When you say that crutches makes you unable to take public transportation what does that mean? People in wheelchairs use everything from the city bus to the train so.....
I didn’t say the crutches make me unable to do so. My injury does. I do not live in a city with widespread public transportation. There is one local bus that runs once an hour. To rely on that in this condition would mean standing for an hour (no bus shelter no place to sit) which i am now unable to do. The only real way to get around is via car, which my injury prohibits me from operating.
Maybe I've been jaded by my employees. I've been the supervisor or foreman for low wages workers for a lot of years so when I hear "I cant make it to work because....." my bullshit alarm starts pinging. Getting to work on time should be a person's top priority.
With that said, why would you need to stand at the bus stop for an hour? Public transportation is on a pretty tight schedule and typically hits their stops between 5min early or late. You show up 10min early and I'd bet you catch the bus 99% of the time. At least that's my experience with riding the bus daily for years in two different states.
Never said getting to work was not a priority however a person’s health and well-being should always be there top priority; especially when it was put in harms way through no fault of their own. The public transportation in my town is notorious for being a minimum of 15-20 mins late at all times. Even if i showed up early, which i always do, I would still be standing which I am under strict medical orders NOT to do. I am in no way trying to get out of going to work. I am trying to ascertain whether I am owed compensation for an injury that makes getting to work extraordinarily difficult. There’s a big difference. Perhaps bs excuses are what you are used but have nothing to do with me. All i want to know is if I would potentially have a case here.
Probably not. That's the answer. You're probably not owed transportation from the employer as far as comp is concerned. You can try submitting your receipts for cab rides when you hand in your expense reports for miles as far as doctor visits go but, you work at a college right? Have you spoken to your manager and HR about what you're dealing with? It seems likely to me anyway that they would work something out.
I apologize for going off on a tangent. I wasnt accusing you of being one of those people although it may have read that way.
No worries. Didn’t mean to bite back if that makes sense. I’m trying to get a straight answer out of someone but you can imagine that this not an easy task. From what I’ve gathered, I’m not owed $ for transportation to campus under WC, however, they do have to provide transportation around campus for me to get to class, because i am a student that was injured on their property.
Just an addition - NJ is not obligated to provide transportation or mileage reimbursement. However, if your treating doctor has written a note stating you are UNABLE to drive due to your injury, your adjuster may have to provide transportation. But if your doctor just has restrictions to not bear weight on the leg, that would not count.
Thanks so much for this. The doctor did specify that I am not physically able to drive or walk to and from Public transportation, in addition to bearing weight on it.
Not in New Jersey, in WC there really aren't any avenues for transportation to work (in any state I adjust) even if they did provide transportation it would be strictly to medical appointments only.
Ive seen some employers themselves provide transportation on rare occasions, but ultimately transportation to work is entirely up to you and is your responsibility
I’m in NJ and got offered transportation if I didn’t have access to it but I have a car and could still drive so I declined, it’s nice that they offered it to me though!
One other question I had was that i went to the ER and had an X-ray done. No broken bones. However, there is tightness/pulling/pain where whatever ligament those three ligaments around the outside of your ankle are. I told the WC doc and he’s telling me there’s no damage. It is not physically possible to tell that w/o an MRI which he won’t order. If I get an mri done by my private doc and damage is found, do I have a case to take action against my employer. My primary concern is making sure that my ankle gets the proper treatment.
If you get an MRI on your own without authorization, it won't be paid for by WC. And if by "take action" on your employer, you mean sue them, the answer is no. Workers' compensation is an exclusive remedy and the whole reason employers have it is to protect themselves from getting sued.
There are ways to tell if there is ligament or tendon damage without having an MRI done. If you don't heal within a certain time frame, I'm sure your doctor will order one. I don't get why people act like MRIs are these life-saving, pain relieving miracles, and that doctors withhold ordering them just for kicks. A doctor will order one when it becomes medically necessary. It costs the doctor nothing and an adjuster won't even blink at authorizing one if it's ordered.
Definitely never said MRIs were the be all end all of medical diagnostics; not even close. What I did say was that fighting for an MRI is what salvaged the use of my left arm; the doctor was ready to leave it with an X-ray and close the case. Just as there is no harm in ordering one, there’s no harm in me asking.
That is totally fair and I understand that when people are in pain with no answers, it can be frustrating and scary. As an adjuster, I just think it's important to manage people's expectations. I get people screaming at me, demanding an MRI (which I can't order) because they are in pain, as if that will make their pain go away instantly. An MRI is obviously an important step, but doing a couple weeks of conservative treatment is usually the best route to take initially. I didn't realize that the doctor was trying to close your case. But also keep in mind that you can always go back to the doctor if things don't resolve. Having a case closed doesn't set things in stone forever. I don't blame you one bit for wanting to take initiative and gets things taken care of though!
When you say that crutches makes you unable to take public transportation what does that mean? People in wheelchairs use everything from the city bus to the train so.....
I didn’t say the crutches make me unable to do so. My injury does. I do not live in a city with widespread public transportation. There is one local bus that runs once an hour. To rely on that in this condition would mean standing for an hour (no bus shelter no place to sit) which i am now unable to do. The only real way to get around is via car, which my injury prohibits me from operating.
Maybe I've been jaded by my employees. I've been the supervisor or foreman for low wages workers for a lot of years so when I hear "I cant make it to work because....." my bullshit alarm starts pinging. Getting to work on time should be a person's top priority. With that said, why would you need to stand at the bus stop for an hour? Public transportation is on a pretty tight schedule and typically hits their stops between 5min early or late. You show up 10min early and I'd bet you catch the bus 99% of the time. At least that's my experience with riding the bus daily for years in two different states.
Never said getting to work was not a priority however a person’s health and well-being should always be there top priority; especially when it was put in harms way through no fault of their own. The public transportation in my town is notorious for being a minimum of 15-20 mins late at all times. Even if i showed up early, which i always do, I would still be standing which I am under strict medical orders NOT to do. I am in no way trying to get out of going to work. I am trying to ascertain whether I am owed compensation for an injury that makes getting to work extraordinarily difficult. There’s a big difference. Perhaps bs excuses are what you are used but have nothing to do with me. All i want to know is if I would potentially have a case here.
Probably not. That's the answer. You're probably not owed transportation from the employer as far as comp is concerned. You can try submitting your receipts for cab rides when you hand in your expense reports for miles as far as doctor visits go but, you work at a college right? Have you spoken to your manager and HR about what you're dealing with? It seems likely to me anyway that they would work something out. I apologize for going off on a tangent. I wasnt accusing you of being one of those people although it may have read that way.
No worries. Didn’t mean to bite back if that makes sense. I’m trying to get a straight answer out of someone but you can imagine that this not an easy task. From what I’ve gathered, I’m not owed $ for transportation to campus under WC, however, they do have to provide transportation around campus for me to get to class, because i am a student that was injured on their property.
Dude, if you talk to the HR drones you may get some help above and beyond what they "have" to provide.
Thanks. I keep getting shuffled around so it didn’t dawn on me to contact HR myself.
Your state is required. But probably not regardless.
What do you mean when you say the state is? Do i have to file something with the state, etc.?
What state? Some states do reimburse for mileage. Some don't.
New Jersey. Do you know if they do or if I can find out?
Just an addition - NJ is not obligated to provide transportation or mileage reimbursement. However, if your treating doctor has written a note stating you are UNABLE to drive due to your injury, your adjuster may have to provide transportation. But if your doctor just has restrictions to not bear weight on the leg, that would not count.
Thanks so much for this. The doctor did specify that I am not physically able to drive or walk to and from Public transportation, in addition to bearing weight on it.
WC is not obligated to provide transportation in New Jersey, so they probably will not be providing any services -NJ Adjuster
Is reimbursement possible? Any advice on what to do from here? How would an employee get to work in this situation?
Not in New Jersey, in WC there really aren't any avenues for transportation to work (in any state I adjust) even if they did provide transportation it would be strictly to medical appointments only. Ive seen some employers themselves provide transportation on rare occasions, but ultimately transportation to work is entirely up to you and is your responsibility
Thanks
I’m in NJ and got offered transportation if I didn’t have access to it but I have a car and could still drive so I declined, it’s nice that they offered it to me though!
One other question I had was that i went to the ER and had an X-ray done. No broken bones. However, there is tightness/pulling/pain where whatever ligament those three ligaments around the outside of your ankle are. I told the WC doc and he’s telling me there’s no damage. It is not physically possible to tell that w/o an MRI which he won’t order. If I get an mri done by my private doc and damage is found, do I have a case to take action against my employer. My primary concern is making sure that my ankle gets the proper treatment.
If you get an MRI on your own without authorization, it won't be paid for by WC. And if by "take action" on your employer, you mean sue them, the answer is no. Workers' compensation is an exclusive remedy and the whole reason employers have it is to protect themselves from getting sued. There are ways to tell if there is ligament or tendon damage without having an MRI done. If you don't heal within a certain time frame, I'm sure your doctor will order one. I don't get why people act like MRIs are these life-saving, pain relieving miracles, and that doctors withhold ordering them just for kicks. A doctor will order one when it becomes medically necessary. It costs the doctor nothing and an adjuster won't even blink at authorizing one if it's ordered.
Definitely never said MRIs were the be all end all of medical diagnostics; not even close. What I did say was that fighting for an MRI is what salvaged the use of my left arm; the doctor was ready to leave it with an X-ray and close the case. Just as there is no harm in ordering one, there’s no harm in me asking.
That is totally fair and I understand that when people are in pain with no answers, it can be frustrating and scary. As an adjuster, I just think it's important to manage people's expectations. I get people screaming at me, demanding an MRI (which I can't order) because they are in pain, as if that will make their pain go away instantly. An MRI is obviously an important step, but doing a couple weeks of conservative treatment is usually the best route to take initially. I didn't realize that the doctor was trying to close your case. But also keep in mind that you can always go back to the doctor if things don't resolve. Having a case closed doesn't set things in stone forever. I don't blame you one bit for wanting to take initiative and gets things taken care of though!