What do you suggest?

Littlemaker

New Member
So I was an off the street hire about two years ago and my knees and lower back are going south fast, especially my knees. They are always cracking and popping none stop, they feel very very tight, a little swollen and I have a steady warm burning sensation about 75 percent of the time. Im 28 and have always considered myself athletic and never had any health issues or anything that has slowed me down. At 5'9" and 160 pounds its not like im out of shape. I try to work at a good clip but nothing crazy and follow all the methods....walk at brisk pace, 3 points of contact, working in my power zone..blah blah. Love the job and want/need to be here for 25 more years.

So whats the correct way of bringing this up to management? Do I even need to do that before I see a specialist? The few doctors that I have talked to were just the general doctor that I see on the weekends so of course they didn't know much which is why I want to go to a specialist. I really dont want to piss anyone in the hub off but at the same time I got to protect myself. So whats the standard operating procedure here and do you have any tips that have worked for you?
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
You will most likely not be able to see a specialist without a referral from your family doctor. Simply tell your on-car that you have been having issues with your knees and will be getting them checked out. He/she may try to tell you that you cannot file for comp as there is no specific date of injury----this is not true. Your first step is to see your family doctor.
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
Questions like this have been asked multiple times here and what you are going to get is multiple different answers. Workers comp laws vary from state to state so what may be ok where I am may not be ok where you are as far as seeing your family Dr. or seeing a comp Dr. first. UPS's comp carrier has been known to deny claims if you don't have a specific time and place that you were injured. Repetitive injuries are a tough case(at least where I am). I would suggest you talk to a shop steward first and see what they may suggest before going to your manager. I have not heard of ANY place out there that they don't treat you like you have plague for talking,reporting an injury.
 

bottomups

Bad Moon Risen'
You will most likely not be able to see a specialist without a referral from your family doctor. Simply tell your on-car that you have been having issues with your knees and will be getting them checked out. He/she may try to tell you that you cannot file for comp as there is no specific date of injury----this is not true. Your first step is to see your family doctor.
Under my union run health plan we can self refer to a specialist. That being said, expect a fight from Liberty Mutual on getting any repetitive motion type injury accepted as a workers compensation claim.
You must find a doctor that will document your condition as work related and be willing to go to bat for you in any legal proceedings down the road.
​Have seen many carpal tunnel surgeries accepted as work related but most hips and knees have been declined.
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
So I was an off the street hire about two years ago and my knees and lower back are going south fast, especially my knees. They are always cracking and popping none stop, they feel very very tight, a little swollen and I have a steady warm burning sensation about 75 percent of the time. Im 28 and have always considered myself athletic and never had any health issues or anything that has slowed me down. At 5'9" and 160 pounds its not like im out of shape. I try to work at a good clip but nothing crazy and follow all the methods....walk at brisk pace, 3 points of contact, working in my power zone..blah blah. Love the job and want/need to be here for 25 more years.



So whats the correct way of bringing this up to management? Do I even need to do that before I see a specialist? The few doctors that I have talked to were just the general doctor that I see on the weekends so of course they didn't know much which is why I want to go to a specialist. I really dont want to piss anyone in the hub off but at the same time I got to protect myself. So whats the standard operating procedure here and do you have any tips that have worked for you?

I've been working with knee pain for 30 years now. it was way worse in my 20s and 30s than 40s and 50s. The answer is glucosamine everyday, ( I prefer liquid type) Ibuprofen as needed, and get on an extended route with window time ASAP.
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
That being said, expect a fight from Liberty Mutual on getting any repetitive motion type injury accepted as a workers compensation claim.
You must find a doctor that will document your condition as work related and be willing to go to bat for you in any legal proceedings down the road.
​Have seen many carpal tunnel surgeries accepted as work related but most hips and knees have been declined.
This is how it is here also. I will say this and many will frown upon it, but speak with a comp attorney in your area regarding laws. Most if not all will give you free advice hoping you may need their legal help down the road.
Also keep this in mind if you do have to fight prepare for a drawn out battle. Here for example comp hearings are almost a year backlogged. So if a Dr. puts you on light duty they don't have to give you work. With that means no work no bennies no pay. You may get it back in the end. I've seen it happen before.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
In my district light duty cannot exceed 30 days.

I could get in directly with a specialist as I have two of them on my delivery route but in general we have to be referred by our family doctor.

I had no problem with my repetitive injury being covered by comp.
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
In my district light duty cannot exceed 30 days.

I could get in directly with a specialist as I have two of them on my delivery route but in general we have to be referred by our family doctor.

I had no problem with my repetitive injury being covered by comp.
Same here as far as 30 days goes, but that is for on the job injury if you go to your own doctor first they may not accept that as on the job and won't give you even the 30 days(here).
You are one of the only people that I have heard of having a repetitive injury covered. Too bad it isn't like that everywhere.
 

BCFan

Well-Known Member
You will most likely not be able to see a specialist without a referral from your family doctor. Simply tell your on-car that you have been having issues with your knees and will be getting them checked out. He/she may try to tell you that you cannot file for comp as there is no

specific date of injury----this is not true. Your first step is to see your family doctor.
​Dave,
Help me out please.... What would be the correct spin about the no specific date of injury? We all know over time the moves we make wear us down and out. My opinion would be to pull a day out of my hat and simply tell sup Thursday 2 pm regardless of when you actually felt the first signs of pain (that most drivers think will get better with a nights rest)....BC
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
The only problem with pulling some random day and time is that if it's a repetitive injury that would be different than say a trauma injury and a Dr. should be able to tell the difference. Does that make sense?
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
There was no spin----the injury was listed as repetitive motion with no specific injury date.

When I went for my initial consultation I used our health insurance---it was only after consulting with the specialist that it was switched to comp. Comp in turn reimbursed BC/BS for my initial consultation and other related expenses (x-rays).

Not having a specific injury date does make it that much more difficult to file under comp but it can be done.
 

BCFan

Well-Known Member
Yes it does make it difficult to revert to workers comp, down here its like a inquisition of the hourly by management if this occurs. Those damn OSHA numbers must be very important to the Ivory Tower crew. Life was better before the exodus of corporate from Greenwich Conn.----BC
 

jumpman23

Oh Yeah
Best bet stash away alot of money in your 401k and do what u can n get 15 to 20 years in and retire from ALCATRAZ, dissapear like a virgin on prom night lol.
 

jumpman23

Oh Yeah
ive had aflac for 3 years now on top of double Blue Cross. Ive been lucky i havent had to use it but guess what the numbnutts that get hurt outside of work good luck paying your bills on 350 bux a week. Sorry that aint for me. I get hurt im getting almost 100 percent of my salary with workers comp and aflac.
 

jumpman23

Oh Yeah
Ive been saying this for years the drivers should get together with the stewards and get a EDF started. EDF is an emergency dissability fund that if any drivers get hurt or if they are out of work for any specific health issue this fund would pay them on top of the money they get paid for workers comp or the dissability check that they receive. If every driver put in say 20 bux a week on the side for this fund it would protect them financially in case of a medical hardship. I would gladly put that much a week into a fund to protect me and my fellow drivers. But you would have to have someone obviously you could trust with this fund that is responsible. Its a good idea if you ask me but you obviously have too many idiots at work that are going to be cheap and think that it will never happen to them. Well guess what your not invincible to health issues or injuries just look at the job we all do every single day. Ive seen guys get hurt and struggle at home to pay their bills its a serious matter and its really not a joke what can happen to anyone for that matter. I just though id share my idea with you all, some will like and some will not.
 
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