Thank you for the recent article on LODI (“Injuries in the line of duty,” Q&A on the Issues, Sept. 5 issue). It was a great piece, and I appreciate you bringing attention to an issue that too often gets overlooked.

I say this not just as a reader but as someone who lived through it. My own LODI was denied at first simply because my principal refused to submit the paperwork. It was only after two painstaking months of fighting that it was finally approved — and in that time, my position was filled without so much as an email to me.

If you’re injured on the job and have to go on LODI, make sure you obtain written clearance once you’re approved, even if it’s near the end of the school year. Without that note, you cannot do a demo lesson or even enter a school building.

Stay on top of the process and keep records, because administrators do not always submit the paperwork promptly. Document everything and lean on your union for support so you’re not left in limbo.

It’s also natural to feel disconnected from your school community during this time, so don’t blame yourself for that.

And one thing to be grateful for: When doctors ask if your case is workers’ compensation, you can truthfully say, “No.” That makes the medical side much simpler and allows you to focus fully on your health and healing.

Jim Hambel, teacher, P169M, The Robert F. Kennedy School, Manhattan