lizredbird & Workers Comp in Wash State

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Dear Lizredbird,

I was very sorry to read the message you wrote about workers comp in Wash. State

although I have heard the State is terrible, I cannot fathom the " too bad "

scenario you present. Something can be done.

If I were in your shoes I would get a Doctor myself, no calling to ask questions

(as you just get " spinned " by the $6 hr receptionists) and you get no " real "

information by doing this (usually, the receptionists that answer the phone are

the lower paid, over-worked, and know the least about substantive matters you

are

dealing with). This means of getting information is disastorious, and it should

be avoided at all costs -- nothing is for sure in life (cept death and taxes)

and

certainly information and advise is not the business DOctors and Lawyers are in.

They get PAID to gieve advise, so why do you think they just dole it out on

the phone to callers?

Make an appointment with a Physical Med & Rehab Dr. in our area. Say you will

pay for it cash as it seems you have little choice --- if they won't take

workers

comp, don't mention it till you see the Doc. Then, then you are face to face

with the Doc, ask the most important medical issues as you won't get 20

questions, probably 2-3 at best (write your questions down on paper before going

and ask them when you have the DOCTOR there face-to-face, not the nurse or other

" techs " who you see first...ignore them except to be polite). Second, ask about

Workers Comp and his (the Docs) experience with it --- this is the best

medical/legal info you will probably get as it will be from the Doctors

perspective with the Comp system in your State. Third, and finally, ask him what

he would do/what he reccomends being in your position. Most Docs will be

forthright and honest unless their is some reason to not do so (like a HMO

agreement but if our paying, that shouldn't matter, or if he suspects your lying

to him, most Docs are smart people and can smell a lie....usually before you say

it). When you leave, pay them by check for, oh, 10% of the bill or whatever --

not much they can do but take it and make " arrangements " for the rest. It might

be the best money you have spent.

The above statement is worht Repeating: calling places lie Doctors and Lawyers

" cold " and trying to " pump " them for infomation (medical or legal) is a VERY

poor,and foolish way to obtain advice as most people, even if they aren't the

receptionist (who know little anyway) they are NOT going to give you " free " info

that they get PAID for doing all-day-long, so you get " spun " or " spinned " off

--- especially if you they don't know you from " adam " so this is a useless way

to

procede. Its just not going to work if you need good, honest advice. People are

calling lawyers offices all the time trying to do thism and the results you seem

to have gotten bear this out ---- its just silly to think they are going to give

you " good " advice on what to do in your situation over the phone for free, not

even knowing your name! Heck, its malpractice to do so!!!

Hire someone, pay the atty. $100 to advise you as best he can in that hour -- or

if you are able, go online to your States web sites, or similar and do it

yourself and spend the hours researching the Workers Comp laws in your State

yourself (). Almost the exact same applies to medical issues if you can go to

WebMD or other sites and research medical info. IF you are able to comprehend

the jargon, then you could get a grasp of the issues you are facing and the

remedies to your issues ---- but, in all bluntness, I would throw all the

" advice " you have gathered from calling 100's of Drs. OFfices, and 100s of

Lawyers offices OUT THE DOOR INTO THE TRASH CAN AS ITS PROBABLY WRONG, and if

not outright wrong, they were just, more than likely,trying to get you off the

phone --- most people know trying to get for free what they charge people for is

pointless --- nothing is for free in this world and that applies to information.

Lawyers get paid for dispensing advice and what you get for free is usually

worthless or 100% wrong as no warranty applies to " phone advice to some unknown

person " , as, again, they are trying to get you off the phone so the paying

customer can get through!

Doctors offices are staffed, at the phones, by receptionists who are in all

likelyhood, wholly unable to answer your questions, and they too are trying to

get you off the phone so the Doctor's paying patients can call and do business

with them and make appointments.

Doing things they way your are, although I do understand your position, is not

the way to go at all. Help is out there if you look.

I am unable to research the Laws in your State, but I would suggest going to

legal aid and asking them your legal questions (or other State agencies) and

what

your rights are, and most importantly, what leverage you have as a workers comp

claimant. It seems you have obtained the information that its a worthless claim

and your a worthless person (which you are not, and you should know better as

you are a good person, aren't you?). But, to say it again, this is the type of

info you will get trying to do it by calling " cold " on the phone to people that

SELL information! They know what people try to do and they know how to ghet

rid of you too!!

On the other hand (although I cannot believe it honestly) everything you

obtained this way could be 100% true and its just the wrong place to live and

work, and get hurt --- and if thats the case I am truely sorry. But, I doubt

that it is correct, although most WComp laws are NOT the best and cover 10% of

what it should, atleast workers comp claimants have some leverage to make the

insurers settle for pennies on the dollar --- I have sen hundreds of settlements

for a reasonable sums, given what the laws allow (usually lost wages and medical

bills only, no pain and suffering or other similar types of compensation) of

course you need a lawyer, usually on contingency, or 33.3% if any settlement you

get and

minus other fees and so on). Something is better than nothing!

I geuss, in the end, its best to know what the laws are BEFORE you need them,

like Workers Comp, in the State you reside.

Hope this has helped some.

You ARE better than they want you to believe, and you have to get up AND FIGHT

and have a strategy for dealing with the downside of the matter(s) you are

dealing with, but, don't expect calling places to work 100s of people before you

have tried this and they just spin you off as fast as they can --- you can't

" fool them " into giving you what they sell all day long for free--- they know

better.

As a last resort, there is SSD/SSI claims to apply for and I know Lawyers will

handle those claims for around 20% of the back pay on contingency) but then it

sometimes takes years to get through that hassle before you see a dime and that

doesn't help today or tommorow -- you gotta be able to wait them out and they

know damn well 50% give up and go back to work because they can't survive any

other way!

Good luck!

Murph