Worried, injured at work

[worried_worker]

My left knee was injured at work on in virginia early this month - an injury report was made and I went to the hospital. I was scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic who ordered MRI's with a diagnosis of a possible "lateral sprain" with possible nerve damage but needed an MRI to confirm. I had to wait approval from WC which later agreed to it I assume. I was contacted by a medical adjuster or something who recorded a call about what happened and what kind of pain I was experiencing. I tried to keep it touch but it's taken over two weeks to finally get an MRI scheduled (june 3rd) and I had to constantly call them just for that! I'm supposed to start physical therapy 5/28 which doesn't make since since i haven't even had my MRI yet!! Doctor told me I couldn't return to work untill everything was checked over by her, releasing me with a paper stating no work. I've been off for almost a month now, and by time I return to her june 9th i'll have been out of work for over a month.

I'm very disappointed at how they've handled this, I'm not making money sitting here on my butt. I'm young and think I will bounce back from this (it still hurts greatly to extend my leg) but will they cover the medical expenses? I'm kind of scared I may end up stuck with a bill I can't afford!!

Also do they have to pay you some sort of compensation for being off of work, if they scheduled this stuff the way they were supposed to and figured out what was wrong I may have been able to return to work sooner!

Sorry for the long post leading around in circles, just wanting to vent.

[1171]

if they've accepted your injury you are entitled to disability payments for doctor approved lost time as well as treatment costs.
If they are not paying then you need to take the claim to the work comp court for a legally enforcable decision.

[jayne]

in other words check to see if your state has ombudsmen to help if not hire you a good lawyer asap...if they are starting the games already you are in for one hell of a ride

[worried_worker]

Thank you for the information, I assume they will start sending payment if I'm off work for any real length of time (maybe a month isn't enough) or maybe they will contact me... I just don't know what to think.

[Lilly]

Hi WW,
Sometimes getting the payments started is the hard part. You should be receiving weekly payments after a waiting period of a certain time usually @ 9 days (but this varies by state). If you haven't received payment in a month...They are late! Here's your state's WC rule link : Check it out.

http://www.workerscompensation.com/virginia.php

Take care Lilly

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

http://www.vwc.state.va.us/rules.htm

[worried_worker]

I don't know if anything was even filed through WC cause i haven't received any payment and from the way i understand this letter they are totally independent with WC. i was given the number from my company for carolina case management (risk management) and i spoke to the 'risk management services adjuster' who was 'assigned' to my claim she called me. she was supposed to do an adjustment but i've yet to hear anything from her. I start therapy in the morning just [/u]worried i'm gonna end up getting screwed over and have to pay for all this myself without any type of insurance

[worried_worker]

I just thought I would pop in and give everyone an update. I had my mri, pain had subsided some when I didn't use my leg. The MRI showed a 'bad vein'? That's how the orthopedic said it at least, she didn't know if workers comp would cover sending me to a specialist. I talked to workers comp and they are sending me to a specialist next month to determine if it was caused by my injury at work, so I'm hoping they figure out what's wrong and get it taken care of. I miss working, and I hate not being able to stand on my leg for any real length of time (more then 5 minutes before the pain starts to get to much)...

I don't see how it could be non-work related, when I NEVER had a problem with this leg or my other to be honest. My other job required me to be on my legs all day, everyday walking, standing stooping, and I never ever had a problem untill after I hurt it at work..

Hope they figure this out and get it taken care of.

[nauticalgurl1]

I would call your adjuster or employer to see if they have filed the claim yet. Do you have a copy of the First Report of Injury? You should have filled one out when you were at the hospital. You should be able to get a copy of it either from the hospital or your doctor. If the adjustor or your employer doesn't know anything about your claim you can file a claim with your state's BWC either online or via telephone. I did mine by telephone because my employer's insurance carrier is dragging their feet. The BWC should then be able to provide you with a claim number and they will send a letter to your employer allowing them to either accept your claim or contest it. If they contest it you can request a hearing...I'm at that point right now. Good luck to you and hope you feel better soon.

[nauticalgurl1]

Also, it was mentioned to speak with an ombudsman at your BWC. They are a wealth of information. Sometimes the only hard part is not asking any questions. They hopefully can guide you in the right direction.