ABF | Sleep apnea fraud

"What I don't understand is after you go through all the tests and fail, how do they know if you are following their instructions?"


The CPAP machines have cards in them that track EVERYTHING. The time of day you use it, how long, what problems happened with your breathing. You then have to take these cards to the doctor and if you are not using it they will pull your medical card.
I have heard they are hard to trick as well.
 
I don't think it's so much of a case of trying to "trick" the machines, as it is to get the clinic handling your sleep study to certify to the D.O.T. physician that you do not have sleep apnea,.....therefore taking responsibility for your diagnoses,......and in the event you do,.....God Forbid,.....fall asleep at the wheel,....have to have the insurance companies' investigators looking for another cause for the accident other than the residual effects of sleep apnea. You may be testifying,....under oath,...that you either do not have sleep apnea,...or that you were properly following doctors' instructions on how to treat sleep apnea. This is all about alleviating an employer's responsibilities in the event of an accident,.........And today,...in Congress,...the idiots, pushed by the ATA,.....are seriously considering INCREASING the hours of service to 80 hours in a 7 day period. This is the trucking companies' answer to a driver shortage,.........Increase the Working Hours,.....And if the driver has an accident,....it wasn't our fault we worked him so hard,.....he has "sleep apnea", and his "medical condition" caused the accident. I don't mean to denigrate the benefits of a C-PAP machine,.....Anyone sleeping in an oxygen-rich atmosphere has a wonderful nights' sleep,....any military pilot will tell you so,..........But I disagree with singling out our industry,...especially when we're not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938,...and employers aren't penalized with overtime after 40 hours,....thereby putting a greater economic cost on employers to push guys 50, 60, 70,...or greater,...hours of work a week,......all because the perception of trucking, nowadays,....is nothing more than sweatshops on wheels,....and because of that perception,....employers can't find new hires............So,......Work the existing ones to death,...and blame that death on the employees "medical condition".
 
I am going to dig into this a little deeper when I get a chance but in the meantime here's a question or two. Any help or links to answers would be great.

1) Is this test required by the DOT? If not then I can't see how the company can require us to take it post hire, pre-hire yes.

2) If the company requires this test should they not have to pay for it? And how 'bout paid for time taking the test? They pay for our physicals and our DOT mandated drug tests.
 
Yuh........It ain't caused by a heartless dispatcher, coupled with a brutal terminal manager,...who both work for a soulless corporation, whose motto is "Blood From a Stone Is Not Only Possible,....It's Profitable!".........Nah,.....overwork never killed anyone,....just ask the Roman galley slaves.......
 
Just got word that my part in payment on this first sleep test is $450.00 out of my pocket that the insurance wont pay.
 
Just had sleep study done. Tech told me I had ZERO apnea events, $500+ out of my pocket so far, about $2000.00 billed to insurance so far just to tell the DOT doctor I don't have trouble sleeping which is what I told him the first day. Wonder if I have to do this every year now?
 
I am going to dig into this a little deeper when I get a chance but in the meantime here's a question or two. Any help or links to answers would be great.

1) Is this test required by the DOT? If not then I can't see how the company can require us to take it post hire, pre-hire yes.

2) If the company requires this test should they not have to pay for it? And how 'bout paid for time taking the test? They pay for our physicals and our DOT mandated drug tests.

Here's how they get out of this.
DOT doctor would not give me a referral that I needed to see sleep doctor. He said "get it from your family doctor". I informed him that my family doctor had nothing to do with this. He said "I don't give referrals so if you want to keep working get it from your family doctor".
So in a court of law the DOT doctor didn't refer you - your family doctor recommended it. I guess I need to go to the union hall about all the time & money I have spent & lost wages while I was jumping through all the hoops that was unnecessary.
 
Not all CPAP victims are fat brother. I've known several that were quite thin actually. Never know.
 
Just had sleep study done. Tech told me I had ZERO apnea events, $500+ out of my pocket so far, about $2000.00 billed to insurance so far just to tell the DOT doctor I don't have trouble sleeping which is what I told him the first day. Wonder if I have to do this every year now?
No you don't have to do the Apnea test from here on out
 
Concentra is looking for any possibly way to disqualify a driver from driving. Any possibility of going to a different DOT physician???
 
Concentra is looking for any possibly way to disqualify a driver from driving. Any possibility of going to a different DOT physician???
If you have had a sleep apnea test.Be sure you get the sleep apnea result record.That way you have proof that you have been given that test and you passed.This will save you a lot of headaches and sleep down the road
 
DS said he talked to cencentra & claims that if nothing major changes in my health from year to year then I don't need to do anymore sleep studies. Seems like he left that a little vauge.
 
January 1, 2014 is the Federal drop dead date for sleep apnea screening. After Jan 1st every driver will be screened for Sleep Apnea. First by answering questions about your sleep habits in the paperwork you file out before the physical. Based on those answers the Doctor is required by Federal law to verbally review the questionnaire with you, then refer you for further screening if your answers to the screening indicates further screening is needed.

Got my CPAP in May and have never slept better. I had two sleep studies, each cost about $1200 and the machine was $2700. It changes the pressure based on my breathing, heats or cools, humidifies the air, and automatically shuts off when I take the nose-piece off. The information is recorded on a memory chip and I have to use the machine 70% of the time to be compliant. The memory chip is reviewed every three months to begin with and the company sends a letter of compliance to the DOT Dr. based on the memory card.

My share was $413.09 and Teamcare paid the rest. Teamcare also pays for new filters, breathing tubes, nose-piece on a regular basis.

At first, I thought about teaching my Black Lab to wear the CPAP, but I like how well I sleep, so I decided against it.
 
People are asking questions on this again. Bumping to the top.
In total about $800. out of pocket & missed about 5 days total in work that I didn't get back.
 
People are asking questions on this again. Bumping to the top.
In total about $800. out of pocket & missed about 5 days total in work that I didn't get back.
That you for that first hand information and sorry to hear about that lost work. So...do you need the CPAP machine, or was it all for naught?
 
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