Surviving Worker's Compensation

Some of you may remember how my husband injured his back the day after Christmas. Well, he hasn't been back to work since due to the injury. I've shuttled him from doctor to doctor. He's following all the recommendations, taking all the prescribed medications, and completing all the suggested therapies but we haven't seem much forward progress with his injury. June 4th is the next date with the Neurosurgeon. Why is it booked a month from now? Because this was his EARLIEST available appointment! WOW!!!

If you know anyone thinking about going into medicine, tell them Neurosurgery is THE area for a lucrative practice. Apparently there's a never ending list of people with back injuries! lol

Keeping everything organized is the biggest challenge with Worker's Compensation. Every state has different laws and worker's comp requirements but, they all are have some basics guidelines in common.

• Most treatments need to be approved BEFOREHAND.
• Various documents are generally required to process and close a claim (usually a First Report of Injury, doctor's restrictions, and releases)
• Each case is issued a Case Number and a Case Worker
• A drug test is usually done shortly after the First Report of Injury is filed
• Witness statements are normally taken to corroborate the reported injury
• Compensation kicks in after a certain time of off duty status

A few tips to help you survive Worker's Compensation:

1. Keep a copy of all documents.
2. Take plenty of notes (especially when discussing things over the phone)
3. Take your case number, case worker's name, phone number, and billing address to ALL appointments (even if you've given it to them before-it's best to be prepared than not have it and have to pay out of pocket)
4. Keep a list of your medications or bring your prescriptions with you to each doctor's appointment (this will ensure the proper medications and doses are prescribed avoiding further complications...especially if you've been referred to a specialist who's new to your case)
5. Get a business card for each new person that has a hand in your case. (This will make contacting the right person much easier.)
6. Keep a daily journal. Using the pain scale 1 t 10, write down the pain number, location of pain, what you're doing at the time, if you couldn't do something due to the pain, etc complete with dates, times, and any witnesses or other details. Jot down any reactions to medications or anything else that's impacted by your injury. This will help when you go to the doctor or should you end up in court to settle the details of your case.
   
7. Familiarize yourself with your state's laws and requirements early on in the case. You may be entitled for reimbursement for your mileage traveled for medical treatment, compensation cut off dates vary, and each state compensates injured workers with a different formula. It pays to be an informed employee.
   
8. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask your case worker, doctor, Department of Labor, or even an Worker's Compensation attorney questions about your case.

After six weeks, it became apparent I needed to organize this particular situation better. I chose to keep all of hubby's worker's comp papers in a binder. I keep notebook paper in the front with several clear sheet pockets behind the notebook paper. All handwritten notes are maintained on the notebook paper while the clear pockets are use as portable file folders. I drop business cards in one pocket, pay stubs in another, doctor's appointment cards in another, correspondence in yet another pocket and so on.

This helps tremendously when we need to refer back to a specific item. For instance, tomorrow I'm creating a spreadsheet to calculate our medical travel for reimbursement. I'll pull all his appointment cards from that particular pocket. A few keystrokes later and my spreadsheet should be done, printed and ready to send to our case worker. The binder also transports easily to the doctor or pharmacy so all the details are readily available. This has made surviving the paper pushing aspect of worker's compensation MUCH EASIER!

Finally, be prepared for a long drawn out process if your injury is serious but not critical (such as a back injury versus a severed limb). Try to keep your spirits up and don't take your frustrations out on your doctors or case workers. They are genuinely trying to help you even though it may seem like you're lost in a sea of red tape! Remember the saying, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar". This is true! Keeping a friendly rapport with your doctors and the case worker will help your worker compensation claim move along more smoothly!