| Author | Subject: Injured workers |
| Terry | Posted At 03:33:52 07/24/2001
I am an injured worker. I tried to lift when I shouldn’t have and ended up tearing a small piece of cartilage in my knee. It was 6 months before I was able to have the surgery to repair the tear and by then it was to late as RSDS had set in. I’ve been on California W/C for 2 ½ years, was deemed P/S in January of this year, and am still waiting for settlement talks to begin. In reading the messages on this board, I find it a lot like other W/C Q&A sites I’ve been to. There are the injured workers that are afraid of what will happen in the future. There are the injured workers that are not afraid, but instead, just want their settlement. There are the people that have been there and are trying to help, there are the trouble makers, the conspiracy talkers, and the ever so present “poor pitiful me’ people. Like others here, I’ve been lied to and lied about. I’ve gone months without any money. I lost my home, I lost my cars, and for a while, I lost my pride. I had to move my family to another state to just survive. I’ve had to write bad checks, borrow money from my family, and max out my credit cards. BUT, no matter how bad it may seem for me, I know that there are others out there that are in worse shape. Why have I written this? To let those of you who are in pain, who are scared, and who feel that the world is against them, know that there are some of us who have been there and/or are there and we are not against you. For those that are in search of some opinions, here’s mine. Get a Workmans Comp attorney. It’s better in the long run to have one AND while there may be the 1 in 25 million attorney that will cheat you, the odds are that your attorney will do what’s right. Don’t be afraid to challenge a doctor’s evaluation. See a different doctor. If you have an attorney, have him or her set you up with a new doctor. Keep track of all related expenses. Mileage to the doctor, pharmacy, surgery center, etc… If you’re sent out of town for an evaluation, keep track of food costs, parking fees, and other related items. Most, if not all, is reimbursable! If you have an attorney, demand to be kept up to date on your case. If you are P/S or have been released, you should be eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation of some sort and most of the time it’s at W/C expense. Ask your attorney, your case manager, or seek it on your own. Most states have very good Rehabilitation programs and often will be able to help with everyday expenses. Some state programs will supplement the W/C rehabilitation monies and get you better or more complete training. Most important, you have to remember that the process takes time and you will not become an over-night millionaire with your settlement (when you finally get it). |
| b |
Re: Injured workers (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 19:38:50 07/24/2001 be honest. edducate your self to the system. don't get a lawyer till you have to. be realistic. don't get a lawyer, you'll loose rights, at least in california the system bends toward the injured untill he or she gets a lawyer. get copies of everything related to your case. send letters return receipt, keep copies. the single most important thing to an insurance company is to make profits for their stock holders. the lawyers who work workers compunsation claims for the injured work for the smallest pay check in lawyer world, their are plenty of good ones but most are the bottom of the barrel.you do get what you pay for and the insurance company pays plenty. don't get a lawyer, edducate yourself ,if you can't educate yourself then get a lawyer and good luck. and yes terry, there are many worse off then you, some feel as if they have lost their soul |
| b |
Re: Injured workers (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 19:41:26 07/24/2001 be honest. edducate your self to the system. don't get a lawyer till you have to. be realistic. don't get a lawyer, you'll loose rights, at least in california the system bends toward the injured untill he or she gets a lawyer. get copies of everything related to your case. send letters return receipt, keep copies. the single most important thing to an insurance company is to make profits for their stock holders. the lawyers who work workers compunsation claims for the injured work for the smallest pay check in lawyer world, their are plenty of good ones but most are the bottom of the barrel.you do get what you pay for and the insurance company pays plenty. don't get a lawyer, edducate yourself ,if you can't educate yourself then get a lawyer and good luck. and yes terry, there are many worse off then you, some feel as if they have lost their soul |
| DEE |
Re: Injured workers (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 19:26:59 07/25/2001 W/C law is a specialty with specialized laws. Why in the world would a lawyer specialize in a field where they would automatically be considered bottom of the barrel & study & get extra training to do so? I agree you definately should self-study and familiarize yourself as much as possible with your state laws & civil rights. But, like in my case, W/C can bombard you with so much stuff & keep you so busy & frustrated that you don't know if your comming or going. The stress they can inject into your life can make you wish you were dead you feel so worthless & hopeless & losing everything. They can try to "starve you out" if you have a lawyer or not. They don't like it when you get someone who knows how to deal with them & what they can & can't do, & to put a stop to their games. But that's they're problem. I don't know what I would have done without a lawyer to protect my rights. I'd already lost everything but my ragged... but still beating heart. Some THINGS can be replaced with time. And time heals MOST wounds. Why allow some STRANGER in some AGENCY to aggrivate you beyond what you can handle and destroy you? |
| Terry |
Re: Injured workers (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 17:13:55 07/26/2001 Very well state Dee. I wish I had put it in those words. They've done their best to try to starve me out...would have if my wife had not been working. They "mailed' my checks that never got here. They "lost" my name from the computer check listing. They even tried to send me 200+ miles to see an AME without telling my attorney and without supplying advanced travel expenses. Oops, I missed the appointment! Attorneys aren't all bad...just the ones on the other side! |
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