![]() She fears she may need to sell many of her belongings so she doesn't need to pay much for storage. ![]() She's looked at other gig opportunities on Fiverr, and she's tried contacting past employers or friends to see if she could do virtual freelance. She recently lost her apartment as she was a few months behind on payments, and she's had to move in with her family temporarily. The time she spends on the road has taken away from the time she needs to spend on medical appointments and VA paperwork. Recently, though, she said rides have been slow and she's taken more time off. These rides were done over 150 hours, or 30 hours a week. The month after she started, she made about $1,400 from driving, which isn't close to the $3,900 she has in monthly expenses.ĭocuments shared with BI show that between September 18 and Octowhich she said was her busiest period - Rene drove 264 rides and made a total of about $4,200 in earnings. After all calculations are made, she estimates she's making around $10 an hour. This excludes her oil changes, tire replacements, and other car maintenance expenses. She estimates before taxes, she will pull in $150 to $175 after gas if she works a 13-hour day. Typically, she can only drive between two and four hours at a time, and after a longer day on the road, she needs a day or two to recover.īonuses have also been a challenge for her to achieve, as many require dozens of rides in a short time period. She said the uncertainty of knowing how many miles she will drive or how many rides she will get has been difficult with her disabilities, as she never knows how long she can drive. "Service connection for disability benefits generally requires three elements – qualifying service, as well as medical evidence of a current physical or mental disability and evidence of a relationship between the disability and an injury, disease, or event in military service." "VA wants to ensure all Veterans, family members and survivors receive the benefits they are entitled to and our goal is to work with Veterans every step of the way to get to 'yes,'" the VA's press secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement to BI. Documents she shared with Business Insider showed the VA couldn't find direct evidence to support that her injuries were service-connected. Rene was denied by the VA to receive disability compensation. I'm in pain if I just stand over the sink to do the dishes as a single person." "I can't do hiking, biking, camping, skiing, I can't do any of that. ![]() "I'm at the point where I have spent all these years not being able to live life," Rene said. She said she now has trouble digesting food and may need spinal fusion surgery, which would put her out of work for at least six months. She still needs to see a chiropractor for her back condition, which has been costly. Since then, she said she has been diagnosed with PTSD, REM sleep disorder, and sleep terrors, medical records shared with BI show. After her grandmother became ill and needed care, she left the Air Force. She was able to work through the pain and became an active-duty member, though she said she faced harassment from her supervisor that led her to seek therapy. On the heels of a divorce, Rene joined the Air Force, though she developed a back injury during basic training. In statements to Business Insider, Uber and Lyft previously outlined their commitments to supporting disabled drivers through accessibility and antidiscrimination policies and resources for various physical and mental disabilities. Still, many gig drivers with disabilities - including veterans - aren't making enough per hour to pay their rent and car bills given gas prices and the cost of vehicle maintenance. As many Americans with disabilities are unable to put in 40 hours a week or sit behind a desk for eight hours a day, many look to the flexibility of gig roles including ride-hail driving, allowing them to work for a few hours a week and craft a schedule around medical appointments or recovery days. It often indicates a user profile.Īcross the country, thousands of Americans with disabilities are looking to gig work to make ends meet. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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