Lower Back Injury in FL <new here>

[debra]

hi everyone.....

i've been reading your posts for about a week now and wow. great info! i'm glad you're here.
i'm hoping you can answer some questions for me that i haven't been able to find. gonna try to explain this in a nutshell............

i'm almost 60. fulltime cashier in one of the busiest bigbox stores in our country. i haul many cases of water, soda and beer all day.
about 6 weeks ago, i felt some back pain while working and the next day, i was in alot of pain........missed a day of work.
after resting all that day, i felt much better and returned the NEXT day. just a backache that went away. scale 1-10: 4.

2 weeks ago, i started feeling that same pain <on a friday> but through the day, i got worse. the next morning, i couldn't get out of bed. but kept working on it so that i wouldn't miss work.
i went into work at 11am and by 3pm, the pain was at about a 7 and spasms were happening. went to supper. came back. the pain got up to a 10, spasms coming even more and numbing and pain down the back of my thighs. i asked to leave 3 hrs. early.

been through the initial WC stuff with adjuster, my employer and the drs.

i have no income now. first question is: the waiting period between first day off work to today?
for example: first day of disability was 7.21.
today is 14 calendar days since that day.
does WC calculate in a calendar week or
a 5 day (F/T empl) work week?
and.........would i have to be out 22 days to get 3 weeks' of benefits?

i see the dr. tomorrow <wed> to be approved to return to work. my last visit a week ago, i was still in severe pain but after getting some very power painkillers, i felt so much better and let my adjuster and a manager at work know this. the painkillers were talking.

i stopped the painkillers yesterday just to see......... and the pain is back at about an 8. although no spasms.
but i'm expected back to work!

i know these seem like first grade type questions.......but i've never had to deal with this sort of thing before.

i look forward to your thoughts, answers....
thanks.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

State is very important to know. Each State has their own Laws and Rules for Work Comp Injuries.

But, in your case, simply explain the issue of the pain medications to them. Being honest is always the way to go. Don't rush your return till you know you wont cause anymore damage to your back. You need to talk and ask plenty of questions with the treating doctor. Ask for Xrays or even an MRI of the area in pain just to be safe, and safe from more harm.

As for weekly Insurance payments, that pertains to each State. But in a general sense mostly a 14 day waiting period.

[kate]

Quote:i have no income now. first question is: the waiting period between first day off work to today?
for example: first day of disability was 7.21.
today is 14 calendar days since that day.
does WC calculate in a calendar week or
a 5 day (F/T empl) work week?
and.........would i have to be out 22 days to get 3 weeks' of benefits?

FL WC uses calendar days. Therefore, if the first date of disability is 7/21, the waiting period would be 7/21-7/27 (first week).

The first day eligible for payment is 7/28.

Your first payment is due on 8/3 for the second week (7/28-8/3).

If you are out past 8/10, you would be paid for the first week (7/21-7/27) and the third week (8/4-8/10)

After that, you would be paid every two weeks.

This is all only if your doctor has you off work.

Quote:i see the dr. tomorrow <wed> to be approved to return to work. my last visit a week ago, i was still in severe pain but after getting some very power painkillers, i felt so much better and let my adjuster and a manager at work know this. the painkillers were talking.

i stopped the painkillers yesterday just to see......... and the pain is back at about an 8. although no spasms.
but i'm expected back to work!

If you are seeing the doctor tomorrow, he is the one to tell you whether you can go back to work or not. Not the adjuster or the employer. Make sure you tell him/her about the pain when not on painkillers. They may want further tests before they send you back to work.

[kate]

Debra,

Also, please go back into your profile and add your state there. It gets missed sometimes in posts and after a while, its hard to go back and find the post that has the information. This way, anyone can easily look at your profile to find your state.

As Bad Boy stated, each state has different rules so its important that we know your state in order to be able to answer your questions.

[1171]

great answer kate. waiting periods can be difficult to understand you made it very clear how the payments are calculated.

[debra]

((((((((((((room))))))))))))))

thank you sooooo much for your responses!!!!
you don't know how much you're helping me.

and, in turn, i will be able to pass on what you're
teaching me.

you all totally rockkkkkkkk!

(((((((((((hugs from me, deb))))))))))))))