Detective JC Allen is a veteran law enforcement officer, a 20-year veteran of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, a former prison guard, a military veteran, a husband and a father.
He is also out of work and, according to his wife, Lori, fast running out of options.
Diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), JC Allen has been on medical leave from his position as LCSO’s domestic violence investigator since Oct. 2008.
According to Allen and his family, his diagnosis is directly attributable to his law enforcement career. Allen’s situation came to light through a series of letters his wife, Lori Allen, drafted in recent months and made available to The Lincoln County News.
Contacted for comment, county officials cited employee confidentiality laws that prevent them from discussing the case in detail.
Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett confirmed he is aware of Allen’s situation but disputed Lori Allen’s written statements.
“I don’t know how to respond,” Brackett said. “That is between him and Workman’s Comp. I will tell you that John has had every resource available offered to him. He is on unpaid leave, that has been extended once by the commissioners at my request.”
According to the county’s collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of County and Municipal Employees local, an unpaid medical leave can be effective for up to 12 months. Following an unpaid medical leave, an employee may return, at minimum, to a position similar to the one he or she held prior to the leave.
Lincoln County Administrator John O’Connell said the county commissioners are aware of the Allen’s situation, but declined to comment citing confidentiality laws. “It would be inappropriate for me to comment,” O’Connell said.
County Commissioner Sheridan Bond also declined to comment on Allen’s case but did confirm that the commissioner’s office has received at least one letter from Lori Allen on the subject.
According to Lori Allen, her husband has received treatment for PTSD at Onsite Academy in Massachusetts. Onsite specializes in treating emergency responders, firefighters, and police officers for the effects of job related stress.
“He has been there twice,” Allen said. “Each time for a week.”
In JC Allen’s case, Lori Allen alleges that her husband was ordered to take family medical leave immediately following his diagnosis. Asking for and receiving family medical leave maintains Allen’s position with the LCSO, but it does not extend sick leave benefits or vacation time.
Complicating the issue is the fact that a workmen’s compensation filing deadline was missed resulting in a $4000 fine, money that was eventually paid to Allen directly.
“He has no insurance; he has nothing now,” Lori Allen said.
Allen said she has no other issue with the county other than having her husband covered by the LCSO’s health insurance and the county should pay the costs of her husband’s treatment at Onsite.
“He has been there 20 years,” Lori Allen said. “In 1999, he ruptured a disc in his back on duty. He wants to go back to work but he cannot go back to work. They are not doing the right thing. He is pretty much history and they don’t care.”
Allen said she sent one letter to the commissioners, and drafted others that were not sent. She has engaged in a conference call with the commissioners where they outlined the county’s position to her.
On Jan. 12 Allen emailed a letter to The Lincoln County News. The language was similar to several drafts she subsequently made available to The Lincoln County News.
In her Jan. 12 letter titled “Dedication and Time Served no longer matters,” Lori Allen outlines her husband’s case in painful detail.
“The county admitted in a previous letter that it was a work related incident, or in JC’s case, work related incidents, but Workers Compensation denied his benefits,” Allen stated.
“I know the county doesn’t have to pay for his insurance, but why not just one time do the right thing? Help him out. He has been a dedicated employee for 20 years for you. He is not going to get better, while stressing over how he is going to pay for his meds and all of his doctor appointments, several a week, and put[ting] food on the table for his family.
“I gave up my meds so he can afford to get his. We ran out of oil yesterday, and $255 later, [is] more than half of one of his disability checks. So, no groceries this week, and he is due for three more meds this week. That is his whole disability check. We know you don’t care about his family and that’s okay, but at least show you care about one of your fellow officers. Do something. Just do the right thing!”
Contacted for comment, JC Allen indicated his willingness to go on the record with his story. Allen confirmed he is suffering from PTSD, which he attributes to his service as a Sheriff’s Deputy.
“I am comfortable with that in there,” Allen said. “Their doctors and my doctors have diagnosed that… Basically the story for me would get out there that it does exist, and it does exist in police officers, it’s not just caused through combat. We go through combat every day in one way or another. That is basically how the system is set up. They don’t know how to deal with it.
“Onsite Academy, that you can put in the record. I feel they are a major help for police officers. You can put on the record that the state and the county don’t know how to help police officers. There is nothing to help police officers or any other emergency personnel… Yes, Onsite Academy is the only place in the United States that actually treats police officers and firemen for that specifically (PTSD).”
Allen said he believes he is serving as a test case of sorts since, in his opinion, Maine law enforcement is slow to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. Still, Allen said he hopes to return to work with the Sheriff’s Office.
“Eventually if I can get through this, yeah. If not, then I would like to be treated appropriately,” he said. “Society has not had to deal with this up here in Maine. I feel like I am the test case and they are not helping. ‘We are going to put you out of work because you have PTSD and other problems, but we are not going to pay you for it.'”
