On the job injury: advice and support?

In addition to moopups response..When they(work) ask "hows it going?"and you say"its a bit better".They may fone back in a week and again and again and ask the same thing and you say "its a bit better"..its possible for them to say that you told them its a better than the first time and the next time etc..Meaning..its waaay better now.dont give them the bullets to shot you.Just be as vague as possible.Like"I dont know, it sure aint healing like its sposed to"
But document every call etc and who was spoken to and what was said.Even record if you can..I know..each state has laws of recording.So what.dont tell anyone that you have a recording.
I worked for a hog "farm"6000 hogs in 3 buildings is a factory.But WCB doesnt cover farms so they had private ins.after 2yrs and 2 operations on my hands they are still no better and the ins cut me off last march.We are about to lose our house at this point.
Also one other tactic they use..They sent my dr.forms...each week to fill out..The same forms.sometimes twice a week.He was getting VERY frustrated with having to fill out these lengthy forms with the info every time.It takes alot of time to fill these forms.
my 2 cents

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Gord in Ontario

How are you doing? "Some days are better than others, I'm still on pain killer."

1. You need an attorney.
2. Do not hire an attorney who has offices all over with advertisments in every book. These type of attornies want to settle your claim quickly with the least possible work for them. They are close to being pond scum even in the attorney circles.
3. You may have to talk to several attornies to find the right one for you. The attorney should be attentive, easy to understand, ask lots of the right questions, and never make a promise that he can get you x amount of money.But he should not charge you until the case is settled, and then he will get a percentage of your settlement, (that he would have earned)

When we needed a attorney, my husband went to 4 before he found the right one. All but one didn't charge him for consulting.

I cannot agree more, get an attorney. You wouldn't have dreamed of fixing your hand yourself, you shouldn't try to settle this claim by yourself either.

I almost forgot, my daughter had to have an attorney when she was in a car accident, her attorney paid some of her doctor bills when she didn't have the money to do so. He of course recovered those costs when the case was settled.

I am so sorry that this happened to you. I do hope that you recover quickly.

Yea, DH company called often WATCH WHAT YOU SAY AND DON:T SAY

Ex. How are you doing.
DH "fine"
DH did not mention that he was waiting for me to put his socks on
Company Notes (legal doc to fight)
"employee able to move and answer phone. Employee stated he was fine" Employee did not seem in pain and did not complain of any pain or medical problems-- Employee still requesting weekly dr. visits yet informes us that he is fine.

Thanks, all, for the wonderful advice. I'm taking it all to heart.

I've looked through the yellow pages for attorneys listing "Workman's Comp" as a specialty. I'll start with the phone calls tomorrow. It looks, though, that I'll be having to travel to Olympia (Washington), which is 50 to 60 miles. I'm not finding any closer than that. Oh,well. I pass right by there on my way to Seattle for my doctor's appointments (next one on Wednesday) so, hopefully, I can combine trips.

Maura:

As far as how I'm doing? I think for the first time in my life I might be at risk for depression. The last couple of days I've really been down. Everything is so hard. I can't tie my shoes. Just getting my bra on is an ordeal. I tried to wash dishes one-handed today and ended up dropping a glass and breaking it in the sink. I'm trying to remember there are people hurt every day and with way worse injuries than mine. I think it's just that I've always been extremely independent (too much so, according to some people) and being dependent on others, even my own kids, is getting to be too much. It's not a role I like very much.

I've also been pretty good at picking myself up and starting over when I've had to without bellyaching or crying about "poor me" too badly. Hopefully, I don't let this bring me down too much.

I'm not having a huge amount of pain. Definitely discomfort but I'm able to get by ok during the day just with Tylenol and am only taking the prescription stuff at bedtime.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice and support. I will keep everyone informed on the attorney thing. I am taking the advice seriously and will get started on it tomorrow (when I get back from the physical therapist).

Janis

Janis, if this will be paid for by work comp, perhaps you could also get some counseling for help with the depression. I think it's really common to deal with depression after something like this. My neighbor just crushed his wrist a couple of months ago and will never recover full use of his hand again. He is a woodworker, and has his own saw mill...he's used to doing lots of heavy stuff alone, and right now he can't use his hand for anything. I stopped to see him today, and I can tell he's also dealing with depression. I know I would be too. Ugh...especially at the loss of limb issue...I feel so badly for you about that.

So, please see someone if you think it might help you work through this transition.