Have Reached MMI in Connecticut

[muffy43]

Initial injuries occurred 6/06. I have been getting TPD checks for a few months and have been submitting my job search forms religiously. I saw my docs last week and they both said I was at MMI. No one has told me my specific rating yet. How quickly does this have to happen, and will I get some kind of check? The CT law states that when you reach MMI you are no longer required to do job searches. Does anyone have an answer?

[lfoster21]

I don't know about CT, but in VA...it is my understanding that you don't start your job search untill you are MMI. At least that is what my case worker has told me would happen once I get my MMI.

I'm sure others will be along with specific info. for CT. I just wanted to wish you luck with everything from here on out. May I ask what your Dr. said your restrictions are from here on out. I'm just curious if your Dr. says you can go back to work or not...and if so, how do they help you get a job in CT.

Good luck.

[sparkey]

Muffy i am from NH. I have reached MMI and my injury has not even been a year yet till Jan. I was told by the doctor that i am at MMI and the ic said they would contact me to go for a rating. Did the doctor say you had Permanent injuries? If permanent then here in NH you get a lump sum award after your rating has been preformed by a qualified doctor that is certified for that.

The ic said they would contact me when i could go to the rating. I was told after from a friend to contact someone on my own to schedule one to be done, as if i wait they will NEVER contact me. So i did. I had to have my ic adjuster sign a paper and fax it to the doctors office stateing that they would pay the bill and a certain form that needed to be filled also. After the doctor's office recieved that, i got my appt set. I went for the PIR rating Dec. 7th and still waiting on the rateing. I was told they have 30 days. We will see. Good luck .

[Lilly]

Hi there,
Your situation actually makes no sense to me.....How can they have you job searching prior to being released from the doctor or prior to MMI? What happens if you found a job before MMI? I'm sure a new employer would really want to hear that you are medically unable to work yet. In my case (Mich) I started the voc rehab (job searching) after MMI.
Good luck to you. Lilly

[1171]

i don't think you've read the explanations and calculations (page 14)available from the state's website. Generally you have a to have a rating before any permanent partial disability payment can be calculated.

"Many employees with work-related injuries or illnesses end up with a “Permanent Partial Disability” (PPD), meaning that they have lost some body part, or some use of a body part or function, and are usually eligible for PPD benefits. When the attending physician determines that the injured employee has reached “maximum medical
improvement” (MMI), he/she should issue an opinion about whether a permanent partial disability resulted from the injury or illness by assigning the disability rating to the specific body part involved.
Section 31-308 provides a list (see page 15) of body parts with the total number of weeks of compensation provided by law for each. For example, the master arm is scheduled for 208 weeks, so a “20% loss of use of the master arm” equals 20% of 208 weeks which equals 41.6 weeks of benefits. An employee eligible for a $200 per week benefit
rate would receive 41.6 weekly payments of $200 for a total PPD benefit payment of $8,320."

here's a link to the information packet. It contains information about all the benefits and how to get them from connecticut work comp system.
http://wcc.state.ct.us/download/acrobat/Info-Packet.pdf

[katicabogar]

sparkey Wrote:Muffy i am from NH. I have reached MMI and my injury has not even been a year yet till Jan. I was told by the doctor that i am at MMI and the ic said they would contact me to go for a rating. Did the doctor say you had Permanent injuries? If permanent then here in NH you get a lump sum award after your rating has been preformed by a qualified doctor that is certified for that.

The ic said they would contact me when i could go to the rating. I was told after from a friend to contact someone on my own to schedule one to be done, as if i wait they will NEVER contact me. So i did. I had to have my ic adjuster sign a paper and fax it to the doctors office stateing that they would pay the bill and a certain form that needed to be filled also. After the doctor's office recieved that, i got my appt set. I went for the PIR rating Dec. 7th and still waiting on the rateing. I was told they have 30 days. We will see. Good luck .

Sparkey,

Regarding your rating, didn't IC send you to IME? It really confuses me you contacted someone who gave you a rating and IC will accept this rating without question? Was it their own doctor or yours?

[lostinconnecticut]

You must be getting confused. Ifr your doctor says you can perform any type of work, and your employer can not provide work within your restrictions (light duty), then it would be best to continue job searches. No matter how ridiculous it seems at times, the insurer will use your failing to have job searches as an excuse not to pay your benefits.

[muffy43]

In Connecticut, when your doc says you can do some type of light duty work, then you need to start a job search (5 per week), and submit that on a form to the IC. Strangely enough, the law says that when you have reached MMI, you no longer need to do job searches. I have reviewed this part of the law very carefully. I just feel like I am in limbo, as I have so much trouble getting to talk with my attorney, and I don't know if I will get any compensation until everything is down on paper. I definitely will have a permanent impairment rating. By the way, even though my old job had become available, my employer made it very clear they did not want me back. They were well aware it is against the law to do this, but they really do manipulate the system.

[jaspell]

Muffy, I have been practicing worker's compensation law in Connecticut since 1986.

The insurance company would have to file a "Form 36" to convert you from TPDto PPD. If the doctors have not stated in writing what your rating is yet, then they probbaly dont have enough info to fill out the form.

In any event, until the Form 36 is approved, you should keep doing the searches just to make sure your checks keep coming. I am happy to go over it with you but it's a bit much for a forum answer.

Call me any time. I am in West Hartford. 860-523-8783.

Jim

muffy43 Wrote:Initial injuries occurred 6/06. I have been getting TPD checks for a few months and have been submitting my job search forms religiously. I saw my docs last week and they both said I was at MMI. No one has told me my specific rating yet. How quickly does this have to happen, and will I get some kind of check? The CT law states that when you reach MMI you are no longer required to do job searches. Does anyone have an answer?

[sparkey]

1171, i have been trying to find a packet for NH. Is there anyway you can help me find this? I always seem to get nothing when i do a search.

As for the question about how i got my rating, i did like the occupational doctor that the ic used. He was very sympathetic to my injury and that is why i chose him. If i see that he has given me a low rating due to working for the ic, i will go for a second opinion. I am still waiting on my rating. It should be very soon. I went for it on the 7th of Dec. and from what i was told/read, they have 30 days. We will see what happens. You have to feel comfortable with who you go to for your rating. I did with this doctor.