hurt on job

[canam450]

well guys my first couple posts on here was about 401k then i started reading other posts and saw acouple disabilty questions... i made full time jan.3, 2008 i got hurt on the job feb 4, 2008 lifting abunch of heavy bags into a trailer on the floor.. my injury is in my shoulder and when i told my part time sup that night i had to call my manager and he told me to wait untill morning to see if it still hurts then i can go to the doc. well the next morning it was still hurting so they took me to med express which is a joke i think but they are with ups so thats where my manager told me to go.. they said i just had a sprain and put me on light duty.. i cant lift anything over 10 pounds or push or pull anything... well my manager said the only thing i can do is night shift washing dashes for 3 1/2 to 4 hours a night...after the 3rd time i went to med express they finally set me up for an MRI and the results were small amount of fluid is seen withn the ac joint and the acromion is positioned low relative to the distal clavicle, suspect for ac joint ligamentous injury and then some thickening and intermediate signal are seen at the most distal anterior supraspinatus tendon,consistent with tendinosis,partial thickness tear..

i work in west virginia and wells fargo is the insurance angency...since ive only been getting 18 to 20 hours a week im sending them my pay checks and they said the would go back and see what i was making then send me a check to make up for it... i make 17.29 an hour right now... well i only have 20 some odd days of light duty then they have to take me off work thats what my manager said..

well today i went to an orthepedic doctor that med express assaigned for me and they gave me a shot in my arm to help it heal faster. he said i probably wouldnt need surgery..his restrictions were no lifting over 10 pounds and no use of the right arm in motion above my head... the only other job my manager told me could do to get my 8 hours in would be to spa in the morning but i already kno i would be able to do that with my right arm so i guess ill be off work for awhile...

what will i be expecting my pay checks to be once im off work...since i can use my left arm i think they should work me in the office answering phones or something for 8 hours since im guarentted that...

sorry for the long post i was just wanting some guidance on what i should do...right now my shoulder is hurting pretty bad from the shot today im pretty sure it was some type of steriod... he wrote me an excuss from work today .. well thats all im going to write thanks

[UpstateNYUPSer]

He probably gave you a cortisone shot. It's too bad you waited until the 3rd visit to Med Express to get a MRI. You should always insist upon a referral to either your own doctor or an ortho in situations such as this.

In NY, comp payments are capped at $400/week and won't begin until you are out of work for 2 weeks. Do you have supplemental insurance (AFLAC/Combined)? Does your local Union offer STDI? I would call them to see if they can offer you any assistance. If not, most of your creditors will work with you if you explain that you are out of work on disability. Work with you CM to see if they will let you work in the office during your recovery period.

[trplnkl]

My first piece of advice is to get in touch with your State Workers Comp Board. The probably will be sending you some paper work in the mail, it should have all the phone numbers ans such. Then if this appears to be an extended time without working call your local and get a withdrawal card so the union stops billing UP$ for dues and UP$ stops deducting them from your check. Plus, the union needs to know that you were injured on the job anyway.
I can't tell you what to expect there but here (if not working light duty) you would receive 70% of your your average weekly pay. This money does not have federal taxes taken out and is tax free at the end of the year. So, you really need to keep up with the amounts received from the insurance company. There is a cap on how much you can receive, but I forget how much that is. Drivers with full progression in the pay scale always hit the max allowed.
Hint, if the Doctor says you can work 8 hours with restrictions tell the company that you want the full 8 hours or call your insurance rep that is handling your case with the info that they are not giving you 8 hours and ask for his/her advice. The ins co's position will be that if the Doc says you can work 8 hours they only have to make up the difference as if you were working 8, not how many you are actually working.
DO NOT go back to full time duty until you are SURE you are OK> Don't let anyone push you into going back early. Do the PT and anything else the Doc's tell you to do to improve, but be honest with the Doc when you tell him how much pain you have or what makes it hurt worse. Don't hide any symptoms. To do so could jeopardize your healing process and possibly create permanent damage. I wish you to heal well.
Last but probably most important, DO NOT have blind faith that the company will take care of you, the company takes care of the company.

[dannyboy]

Both gave you good advice, especially NY. Med ones are really bad about dragging their heels on injuries, especially soft tissue.

As far as the shot, that might make the swelling go down, but it does nothing to heal the injury. And over time, should you need repeated shots, it could make it worse. See if you can get into some rehab program to assist in the healing.

Not sure about your area, but here you are only allowed 30 days on the inside work. After the 31st day, the job that they have created for your case then becomes a bidable job that is perm. One more of the bad side products of a ridged contract.

One last thing. In some cases management decides they know better than the doctor, and ask you to do things that he prohibited. Dont do it. It wil make the process take that much longer, and you risk making it worse.

d

[cantwin69]

Sorry to hear about your injury. I also injured my shoulder and received 2 cortisone shots. I don't know what happened but the skin around the shot is a totally different shade than the rest of my skin. There is also a huge dent in my shoulder now. It's as if all of the muscle, or fat, or whatever, has disappeared leaving me with a huge crater on the backside of my shoulder. So my advice is to limit, as much as you can, the number of shots you get. Your best bet is to go to your own doctor and get a referral to an Ortho. I think you'll get better care than you'd get dealing with "their" doctors. It isn't a bad idea to retain a comp lawyer. Trust me - It will make the whole process a lot easier!! Good luck to you and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

[canam450]

thanks everyone for your advice

[Master804]

Originally Posted by canam450

thanks everyone for your advice

Just to let you know if you get hurt you don't have to see the doctor that you manager told you to see they do work with ups/ to get you back to work as quick as possible. You call the injury right away don't wait and go to a doctor or hospital of your choice. The only thing your manager or supervisor wants to keep safe is there dart numbers. Take care of yourself forget them as you can see your not getting your full salary do you really believe that is a clerical error
no its designed to get you to go back to full duty

[dannyboy]

if you get hurt you don't have to see the doctor that you manager told you to see

Ah yes you do. Unless you want to pick up on the total cost of your treatments, you must go to one of the choices they give you. And in our center and state, they had to give you a choice of three doctors or health facilities to go to.

Now, once you have been seen, you can work within the system to see a doctor that specializes in what injury you have. But you have to start with that panel of three.

Any deviation from that panel of three makes you responsible for the medical payments, and they can refuse to consider the claim workers comp.

d

[cantwin69]

Yeah, I guess it depends on what state you live in. In my state you only have to see their doctor 1x. After that, you can choose up to 2 different doctors yourself. Those doctors are covered by comp as well as any doctors they refer you to. So basically, you can see any doctor you want as long as you get a referral from one of the first two doctors you pick.

[Bad Gas!]

In our area you can get 30 days TAW if the CM has work available.The CM only let one guy work 2 weeks before taking him out in our center complete disability.The contract says it's up to the CM..It usually hurts the center costs if thet put you all the way out...

Actually it sounds like you got an MRI relatively early...usually when you get light duty wages then you may be able to get some partial comp as well depending on the state....working TAW at least keeps your benefits active and helps you to accrue vacation time and other entitlements...if you cannot return in the short term, then likely you may have to sit out toattly...sounds like surgery will not be needed at least...hang in there ...keep in touch with the insurance folks and make sure the are on the same page as you.

Could someone please explain what "dart days" are?
Thanks

[Dirty Savage]

Reading all these horror stories about UPSers who've been injured on the job and they have to go see a hundred different doctors and jump through all kinds of hoops just makes me more thankful that I live in a country with socialized medicine.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

It's funny you mention socialized medicine, which I assume means that you live in Canada. I live in a city 1/2 hour from the Canadian border in upstate NY and our local medical facilities often see patients from across the border as they simply cannot get in to see their own physicians in a timely manner. This most often applies to athletes who find it increasingly difficult to get in to see a specialist so they come down to the States. The price of socialized medicine may be right but the inability to be seen in a timely manner is not.

I have had several injuries, one of which required surgery, and none of these injuries required me to see a certain physician. I simply went to the local ER or FastTrack, which is a clinic associated with the local ER which sees patient will lesser injuries/illnesses, was diagnosed, and received a referral to my ortho. The surgery did put me on comp and they did ask me to go to an appt with their doctor but I blew that off as it was right in the middle of the day and didn't hear anything about it.

[Cementups]

You may want to check on uneployment as well. If they can't offer you a job within your requirements than you would usually qualify for unemployment as well as your comp.

[dannyboy]

they did ask me to go to an appt with their doctor but I blew that off as it was right in the middle of the day

Problem is without which, they should not let you go back to work.

d