[nancyinLA]

i know i've asked questions before concerning w.c.! Confused : i thought w.c. had 2 wait 4 our dismissal by the dr. in order 4 us 2 go back 2 wk. If ur currently out w/a W.C. injury, what's happening?? i'm 16 mos. out w/RSD from wk injury. do i need 2 eventually secure an attorney??

[Jomar]

I think with any difficult or hard to prove claim an attorney is a must.
RSD is one of those difficult cases.

Be sure to interview many before choosing one, they will tell you all the good stuff they can get for you but skim over how long it all takes and the full downside...of the whole process...

You really need to find one that has an organized staff & office and is successful & highly skilled at what they do.

from how I understand it during my RSI/TOS claim.
If the dr has written you off work, you must continue seeing dr once a month during the wc claim.
And keep your employer updated weekly { that last part was my employers rule}

You cannot return to work until your dr writes that it is Ok to return to work. The dr will write some work restrictions or modifications if needed.

Then employer will decide if they can find work for you that fit to those requirements or not.

Also check your state website - employment /workers compensation section for state specific details - and you should be able to email or call someone from the site for more information too.

There might be a listing of wc attys on your state website.

[Dew58]

Hi Nancy,

You know that I am involved in a WC suit,myself. I have an atty., and if you feel threatened in any way, now is the time to get an atty.
Jo*mar gave excellent suggestions.We are fortunate to have her looking out for us on NT.
Please feel free to email me if I can assist you. We can exchange phone numbers, and talk on the phone..I have been fighting w/WC since 03/24/07.I have an atty., and have been put through every sneaky trick/hoop that they wanted to throw my way. Once I had my atty., the world was a different place.



Dew

[hope4thebest]

Hi Nancy,
A doctor suggested to me to get an attorney!! With RSD, you don't want to leave any stone uncovered, and an experienced attorney whom you know is on your side is important.

Worker's Comp wanted me to have a QME exam many months ago by one of their doctors that they were going to fly up to Northern Cal from Southern Cal.!! I had choice from three of them..When I did a search on the web, they were all retired and had specialties that had nothing to do with RSD or pain management. One of them was a hand specialist ( I have lower limb RSD) and the other specialized in removing tailbones!!!

They were randomly selected by W.C. I was able to cancel their mandatory exam date because I called and said I had a meeting at work that day ..I also let them know that their doctor selection was not acceptable.They indimidated me and thought I would buckle. But I held my ground because I was so raging angry at their manipulation...I almost lost it on the phone and my voice tone did escalate to the point of some potent explicatives were about the travel the phone lines!!

That is when a doc insisted I get an attorney...He even recommended one!
The attorney was able to handle the QME exam details and arranged for a pain management doctor agreed upon by both my attorney and W.C. to do the exam.

You need to be sure someone is looking out for your best interest with an RSD diagnosis! I also have written e-mail and made phone calls when they lag on their approvals...just to let them know that I'm aware of their priority to save money rather than help the person......

Take good care,
hope4thebest xoxox

[SandyRI]

Originally Posted by nancyinLA

i know i've asked questions before concerning w.c.! Confused : i thought w.c. had 2 wait 4 our dismissal by the dr. in order 4 us 2 go back 2 wk. If ur currently out w/a W.C. injury, what's happening?? i'm 16 mos. out w/RSD from wk injury. do i need 2 eventually secure an attorney??

Dear Nancy,

WC has made my life a living hell at times since my injury almost 3 years ago. The insurance company that is handling my claim is the Hartford, which is reputed to be the worst of the worst. The adjusters are truly evil people. It is beyond my comprehension how they find people with the proper "credentials" to work these jobs, and one can only speculate what their "training" programs might consist of. The adjusters on my account have randomly stopped approving my meds, my pt, my docs, you name it. And they have gone out of their way to frustrate my treating physicians by repeatedly requiring mountains of paperwork from their already overworked staff in order to gain approval for stuff over and over again. They know how to work the system over, and how to torment YOU in the process so that in the end you end up nuts!

I went out on medical leave June 22 for my RSD, 2.5 years subsequent to my injury, and a year subsequent to my initial diagnosis. I just received my first check 2 days ago, almost 8 weeks later. WC randomly denied my claim, even though it had been properly requested by my treating physician and there was sufficient documention in my files. My attorney had to then file a claim for payment, and I eventually had to appear in court in order for them to be ordered to pay me. In the meantime, my family had 2 mortgage payments, our quarterly tax bill, and my daughter's first semester's tuition bill for college due.

I would recommend that you find a REALLY good WC attorney. There are a few threads in here where people talk about how to go about finding one.

The stress of dealing with WC when you already have RSD can you sicker. I found an excellent attorney, who has a wonderful admin asst that I deal with when problems come up (all too often!!).

In the state of RI the insurance company pays all attorney's fees.

Good luck

Sandy

[tiffanyc]

my boyfriend is 17 months out with RSD now and on WC. We got a lawyer about 4 months ago because WC was taking forever to approve new doctors, new medications, basically anything that needed approving they were slow as molasses to do.
We have a wonderful lawyer now who gets things approved usually in the same day. She has appointed a guy that accompanies geoff to a lot of his appointments which is great becuase it helps with the paperwork and that geoff can never remember anything the dr's tell him by the time he gets home. She also referred him to some type of care group that is coming to our house and going to make things more accessible for geoff (hand rails, shower rails, hopefully a power wheelchair) I definitely suggest getting a lawyer it has made everything go much smoother and quicker..WC is a pain in the ***

[Dew58]

Nancy,

I enjoyed our chat. Hopefully, next time we can chat longer. Dinner was cooking, and I was supervising..LOL! You sound so sweet, and do not deserve any negative treatment from anyone. Let me know what you found out.


Kitty Kat of Kourage award for you.