LASD and VA disability ratings

[Buck411]

To any current LASD personnel,

I know variations of this question have been asked and answered before, and I’ve learned it typically is agency specific. I’m in the background process with LASD for a DST position and have a VA Disability rating.

Are there any current LASD personnel in the forum that joined LASD with a VA disability rating?

How did it affect your medical/psychology exams?

Thank you

[Buck411]

L-1 your post was incredibly helpful. Thank you

[L-1]

Not LASD, but for many years I was involved in hiring with another agency and I can offer some general insight.

There are two issues here:

1. Every agency has a list of critical physical tasks their peace officers must be capable of performing. If the injury that caused your disability rating precludes you from performing all of those tasks, you can be disqualified.

2. Some injuries pose a high risk of reinjury. Common areas are ortho, cardio and hypertension to name a few. Even though yours is a prior injury, if it is reinjured in the next job and exacerbated by as much as 1%, in California, the new employer becomes financially responsible for your injury, up to and including lifetime medical. In addition, if the reinjury is serious enough, it could result in a disability retirement. No employer wants to be on the hook financially for costly lifetime medical or a disability retirement resulting from an injury that started on another employer's job. So, if your injury has a high risk of recurrence and that recurrence has the potential to be disabling within the meaning of the retirement system, again, you face the potential for disqualification.

Without knowing in detail what your injury is, it's hard to tell you anything meaningful. Instead, go here https://post.ca.gov/medical-screening-manual

These are California's medical standards. Find your injury and print out the manual for that category. Send it to your doctor and ask him to review it. Then ask him to pretend he is the LASD doctor who is being paid to represent their interests and not yours. Finally, ask him if he would pass or fail you based on what the manusl says and what he know about your condition. That will give you a ballpark idea as to where you stand.

[cruz0311]

Semper Fi and good luck!

[Buck411]

Thank you for the response. I’ve spoken to a number of deputies with varying responses, none of whom are veterans or have VA disabilities prior to LASD.

P.S. I’m assuming by your username you were a Marine 0311, Semper Fi devil, I was 0311 as well.

[cruz0311]

It all depends on what your disability is, I would think. Im part of LASD and have disability ratings but i claimed them once I got on.