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Help Robert Return to Work

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My name is Robert. I am 76 years of age. I am a 90% disabled Vietnam Veteran who has encountered some very challenging issues beginning in mid-July 2024. I was exposed to a significant amount of Agent Orange during my time serving with the Mobile Riverine Force from 1969 through 1970; the base where I served was located on the Mekong River in the town of Sa Dec, which was the outpost furthest upriver and close to the Cambodian border, the area where Agent Orange was still being used. I was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in March of 1971.

When I returned to civilian life, I brought with me issues with PTSD and medical challenges that the government was slow to recognize and respond to. The most significant issue I dealt with spanning the 1970s to 1990s was Post Traumatic Stress, which I dealt with through self-anesthesia using alcohol and cocaine. In the early 2000s, the Veterans Administration developed a Cognitive Therapy program; I enrolled and managed to find my way to an alcohol and cocaine-free life that I have maintained for the past eighteen years. Anger management counseling, group therapy, and focused work have provided me with the ability to cope with life in a far healthier way.

The PACT Act finally identified these issues, and the government was required to acknowledge the problems of scarring in my lungs that require me to be on at-home oxygen therapy (Pulmonary Fibrosis and Bronchiectasis). Despite the respiratory issues and the recognized issues with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I have remained gainfully employed since my return. I have worked part-time as a rideshare driver over the past eight years, beginning as a full-time driver, but aging has required me to reduce my hours, and now I work for about 24 hours during a four-day work week.

My current economic strain began in mid-July when I was prescribed a twelve-week regimen of steroids to treat the scarring in my lungs. I worked through the side-effect challenges until mid-October, when the withdrawal symptoms hit; my feet and calves swelled to over 2 1/2 times their normal size, and I ended up in the Emergency Room and then the ICU at the VA Hospital. The effects of the withdrawal process have slowly diminished. I was able to return to work, and on the fourth day back, the driver of another vehicle made an illegal left turn directly in front of me. Fortunately, I had aftermarket cameras installed, and the incident was captured on 1080P video and clearly absolved me of any culpability in the collision. My car was in the body shop for about six weeks, and it was then that I realized the fuel pump and filter assembly was failing. I took the car to Centennial Hyundai where it was diagnosed as needing the new fuel pump assembly, a CV axle, a brake job on the rear axle, and two new rear tires.

The funds I am requesting will cover needed repairs on my vehicle including a new fuel pump/filter assembly, turning the rotors and replacing the pads on the rear brakes, replacing a continuous velocity axle, and two new tires on the rear of the vehicle.

Additional funding will be spent on renewing my Nevada State Business License ($200) and paying the IRS $1811.00 (plus penalties) to finish paying my 2024 tax liability. For the past eight years, I have used my income from October and February to bring myself square with the IRS. Unfortunately, there was inadequate income to facilitate this, and I am sure there will be penalties on top of the $1811.00.

I want to thank those who take the time to consider my request, and those who put what they can afford to resolve the quandary.
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    Organizer

    Robert Plumlee
    Organizer
    Las Vegas, NV

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