Hi everyone,

I am going to try to keep this short as possible. I injured my right knee on the job in Aug/2012. I filed an injury claim, was approved, took seven months to get an MRI, changed doctors over to a specialist, he managed to get an explore surgery, had that done, the doctor sewed up a slight tear in the mesa, and clean up the broken cartilage. I should note here my employer has been pretty good about working with me, they put me on a temporary assignment based off my restrictions according to my doctor. I HAVE to have after I agreed to give duty status report every 30 days. I have been working limited duty since really the beginning of the injury.
After two months and physical therapy I informed the doctor that something was still off in my knee (pain especially when isolated) sends me back to another round of therapy, which was not helping. After that on my 30 day cycle appointment he states "lets see what we can do to get you a disability check". Shock and angered that he apparently thought that was my intent (not that I wanted to able to climb a flight of stairs) I informed bluntly that my knee was not right, and as a doctor I would think he would want to know if his work was done right. Short of it I did manage to get another MRI done, but it did not show a tear so he was stating that I may have reached maximum improvement. Feeling helpless at this point and still in pain, I agreed that maybe it was time to get an impairment rating.
Well they make an appointment with a different doctor in their office, then they cancel it, stating that my CE wants a 6th edition Impairment Rating and they only do 4th edition, and that they would have to find someone who does it. So I wait....
Then 2 days before my 30 day appointment they call and tell me that my regular appt. is canceled and that the doctor doesn't want to see me until I have the Impairment Rating done. I explain to the horrid woman that I have been waiting for a call from them with the new appointment, and she states that I will have to call my CE to get a doctor who does 6th edition.
I don't know all the in and outs here, so I say okay, but I still have to see the doctor to get my duty status filled out, that I am required to have it (they all know this). Short of it my appointment is cancelled, I have no supporting documentation.
So I call my CE, she gets back me. She informs me normally the doctor refers the patient, but its no mandatory to do so. She gives me my options, find a new doctor, find someone myself who does 6th edition, or file a C 1 and go on leave with out pay and wait for her to set it up.
The impairment rating it sounded like was requested by my doctor not the OWCP. Which is fine, but having it or an appointment for it does not relieve me of the NEED to have the duty status report filled out.
Of course I am angry and frustrated, I haven't been able to get a new doctor (the most honest response was why would we want to take on a 2 year old injury case who has already had surgery and is at the point of an impairment rating?) I have found doctors offices willing to do the impairment rating, but I will have to referred to them. No one wants to talk to the patient! I have tried groveling, to get my doctor office to talk to me but no one will call me back.
Its been almost 2 weeks since the duty status report was due. I have been informed that I cannot go to the accommodating post my employer specially set up with out it.
As of yet I have not been denied anything.
I am not sure really what to do. My doctor hasn't officially dropped me (but that is what it seems) and even if I do follow the CE instruction and file C 1 and go on leave with out pay, don't I still have to have a doctor to provide documentation in order for OWCP to pick up paying me between now and the impairment rating? I mean I have bills and have to eat and such, which is why I have been suffering through the daily temporary assignment.
Help please.