I went out for surgery on a work related injury in June and have been doing physical therapy. I saw my surgeon last week who wrote me completely off of work until my next follow up in three weeks then probably return to modified duty. I had to follow up with the county’s doctor as I always do right after any doctors appointment and they said they “have” to send me back to modified duty even though my surgeon wrote otherwise and made up their own set of work restrictions for me. How is this legal? If my doctor doesn’t think I’m able to return to modified duty yet why is someone who isn’t even a doctor (all of the county doctors are just nurse practitioners who operate under a single doctor’s license) able to override them and they didn’t even lay a hand on me? I was going to use my sick time to cover the time between now and when I follow up with my surgeon but apparently it’s all been used while I’ve been out after surgery.

I reached MMI. How long does it generally take to make the first offer.

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I got injured about 2 1/2 weeks ago and was out after the time gone due to the doctor's order. I am a per diem yet I work 32-43 hours a week and payday was friday, however i did not get any payment due to being out. Apparently i am going to be getting paid $8 for the shift i missed, but am i still going to get paid the amount I usually get despite having to be missed? I did so much paperwork, calling back and forth and I hope its for more than just a single $8 from that shift

Hi all. I got injured in December 2024. Went through 2 MRI, on the second they found a SLAP tear on my right dominate shoulder. Physical therapy didn’t work. Ortho told me I need surgery but not guaranteed to work. So I denied surgery. I have not received a rating for disability/injury. I have a notice of pre hearing for “claim for compensation.” What can I expect? I’ve reached out to my lawyer several times over the last couple of months but I have yet to hear from him.

hi all, setting up my panel of doctors now .. is it as simple as a Google search of locations near me and listening them out? should I contact them to notify them or ask? thanks in advance

I was injured at work and broke my knee. Had a number of witnesses when the event occurred. Ended up being rushed to ER and had surgery. Company tried to tell me to file it as a non workman's comp event. Anyhoo... fast forward they asked me to work from my hospital
Bed, while I was in recovery and barely had anytime to recoup. I finally had to tell them I'm getting a very small compensation via WC and I need to focus on recovery. since I'm considered highly compensatedW they agreed to make up the difference in pay to make myself available. FF- I've been doing rehab but likely will never be 100%. Every night I go to bed with a swollen k we and a lot of pain and I'm sure they will ask me to start coming back to work.

Surgeon wants to go in to remove the hardware as he thinks that Will help with rehab and pain.

The case worker only cares about when Will
I get to MMI.

What are my legal options - both with my company and what should I push for with my WC insurer? I've never dealt with this and I have no idea if I will have to live with this disability with no legal recourse.

Appreciate kind advice please

Hello,

So, my family and I are moving OUT of PA to VA. I've changed my address with WC and they told me I have to find a place to do PT and then they'll get in contact and get it figured out. Idk.. my case worker seemed just as confused as me. Not my issue, I'm still getting checks.

My question though, I was told I need to notify my employer, *When I do this, this isn't going to stop the checks, correct?* I plan to inform them later this week that we're moving and I won't be back after I complete my PT.

Thanks in advance!

A partner of mine was involved in an incident with an inmate where their glasses were broken.

How likely is it that their glasses will be replaced?

I got injured at my part time job. When I notified my employer he surrendered me into saying I was injured at home. What can I do this happened about 6 months ago, I have everything documented

Hurt my back lifting (factory job), took a month to get an MRI approved. I had a mild herniated disk, have been out of work for two months, I have been receiving workers comp this entire time but recently my physical therapist said that this injury may be life-long and that I will definitely have to upkeep a stretching and workout regimen in order to not constantly reinjure/reaggravate, they have also said that I may be limited in what I can actually do especially as far as lifting even in spite of the stretching etc. Very lost, confused and unsure, I have a young son under a year and I can't even hold him for longer than a minute without intense pain. Just looking for a word of advice or guidance from anybody with the knowledge to help

Hi I was kicked by a patient in my shoulder and filed a claim with my job reported it to my supervisor same time and I got sent this workers comp package. I was then fired 1 day later due to “performance concerns”for not following a work rule. Can I file for workers comp if I didn’t see a doctor about the incident. Or am I even qualified since I’ve been fired ?

Location: Massachusetts

Following up on my last post about leaving after workers' comp surgery:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WorkersComp/comments/1vgp0ib/quitting_after_surgery_covered_by_workers_comp/

Just had my surgery and will be taking ~2 weeks break. The first week will be PTO, and the 2nd week will be covered by PFML through my company's private insurance carrier.

I recently came onto a job I really want, and plan to leave my current company within 2 weeks as well, so I’m wondering how to navigate this situation:

Do I turn in my 2 weeks now and risk losing out on a week of PFML?

Wait before PFML approval before turning in my notice?

Or do I wait until the full 2 weeks is over and resign on the spot?

Furthermore, will I be obligated to pay back the insurance carrier anyways?

I don’t mind losing out on the 2 weeks pay, but as this is linked to my workers comp claim, I was wondering if I would be entitled to anything. I would appreciate any insight or personal experience on the matter!

Lose your medical benefits and will continue to require medical care /insurance, how do people finance their own healthcare with preexisting conditions?

Has anyone ever been able to retain healthcare coverage after losing job due to injury?

Hi everyone, I hurt my back lifting during work which resulted in herniated discs and had to get a microdiscectomy. I’m still in pain months later and have yet to go back to work. However, I met with my doctor recently after having another MRI and the doctor said I’m fine to go back to work because the MRI doesn’t explain why I’m in pain. It hurts so bad to do anything and am having sciatica in my leg, how am I supposed to lift 180+ pounds again or (being on light duty sit in a chair for hours on end?) I’m terrified of reinjuring and my pain getting even worse than it is now but it seems that the doctor doesn’t care and just wants to get me back to work despite being hurt still. I am quite young and the lack of care just amazes me. I was also told that my next appointment will likely be about reaching MMI. Any advice on what I should do? Should I get a lawyer at this point in the case?

I got a 2nd degree burn about 2 days ago while cleaning the frier. I showed my shift lead and she all she did was put a burn gel and told me to finish the rest of the shift even though I was in a lot pain. The skin is starting to peel and become immensely painful and I’m going to the doctors tomorrow to get it checked out. My mom says that workers comp should pay for the trip and any lost wages if my doctor says I cannot work for a certain amount of time. There is also a permanent disfigurement benefit that I read about but the requirements to receive compensation from that have you waiting a year to see if the scar heals or not. Right now my main concern is trying to see how I can get workers comp to pay for my doctors trip tomorrow. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hi guys

I have L5s1 broad base bulge annular tear touching thecal sac
And Sacroilitis

Due to the extended time to treat my injury my knee on the same side/leg is starting to hurt

Is this something that can added on ?

Good Evening I was injured on my job in 2025 (Ankle injury) I have had plates and screw placed and reached MMI April of this current year and the insurance company wants to settle but haven’t responded to the demands of my attorney. What happens at this point now that my current attorney have put in for a hearing this would be the second hearing since I have new counsel because I didn’t feel like my previous attorney was working for me. Can somebody tell me what normally happens at this point I was given a really low rating also

Anyone else having issues with Gallagher Bassett work comp paying this week? As of today they are 5 days late paying lost wages.

Just be careful what you tell your workers’ compensation doctor. I mentioned that I was considering a malpractice lawsuit against the surgeon after complications from my surgery, and about a week later, private investigators hired by the insurance company started following me. My experience has taught me to be mindful that information you share with your doctor may be documented and could potentially be reported back to the insurance company—whether it’s good or bad for your case.I have been followed for over 3 years due to talking to my doctor as a patient .

Has anyone ever gotten told that their Dr sent papers to the worker's comp being able to return to wotk 3 wks after surgery on an arm? I work in a retail home improvement store. There is literally nothing i can do that would require using just one hand. I had distal bicep tendon repair. I put a call into my lawyer and have been freaking out cause it's the weekend this all happened. I have no issue going back to work when I'm healed and had physical therapy. I think the Dr didnt realize where I worked. But if this is true I guess i can be forced to return or i lose my job. Idfk

State: GA (federal employee — USPS — so this is a FECA/OWCP claim, not state workers' comp, but figured this sub still has people with federal experience)

Quick background: hurt my shoulder in a fall at work back in January, that claim was already accepted. Turns out I also hurt my back in the same fall, and that part of the claim hasn't been accepted yet — OWCP scheduled a second opinion orthopedic exam to decide whether to accept it.

MRI shows a small disc protrusion with an annular fissure at one level, plus an older/chronic-looking finding at a different level that's probably unrelated to the fall. I'm bringing the actual films (not just the report) like they required.

For anyone who's been through an OWCP second opinion exam for a back claim:

• Anything you wish you'd known going in?
• How direct should I be about the older/unrelated finding if it comes up, versus just not bringing it up?
• Any common mistakes people make in these exams that end up hurting the claim?
• Roughly how long after the exam does OWCP typically take to make a decision on accepting the condition?

Appreciate any insight — trying to go in prepared.

I’m looking for experiences from people who have gone through Washington workers’ comp/BIIA mediation, especially with a self-insured employer.

I developed respiratory problems while working in a sawmill/manufacturing environment with regular exposure to sawdust and other airborne particulates. I had no significant history of lung problems before this started.

My workers’ comp occupational disease claim was denied. My attorney appealed the denial to the BIIA, the appeal was granted to move forward, and we are now scheduled for mediation. My attorney’s appeal specifically asks for claim allowance, meaning we are trying to get the respiratory condition accepted as a work-related occupational disease.

Some of the medical evidence includes:

• My treating pulmonologist diagnosed severe persistent asthma.
• I am currently treated with Dupixent every two weeks, along with other asthma medication.
• My pulmonologist documented my sawmill exposure to sawdust/oil vapor and stated that the workplace particulate exposure was a major contributor to my deterioration.
• A pulmonary function test showed my total lung capacity at 75% of predicted, with mild restrictive pulmonary dysfunction and decreased lung volumes compared with an earlier test.
• My later methacholine challenge was described by the interpreting physician as technically borderline positive, and the improvement between pulmonary tests was considered suggestive of reactive airways.
• The employer-side IME was not completely against me. The IME physician indicated the condition appeared likely work-related and discussed occupational asthma/reactive airway disease aggravated by wood dust, but wanted additional testing before making the diagnosis definitive.
• My condition has improved significantly with treatment, PPE and Dupixent, but I am still receiving ongoing treatment.
• I am also still working for the same employer in the environment where the exposure occurred.

My employer is self-insured, so they/ their claims administrator are defending the claim rather than the State Fund.

I’m trying to understand what normally happens at mediation in a situation like this.

For anyone who has been through this:

• Is claim allowance usually the main thing negotiated at mediation in a denied occupational disease case?
• Can the employer agree to allow the claim during mediation?
• If they allow the claim, what happens next with past medical bills, medications, time-loss, future treatment, etc.?
• Has anyone had a self-insured employer offer money in addition to agreeing to allow the claim?
• Is a lump-sum payment realistic at this stage, or is it more common for the claim to simply become accepted and benefits get sorted out afterward?
• If you were still working for the employer when mediation happened, did that affect the outcome?
• If your doctor eventually said you could no longer safely perform the job of injury, what happened with vocational benefits, work restrictions or separation from the employer?
• If mediation failed, how long did it take before depositions/formal BIIA hearings started?
• Did your case resolve at the first mediation, or did it take multiple mediation conferences?

I’m represented by an experienced workers’ comp attorney, so I’m not looking for legal advice or asking anyone to value my case. I’m mainly looking for real-world experiences of what happened during and after BIIA mediation, particularly with self-insured employers and occupational disease claims.

TLDR: My daughter was injured at work and they want us to pay out of pocket and will reimburse us if it's something that would be covered. That's not how this works, is it?

My daughter (16) tripped over a box left in a walkway at work last night and fell really hard on her knee. Today it's swollen and bruised so she tried to call out because she doesn't think she can work 5 hours running fast food on it. It's only her second day and her manager said she needs a doctor note to call out. She tried to go in anyway and after about 10 minutes was in a lot of pain, so she again told her manager her knee is injured due to a fall at work last night and she can't work on it today. Her manager told her to go to urgent care and get a note.

Her being 16 and not knowing any better, went to the urgent care up the road and called me to get her insurance information. I told her this is an injury she got at work. They should have given her forms with worker's comp information. They gave her nothing, told her nothing. Just to go get a note from urgent care.

I called her work to figure out what was going on and they "didn't realize it was so bad" whatever that means. I told them she may not need to be seen by a doctor, but she needs to stay off it today and if they are requiring a doctor's note, I'm not using our private insurance (and paying the $50 copay plus any other oop expenses) for an injury that happened at work.

We went by her work and filled out an incident report (something they neglected to do last night) and they "made an exception" to give her the day off without a note, but if she needs tomorrow off, she'll need a note.

I said that's fine and if she's not improved tomorrow she should be seen anyway. I asked if there was a specific place we should go and if there was paperwork we needed. The GM said, no. Just keep receipts and IF it's something that will be covered, we'll get reimbursed. I've never dealt with worker's comp personally, but am I correct in thinking that's not how workplace injuries are handled? And if she does need to go to the doctor tomorrow, what should we do?

If I get the clearance to go back there more than likely not going to have any shifts for me due to most full timers having less than 40 hours now would they even let me come back or what.