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FedEx Freight | Workers Comp Appeal

chitownpeddler said:
Has anyone ever appealed the decision of our workers comp department and the doctor the company sends you to? Yesterday I made a delivery and after getting back in the tractor I started having back spasms. The company doctor said that nothing I had done at work that day should have caused that and said it is not work related. After telling me this she said it may be because I am overweight. Then left the room and they escorted me out of the clinic. I read the form to return to FXF and it says I have to go to a private doc on my dime and get released before returning to work. So the short of the story is FXF says don't bother coming back until I get released by a different doc. So I went to a different doc who gave me meds and said that how could you say this is not work related based on the type of work we do. She offered to give me info to appeal FXF's decision. Just curious if anyone else has had the pleasure of playing this game
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As far a an appeal process or anything like that i dont know but, In Illinois the law states that if you are injured on the job, your intital doctors visit has to be to one of the companys choosing, However you can choose who you go to after that initial visit, workers compensation has to follow you through up to 3 change of doctors, all you have to do is write WC in harrison a letter stating you will waive the Companys doctor and go to your own, If that doctor puts in writing that the injury is work related and they still dont want to pay the bills, See a lawyer and i guarantee they will pay. Every state has different laws reguarding WC. In illinois if you're injured on the job, you're entitled to:

1) See a doctor of your choosing
2) All reasonable medical bills paid in full
3)2/3rd's of your average weekly income tax free
4)A lump sum settlement for pain and suffering and a percentage based on the amount of disability you will have to live with due to the injury (if you choose to take it that far)

Happy Easter All:hide:
 
Here is an update incase anyone is curious about how much the company cares about us employees

Well I went back yesterday to see if i am getting any better. This doctor said it is obviously a work related injury. She said she used to work for a clinic employers used. They apparently had to walk a fine line on diagnosises or the employers would go elswhere. So since I have had shooting pain down my back through by butt we did exrays. She says it looks like a partially herniated disk. Now I get 5 days of steroids if that doesn't fix it then off to a specialist I go. I called my ccm today to give him my progress and he said now we have to either fill out disability or fmla paperwork other wise it becomes an attendance issue. The part that just blows my mind still is the company doc said it's not work related yet 2 doctors, 2 nurses, and an attourney all said that the company doc is nuts and it is work related. People first!!
 
chitownpeddler said:
Here is an update incase anyone is curious about how much the company cares about us employees

Well I went back yesterday to see if i am getting any better. This doctor said it is obviously a work related injury. She said she used to work for a clinic employers used. They apparently had to walk a fine line on diagnosises or the employers would go elswhere. So since I have had shooting pain down my back through by butt we did exrays. She says it looks like a partially herniated disk. Now I get 5 days of steroids if that doesn't fix it then off to a specialist I go. I called my ccm today to give him my progress and he said now we have to either fill out disability or fmla paperwork other wise it becomes an attendance issue. The part that just blows my mind still is the company doc said it's not work related yet 2 doctors, 2 nurses, and an attourney all said that the company doc is nuts and it is work related. People first!!
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chitownpeddler :clap:

Have you considered getting a second or third opinion from a chiropractor??
Most doctors only know how to use a knife and cut, whereas a chiropractor maybe able to fix your back pain by realigning your spine.

:shift:
 
River17 said:
chitownpeddler :clap:

Have you considered getting a second or third opinion from a chiropractor??
Most doctors only know how to use a knife and cut, whereas a chiropractor maybe able to fix your back pain by realigning your spine.

:shift:
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I have never been to chiropractor, but to me they don't seem like real doctors. My wife swears by them but after seeing them climb up on my dad and dig their knee in and pull and twist and bring tears to eyes i figured I wanted no part of that. I made certain the docs knew i wanted no part of surgury. They said there are therapies that can make tremendous progress and some removes the need of surgury
 
chitownpeddler said:
I have never been to chiropractor, but to me they don't seem like real doctors. My wife swears by them but after seeing them climb up on my dad and dig their knee in and pull and twist and bring tears to eyes i figured I wanted no part of that. I made certain the docs knew i wanted no part of surgury. They said there are therapies that can make tremendous progress and some removes the need of surgury
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chitownpeddler :clap:

Personally, I never have used a chiropractor but my father has.
That is the main difference. Doctors are only trained to fix problems by doing surgery and cutting, whereas the chiropractor can manipulate the spine to get it back to where it should be. When it comes to damaged disks that is a little more complicated. I would look in the Cigna website for chiropractors and at least give them a call to hedge against what the doctors are telling you.
Can't hurt to try......

:shift:
 
chitownpeddler said:
I have never been to chiropractor, but to me they don't seem like real doctors. My wife swears by them but after seeing them climb up on my dad and dig their knee in and pull and twist and bring tears to eyes i figured I wanted no part of that. I made certain the docs knew i wanted no part of surgury. They said there are therapies that can make tremendous progress and some removes the need of surgury
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chitownpeddler :clap:

Try this link to match against the list from Cigna:
Chiropractor Reviews - Read Reviews About Chiropractors - Viewpoints

:shift:
 
CTP,
If the clinic that FedEx uses claim you are basically OK then you are going to have to go to your own DR and apply for state disability. In the mean time make sure you do get an attorney as to sort this out with the WC insurance and do not tell the company anything else related to your condition. Only talk with HR and I suggest asking your attorney what you need to say. Normally all you need is the DR note of diagnosis and the amount of time you are needing off of work for treatment. I was also denied by Concentra of any real injury and was forced to work.

I ended up getting denied WC since I was said to be OK just a sprain/strain. That is when I obtained an attorney who directed me to another clinic and to file for state disability. In the end the company had to pay the state back for all the money I received from disability and the difference between the amount I would have received from WC and the amount from state disability(about 150 a week for 6 months). The company was also fined huge amounts of money for this. This all took place at a workers compensation appeal board hearing.

I believe it is SOP as the WC insurance is hoping you will just give up. I assume a lot do. Remember the clinic FedEx sends you to is only looking out for their payer's interest(the WC insurance). Also even though you are the patient you are not the customer, the insurance is the customer. WC doesn't want to pay money if they don't need to. My friend works for another occupational clinic(US Health Works) and he tells me how the WC insurance reps come to the clinics and feed the staff huge buffets, or Coffee and doughnuts, ect monthly and just try their best to make the clinics happy. Its all corrupt.

It is sad that you may need to get an attorney to get proper treatment and lawsuits only drive up costs for everybody but sometimes an attorney is the only was.
 
Also chiropractor is not advise until you get a through medical evaluation including an MRI. It gives a better indication of what is wrong in soft tissue injuries.
 
Fedex_employee said:
Also chiropractor is not advise until you get a through medical evaluation including an MRI. It gives a better indication of what is wrong in soft tissue injuries.
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Look here , I hate to sound like an insenitive *****, but suck it up man!
We have wayyyy too many sissys in this country sucking off the teets of America just so they can sit home on their a$$ and watch Jerry Springer and eat ice cream.
 
chitownpeddler said:
I made certain the docs knew i wanted no part of surgury. They said there are therapies that can make tremendous progress and some removes the need of surgury
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The spine specialist I saw said surgery is a last resort. Physical therapy and shots are tried before you go under the knife. In my case, a slightly herniated disk, he had me go through 8 weeks of therapy. Three sessions a week, 2 hours per session. And was it ever a workout!! Weight machines, treadmill, exercise bike, arm bike, core balls, throwing and catching medicine balls, climbing ladders and stairs, carrying weights in a basket, pulling and pushing a cart with 350lbs of weights on it around on the carpet, etc. It was pretty much non-stop to cram it all into the 2 hours. That was all geared to get me to the point I could meet FedEx Freight's requirements of being able to lift and carry 100 lbs. In fact, I had to bring a printout of our job description so the therapists could devise their plan of attack.

After completing the 8 weeks of therapy, the doctor had me take a functionality exam which was a 2 day test - back to back days, 4 hours a day. They tested everything including dexterity and balance. I even had to prove I could crawl for 50 feet. All kinds of stuff. When I passed that, he was satisfied and released me back to work.

Since then, I have had to keep working out on my own to keep my core strong. As a result, I haven't had any problems with the disk.
 
clandestine_ice said:
Look here , I hate to sound like an insenitive *****, but suck it up man!
We have wayyyy too many sissys in this country sucking off the teets of America just so they can sit home on their a$$ and watch Jerry Springer and eat ice cream.
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I am not sure why you would think you were being an insensitive *****, I am not the person who is injured nor do I care what anyone thinks either way.
 
Fedex_employee said:
I am not sure why you would think you were being an insensitive *****, I am not the person who is injured nor do I care what anyone thinks either way.
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Well, I just assumed half of us here would agree and the other half would have a stroke. I just wanted to be sensitive to the some of the girls we may have here.
 
clandestine_ice said:
Look here , I hate to sound like an insenitive *****, but suck it up man!
We have wayyyy too many sissys in this country sucking off the teets of America just so they can sit home on their a$$ and watch Jerry Springer and eat ice cream.
Click to expand...

I was thinking you sound more like a boob, but that's me.:clap: Why would you make the assumption that he has no case. I just recovered from back surgery from a work related injury in October. Trust me, I would have rather stayed at work than endure that surgery. I was back just 4 weeks after the surgery because I couldn't take sitting at home.

Workman's compensation is not sucking off the teats of America, as you put it. It is an insurance policy that the company is required to pay. Any claims are paid by the insurance company.
 
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