Members xbassman Posted December 28, 2008 Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 This week I hurt my knee at work. Yesterday my boss sent me to a clinic to get checked out. I gotta say, I felt like I went to the offices of DR Shemp Howard. The first thing they did was a drug test. No big surprise there! Then they x-rayed my knee. The doc gave me a quick checkup and said the nurse would have some stuff for me. Then they sent me on my way with an immobilizer on my leg, a couple of bottles of pills, and another appointment next week. They also put me on light duty for work. Well, when I got home I used Google to find out what the pills were for. Actually the gal at the front desk didn't even give them to me initially. I had to remind her that they were there on her desk. I pretty much knew the x-ray wouldn't turn up anything, since a couple of years ago I tore cartilage in my other knee and this one feels about the same. At this point I am thinking about calling my doctor or the surgeon that performed my last knee surgery to get checked out, but I really don't know my rights concerning Workman's comp. (although my doc will) Any of you guys been through the system? BTW- when I had surgery on my other knee, my company treated me like a red-headed stepchild. I wound up missing a month of work and couldn't return to work without full release from my doc even though I did this on my own. My boss said we know you are having this done so you can't return to work until these conditions are met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goofball Jones Posted December 28, 2008 Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 They treated you as a red-headed stepchild before when you had surgery...but I expect they treat you like a king now because they don't want to get their asses sued due to this being a work related injury. If you really want to know your rights about workman's comp, contact a lawyer. Stay away from the ambulance chasing lawyers, but find someone that can give you good legal advice as to what workman's comp is all about. Don't trust a doctor knowing all the in's and out's except the parts where it benefits or protects them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members countrybass Posted December 28, 2008 Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 I don't know how it works in OK, but in PA, I think that you have to go to the designated work comp doc for 90 days. His job is to say make as little of your injury as possible and get you back to work. Unless you had a traumatic injury, the x-rays will really show little if anything. It will not show any type of soft tissue damage. If your injury isn't better within the 90 day's or what ever your state mandates, you can go to your own doc. If you go to your own doc too soon, the W/C insurance won't pay him/her, so you may wind up with a bill. Remember W/C will most often try to screw you, so consulting a W/C atty is a good idea like GFJ had aready mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xbassman Posted December 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 I'll probably spend most of today researching this. I had to call off band practice. Seeing an attorney is probably a good idea, but aren't most WC attorneys ambulance chasers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members countrybass Posted December 28, 2008 Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 Probably. everyones just trying to make a living. And quite frankly getting an attorney that is a so called "ambulance chaser" ain't all that bad. The more cases they do, the more experience they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xbassman Posted December 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 Interesting.... I got some info from a local attorney's website and it says the company's physician has the "sole" right to treat me unless certain conditions aren't met (which they have been), or I petition the Worker's comp court. I guess hiring an attorney is my only option if Dr Shemp doesn't appear to do his job properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonathan_matos5 Posted December 28, 2008 Members Share Posted December 28, 2008 Interesting.... I got some info from a local attorney's website and it says the company's physician has the "sole" right to treat me unless certain conditions aren't met (which they have been), or I petition the Worker's comp court. I guess hiring an attorney is my only option if Dr Shemp doesn't appear to do his job properly. you should get an attorney anyway. i sent you a pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BikerOnBass Posted December 29, 2008 Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 The attorney thing is good advice, if for no other reason than to just be prepared in the likely event that the problem isn't remedied. Over the years, I have seen several folks get injured at work and two things stand out; work comp, given a chance, will deny 100% of the claims. If they don't and get involved, they seem to jump through hoops to keep you from recieving proper (like the thing that would either diagnose or repair the issue) treatment. Hopefully where you are it's different...good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xbassman Posted December 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 Yep I think that's what I am gonna do. Considering x-rays were negative the next thing to do would be an MRI like my doc ordered for me a couple of years back. An ice pack would also do better than the knee immobilizer they have me wearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members illidian Posted December 29, 2008 Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 A friend of mine has been battling workman's comp for the last five years. He's still FUBAR - can't work and still isn't healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members countrybass Posted December 29, 2008 Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 Considering x-rays were negative the next thing to do would be an MRI like my doc ordered for me a couple of years back. Just make sure you get a current script for the MRI pertaining to your recent injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FailBoatCaptn Posted December 29, 2008 Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 by your time clock at work.. or in your breakroom; there should be a workers' compensation poster... can you tell me if you see it? if you do.. get the number and name off of it and call that place/person and tell them what you just told us.. if there is not a poster, go to HR and ask them where it is and tell them you need to see it then get the number off and call... good luck. i'm in commercial insurance underwriting btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xbassman Posted December 29, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 FWIW- At work today I talked to another employee who recently went through the workman's comp process.She said they did everything they were supposed to do and cut her a check at the end of the process as well. For now, I am not going to worry about an attorney. I go back to the clinic on Friday and I am going to suggest an MRI to the physician. If he balks, then I will contact an attorney. I just got home and this puppy is really swollen. It's time for an ice pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RockBass Posted December 29, 2008 Members Share Posted December 29, 2008 Going through Work Comp for Carpal Tunnel right now. It's not so bad since I'm a government paper pusher. Keep good records of all related bills and insurance-related paperwork for yourself and stay on the ball with everything just to make sure the checks all balance out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.