LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Take a minute and think of all the little things you do on a regular basis, like going for a walk or signing your name.
Now think about what might happen if you suddenly couldn't do those things.
A local woman who's been confronted with that stark reality reached out 13 Investigates when the retirement rug was pulled out from under her because she couldn't do something most of us take for granted.
"I loved it! I did," said Rochelle Thyrauer, who moved Las Vegas' mail in the back of a big rig for 10 years.
But her job as a Teamster and tractor-trailer driver for the United States Postal Service came to an abrupt and unexpected end.
"A lot of people would just give up," said Robert Deas, Rochelle's partner. "And I can't even tell you what my feelings would be if that happened to me. I don't know if I would've made it."
Complications from a staph infection left Rochelle with a devastating disability.
"I got sick with sepsis and I ended up losing all my limbs so I could no longer do the job," she said.
For starters, she had to adjust to using a wheelchair while waiting for prosthetic legs.
"Once they amputate, you don't come with instructions," Rochelle joked. "So it was difficult in the beginning because I couldn't walk, or I didn't know what my next day-to-day life was gonna be like."
The 67-year-old applied for retirement, signing documents to leave the Teamsters with help from Robert, who has Power Of Attorney — or POA — to act on her behalf in legal, medical and financial matters. It's a common practice, especially for couples, elderly people and people with disabilities.
"With Teamsters, no issues," said Robert. "They accepted the paperwork, started her retirement payments, no problem, so I assumed that the federal government would be the same way."
It absolutely was not.
"I felt like they treated me like I was a second class citizen. I gave them 101 percent when I worked for them, and when it came down to retirement, it was like I had to stoop down. It was almost like they belittled me."
The Postal Service would not accept Robert's POA signature on Rochelle's behalf.
"Everybody else accepts that," said Robert. "We had not had any issues with POA except for with the Post Office. This was the one time. And they gave us the fits!"
Telling Rochelle, "'You have to sign the paperwork.' Well, how am I gonna sign it when I don't have any hands?"
Their battle began a year ago, in July 2023. After rejecting the POA, the USPS tried to push Rochelle into a disability retirement, even though her disability is not work-related.
"She'd have to see their doctors two or three times a year and part of the money to pay for her disability would come out of Social Security," Robert explained. "And that's nuts because number one, you qualify for Social Security, you paid into it for all those years. And number two, you qualify for your retirement — she was age-correct and she had enough time in. What is the problem? But for some reason, they wanted to push her to be on disability."
In addition to impacting her Social Security, a disability retirement would've meant doctors having to regularly re-certify her.
"I've learned that, in my situation, you always have to prove that you're disabled. A lot of people fake a disability and it makes it tough on people who have disabilities," Rochelle said.
They declined the disability retirement and kept pushing the Postal Service to accept the Power of Attorney, but the process seemed to stall.
"For nine months, absolutely nothing... crickets," said Robert. "We didn't hear a word from these people."
Fed up and fearing it would drag on forever, they reached out to federal lawmakers and 13 Investigates for help.
"All of a sudden one day the retirement specialist called me out of the clear blue," said Rochelle, but it wasn't exactly the news she was expecting.
"It really hurt me. It was very difficult to accept because you have to jump through hoops just to get what you're entitled to. And it's really not fair," she said.
Although she's still waiting on prosthetics for her hands, the Postal Service is still insisting on Rochelle's signature.
We asked why they wouldn't accept the Power of Attorney and they said they can't comment on specifics of personnel matters due to privacy. They would only say their Human Resources officials are working with Rochelle on alternative solutions that would be acceptable to the federal Office of Personnel Management.
That alternative solution was for Rochelle to literally strap a pen to her arm and make a scrawl, as opposed to having her legal Power of Attorney make an actual signature for her.
"I signed it and we took video of me signing it just in case they wanted to say, well, somebody else signed the paperwork for you."
They also had to have two witness signatures and this time it worked.
Although the bureaucratic nightmare isn't over, some of the red tape has been peeled off. Rochelle got a letter last week confirming the case is making progress and should be finalized soon.
In the face of all she's endured, Rochelle continues to have an incredibly positive attitude.
"I just know that I have to live with it and I have to move on, but I have to be strong because nobody can be strong for you," she said.
With Robert and her service dog, Bandit, in her corner, she's prepared to fight to the finish.
