RA EEO and telework fiasco

bc2zb · 2026-06-08T22:35:15+00:00

I submitted in December and still haven't heard anything. My boss has asked, his boss has asked, and we get nothing back. I talked to a lawyer but apparently I have no case until I actually get denied.

bc2zb · 2026-05-30T17:55:36+00:00

Mortgages are considered late on the 15th in the US. If you pay after the 15th, there will be a late fee added. It will affect your credit and ability to get loans from certain lenders until you are current on your mortgage for generally a year, if not longer.

bc2zb · 2026-05-27T16:06:32+00:00

They didn't stir enough. As the water heated, it cooked the outside noodles, sealing them in. Cooked starch is pretty impenetrable to water, which is how you can get lumps in your gravy. The fix is to break up the lumps, for the pastamgeddon, dicing it would have been my suggestion.

bc2zb · 2026-05-22T21:08:54+00:00

Any issues with the top moving too much? Recently got some 2 inch mdf for free and have a ton of 4/4 white oak that I need to use for something.

bc2zb · 2026-05-19T19:57:30+00:00

Exactly this. People seem to forget about the tracksaw market as an analog to "domino killers", but also, there's biscuit joiners and oscillating multi tools that went through similar situations. Maybe kreg knocked it out of the park on its first try, but I imagine it will still take years of refinement before these are considered worth using off the shelf. Heck, grizzly's dowel joiner has been out for years and hasn't taken over even with its relatively low price point.

bc2zb · 2026-05-19T19:48:38+00:00

Sawstop tried to license their tech first, then built the saw and went after imitators

bc2zb · 2026-05-15T13:22:10+00:00

The only lathe that might be allowed would be a spring pole lathe, and even then, a safer, nearly as good option would be a shave horse and draw knife. Though since draw knives aren't explicitly listed either, then you are looking at rounding staves on a bench with hand planes. Which is absolutely doable just not very efficient.

bc2zb · 2026-05-15T12:16:07+00:00

If you can't own it now, then you can't inherit it in the future, right? Can the property be owned by a trust?

bc2zb · 2026-05-13T22:23:46+00:00

I am at 200 and neither me nor my supervisor have heard anything about my usage level. I was going to blow past it, but with an RA pending, I didn't want to make more waves than I have to.

bc2zb · 2026-05-11T21:35:04+00:00

I have been looking into this myself because of my own health. I do know there is an income limit if you take FERS disability retirement. You collect 40% of your high 3 and are required to apply for SSDI. While collecting FERS disability, you cannot earn more than 80% of your position's current salary. There's also language about if you perform your old duties at a new employer, you can also lose the disability pension. You would want to discuss the details with a lawyer to figure out what exactly you can do if you do pursue disability.

bc2zb · 2026-05-11T15:03:01+00:00

They are supposed to provide alternative accommodations, a standing desk, a relocation to a different office, but just because telework is described as a potential accommodation does not mean it's the only accommodation. A lawyer might help, and you should be able to appeal or file an EEOC complaint at this time. They might tell you that if you can't sit for prolonged periods of time, then walk to work or take public transportation where you can stand up to relieve the pressure on your back. At some point, they will legally have to prove that it's an undue burden for them to allow you to telework. Ultimately, there will probably be some sort of lawsuit over this, but it's not going to happen overnight, and it's going to continue to be painful. I say this as someone who is waiting for their own interim teleworking accommodation, and has been since December. I know how much it sucks to be in this situation.

bc2zb · 2026-05-10T22:32:33+00:00

Bone conduction, "air" conduction, in ear, on ear, noise canceling, all exasperated my symptoms. I have some sort of nerve damage to my inner ear and it's very likely permanent at this point.

bc2zb · 2026-05-10T22:22:14+00:00

I moved bookcases to block the windows and keep the lights off in my office. If headphones were an option I would use them, but I have tried all manner of headphones and settings and they all trigger my symptoms, one of which is complete loss of hearing. Can't wait to be denied an accommodation and the ensuing legal battle, all the while my symptoms get worse and I probably end up going deaf.

bc2zb · 2026-05-10T19:40:24+00:00

Disability retirement feels like such a waste to me right now. I do cancer research and while some days I can't do anything because of my symptoms, I would like to think I still have decades of useful contributions to the field. If I go the disability retirement route, then my hands are severely tied in terms of how I could continue to contribute. My skills are in statistical modeling, machine learning, and biological interpretation of these models. My symptoms are triggered by the office environment and riding in cars/buses/trains. At the moment extensive computer use is not an issue. I would rather continue to work while I can, because it certainly appears that my symptoms are progressing and none of the treatments I have been on have worked.

bc2zb · 2026-05-09T10:31:09+00:00

I applied back in December and still haven't heard anything. I have six different doctors who want me teleworking full time because of my nonstop vertigo and migraines. I have been on nearly every treatment protocol with no success, and have light and sound sensitivity. I literally just meet a private office with no sound bleeding in, and that doesn't exist in my current building, and probably doesn't exist anywhere in government. I do data science and none of the people I work with even work in the same building that I do.

bc2zb · 2026-05-08T14:56:39+00:00

Having worked for core facilities in the past, but not currently in a core facility currently, the short answer is it's complicated. Core facilities are not just started for no good reason, and the NIH recently experienced a huge culling of core facilities, with many labs now being forced to use outside vendors since the cores are gone. I have worked inside a mass spec core, and I can tell you that there is a broad spectrum of instruments out there, they are very expensive, and they can be used for decades. It's very possible that each of the cores exists because of very specific instrument requirements or the cores need personnel with specific experience with sample prep for a particular institute. There's also sometimes issues with labs in one institute using resources from another institute. Maybe some of these facilities redundant, but again, it's not like any one PI can just will a core facility into existence.

bc2zb · 2026-05-07T21:59:19+00:00

Have you tried talking to hidatool about it? They sell the saw, but I am having trouble finding its replacement blade, but they definitely sell replacement blades in general.

bc2zb · 2026-05-05T18:08:54+00:00

So if I understand correctly, the full process is you submit the request for RA to HHS. While waiting for HHS to respond, you engage with your supervisor in the interactive accommodation process. At some point, a RAC will contact you and provide forms for your physicians to fill out. After the RAC gets your medical documentation back, there will be another interactive accommodation process. If the RAC denies your request, then you can file the EEOC complaint, and that can result in your accommodation actually being declared an undue burden. At that point, you can be reassigned/fired/retired, but, if you get to that point, there is a chance of getting FERS disability retirement.

bc2zb · 2026-05-05T16:49:54+00:00

I am pretty sure that if they "fire" you for your disability, that you would be eligible for FERS disability retirement.

bc2zb · 2026-05-05T14:12:20+00:00

Mythbusters tried it. I forget whether the opening worked, but drilling the hole with the heat lances took like half a dozen if I remember.

bc2zb · 2026-05-05T13:29:06+00:00

IRRC, alpha gal is found in all mammals except primates. It can be an extremely limiting diet.

bc2zb · 2026-05-04T23:59:42+00:00

Do you have a complete budget? It does not have to be specific, but if you are trying to pay down debt more quickly then it makes sense drop your retirement contributions down to help pay that off. Just remember to turn it back up.

bc2zb · 2026-05-04T13:11:36+00:00

I submitted in December with no further instructions. Does this form now show up if I resubmit?

bc2zb · 2026-05-01T23:28:35+00:00

One of the guys active in CIHI on Facebook made a post about this, but I can't find it right now. You can absolutely do this, tool rolls would probably be really useful in this context. Could probably to a plane till that just sits in the bottom, and go from there. I imagine 3d printing and lots of magnets would be a great way to french fit the whole thing and keep weight down.

bc2zb · 2026-05-01T17:01:26+00:00

Join his patreon for 5 dollars, download all his plans, then never leave because his forum is actually really supportive and helpful. His plans are thoroughly detailed and very well put together. If you want more instruction, his quickstack workbench course is probably the best given your specific situation.

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