diagnosed with several "psyche" issues as a result.

I have been unable to hold a job very long due to my psychological issues. As a result I do not qualify for any form of disability based on the fact that I have not acquired enough work credits even though I have been diagnosed with chronic PTSD with symptoms presenting over 30 years ago due to the sexual abuse by the Catholic Priest. So... in effect I have been "disabled" since I was 15 years old and never fully capable of amassing enough work credits.


Since most male survivors of childhood sexual abuse average 30 plus years to come forward about the abuse... are the rules/policies/regulations/laws regarding when a claim for disability can be filed discriminatory against we survivors as a class? And, if so, what can or should be done about it? What is the process?

It is my hope that an attorney or even a politician or two or three use this site. It is my hope that an employee of the ACLU is a member of this website. It is my hope that an answer or two... that even some suggestions will be made as to how to proceed.

Thank you all for your support.

Yours in survival,

Knoble Truth

Knoble,

I have had a similar but different problem in the work force.

I graduated college at 30 years old in hopes of being a teacher. I didn't realize that my PTSD (probably more from bullying than CSA) would trigger me so badly. I would get the shakes while working at the school and drive home crying every night because the students would traumatize me daily. I tried working at 3 different schools; it was the same every time. Needless to say, my career fell in ruins.

After that, I developed severe social phobia. Combined with PTSD from childhood and my career, I was unable to even LOOK for a job over the course of the next 10 years. Every time I tried, I would feel overwhelming fear and put it off, again and again. One day I realized I actually was disabled (whether the law would call it that or not).

I cannot return to my career...ever. I studied hard for a long time at college to get my career, and now it's gone. All that, for nothing. Had I been able to keep my career, I would be making $30,000/year and maybe have a nice house and car, and maybe something saved up for retirement.

Now I live in a small apartment and drive a car that is falling apart. In this economy, my expensive college degree doesn't count for anything. I barely make a living by delivery-driving in my own vehicle. Not enough to pay all my bills/debts. Someone had to get me this job, too - I wasn't able to look for it myself.

I felt, for a long time, that I should have been owed something - I WANTED to work, but was unable to. Shouldn't I have been entitled to compensation of some kind? But no - the law doesn't acknowledge that I am disabled. So all of my hopes and dreams of a future are dashed. As if anyone cared.

Sorry for my rant. I've thought about this issue a lot in the past year. Just wanted to put in my two cents worth. Thanks.

Bobcat