The stress for furloughed employees over not knowing when they will be back to work and collecting a paycheck is tough enough. Circumstances are even more daunting right now for U.S. Forest Service employee Bret Conant and his family.
Bret’s wife, Esther, gave birth to their second child on Jan. 3. Lars was born at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs and it was soon determined that he had an intestinal blockage that required surgery at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver.
“He had surgery, then was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis,” Bret said via telephone Thursday from the hospital.
The Conants have stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Denver, just a few blocks from the hospital. “Those guys do an amazing job,” Bret said.
“People have lives
— they need to get a paycheck to deal with every day life.”
— Bret Conant
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Having that resource has been a huge relief for the couple. Nevertheless, they are racking up expenses being away from home. Conant said his health insurance through the Forest Service is still in effect, but his family will soon be billed for the deductible and charges that aren’t covered. The recovery process is expected to keep Lars at the Denver hospital for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, like other furloughed federal workers, Conant isn’t collecting a paycheck. The partial government hits day 28 on Friday. He is an engineering technician in the White River National Forest. His work takes him throughout the 2.3 million-acre forest, including the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District.
Conant said his family’s situation drives home the fact that federal workers need to be collecting their pay.
“People have lives — they need to get a paycheck to deal with every day life,” he said. “I wouldn’t be back working even if the government was open right now, but at least I’d be getting a check.”
Friends and colleagues have stepped up to help the Conants, who reside in Silt. The wife of Bret’s supervisor at the Forest Service set up a GoFundMe page (which can be found by searching the Conant’s name on the website) to help the family handle expenses. “We’re just really grateful for the support,” he said, noting it will be a big help when the medical bills arrive.
Conant said he isn’t taking sides in the fight between Democrats in Congress and President Donald Trump that led to the shutdown. He just finds the situation frustrating and he feels particularly bad for employees who are required to work but aren’t getting paid.
“On behalf of all federal employees who are laid off right now, I feel violated,” he said. “I work hard for the agency I work for. I try to do the best job I can as a public servant.”
Conant said his family is optimistic for Lars’s recovery from surgery. In addition, there have been advances in the treatment of cystic fibrosis that give the family hope for the future.