Save Prior CHP Mat Fiske Disability

Hello I am Ricardo Jose Fiske father to prior CHP officer Matthew A Fiske.  My son Matthew has a rare genetic form of dementia called "Early Onset Alzheimer".  He got it from his mother Maria who was very ill by her mid thirties.  She was catatonic by 39 and died at 49.  She lived for 10 years in a vegatative state.  This rare disease starts very early in life and my son Matthew started to decline with short term memory loss and cognitive decision skills sometime in 2011. 

Matthew was an award winning CHP with high DUI arrest rates and MADD awarded him three years in a row.  Matthew received a genetic diagnosis back in July of 2013 from Athena Diagnostics as positve with the gene marker for Early Onset Alzheimer.  As the disease progressed Matthew found himself under more and more scrutiny by his CHP supervisors.  He told at least six other CHP employees including supervisors and a police pshychologist that his performance issues might be related to the disease but no one ever heard the red flag and he was forced out of his position.  The legal department for the CHP association recommended he resign and never knew about the diagnosis from July of 2013.  He was released from the CHP in March of 2015.

Matthew is now fully disabled and unable to pursue any kind of gainful employment.  We filled for a CalPERS disability retirement and they denied him.  We have appealed the case but it has now become a legal defense issue beyond my ability to properly defend my son against the giant CalPERS state agency that refuses to recognize his disability.  The Social Security Administration of the federal goverment has recognized Matthew as fully disabled under the Compassionate Act for people with rare diseases.  Unfortunately he has no benefits from SSI as the state agency of California, CalPERS, holds the purse strings to his disability pension fund.  Matthew has been left with no source of income.  This is a tragic travesty of injustice on an excellent CHP officer, good son, father and faithful husband.  I literally cry frequently over how the CHP and the association for CHP officers missed all the red flags and no one suggested he be medically evaluated for disability.    

Matthew was a public servant for many years serving the community.  He was a paramedic, ambulance driver, Escondido Fire Fighter and finally a CHP of seven plus years before the genetic disease took it's toll on his ability to remain gainfully employed.  He is now 39 years old and in need of assistance from the same public he servered all his working years.  Matthew loved being a CHP and told me on many occassions he wanted to remain on the force as long as possible.  Today he spends time with his wife Kelsee, daughter Angelina and son Jonah while struggling to maintain his brain health and enjoy his remaining time with us.   

We found an attorney, Scott O'Mara, who defends CHP officers and we have a really good chance of getting Matthew's disability with his experience.  The money raised for this fund will go to the attorney who will defend us at the upcoming appeal and litigation against the state agency.  I took an early retirement at age 63 and a half to assist my son as his guardian and caregiver but did not expect to get into a legal battle with a powerful state agency.  

This is a very unique case due to the rarity of the disease but it sets a legal presidency for people with rare genetic diseases who have a legal right to file for disability at the proper time and place.  We do not believe anyone at the CHP or the association for CHP officers willfully tried to harm Matthew but there is some level of liability and over sight by all the people that Matthew told about his illness.  He even told an immediate supervisor on two occassions that he might be having trouble on the job due to his family history of Alzheimer.  All the warnings fell on deaf ears.  Now we are in the battle of our life. 

Please give to our cause any amount you can afford as soon as possible.  We are running out of life savings to stay a float due to the circumstances and need to raise the defense funds so Matthew can at least have his small pension and his wife and children can collect on it for future years. 

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any donation you can possibly give to this cause.  Matthew has two small school age children and getting his disability pension will help the family be able to maintain their household.  Please tell others so that many small amounts will reach our legal defense fund with attorney Scott O'Mara. 

Sincerely, 
Ricardo Jose Fiske father to Matthew Almodad Fiske