Tag Archives: nurse case manager

Why does your doctor want you to sign a “work restriction agreement”?

Posted on by

I saw something new in the world of workers’ compensation last month; a “work restriction agreement” between an employee and a doctor. The agreement raised my eyebrows when I first saw it and it raised my eyebrows again when I dug it up to write this post.

The more I thought about this agreement, the more I saw the handiwork of a nurse case manager. Nurse case managers have all sorts of advantages over injured in workers in a workers’ compensation claim. In my mind, this agreement really seemed like running up the proverbial score.

So why did this agreement rub me the wrong way?

Trust and stigma in workers’ compensation

When I saw the agreement, I thought about the agreements that doctors often make patients sign in order to receive opioid pain medication. To some extent those agreements are well-intentioned because they can inform patients about how to take medication properly.  But the agreements have been criticized for undermining the doctor-patient relationship and stigmatizing users of prescription drugs as potential addicts. Injured workers are equated with drug addicts.

Like drug addiction, issues about doctor-patient trust and stigma are major issues for injured workers. Many injured workers refuse to claim workers compensation benefits out of fear as being stigmatized as freeloaders looking to “milk the system”. But even if workers overcome that stigma and claim benefits, most workers are surprised to find how little privacy they have regarding their health history once they claim benefits.

The role of the nurse case manager

One of the most visible examples of the relative lack of privacy in workers’ compensation claims is the nurse case manager. A nurse case manager is usually a nurse hired on behalf of the workers compensation insurer, but it can be someone employed directly by your employer. This nurse case manager will suddenly pop up in the examination room when you visit your doctor or a doctor about a work injury.

We tell our clients to tell that nurse case manager to scram (politely of course). That might be less of an option if the nurse case manager works at your company and is more or less in management. An employee may feel pressured to allow a company nurse case manager in an exam room out of fear of losing their job or being disciplined. Nebraska law makes it illegal for employers to retaliate against employees for claiming workers’ compensation. I’ve never seen a case related to an employee telling an in-house nurse case manager to leave an examination room, but it could be an interesting case.

But even if you can get the nurse case manager out of the exam room, you can’t stop a nurse case manager from talking with your doctor privately. So, what is it that the doctor and the nurse case manager talk about? Oftentimes it’s whether an employee can return to work. That’s where these “work restriction agreements” come into play.

How the work restriction agreement works and can work

I think nurse case managers are driving the bus on “work restriction agreements.” Some doctors like nurse case managers. I think part of reason some doctors like nurse case managers is oftentimes a nurse case manager will have access to written job descriptions that help doctors to tailor work restrictions.

The work restriction agreement I saw incorporated a written job description. The agreement contained a provision that the workers work restrictions were just exactly as described by the doctors note. This would limit the employee’s ability to testify to the extent of their own restrictions at trial.

In addition, the agreement contained a provision that the employee would refuse work that exceeded her restrictions. Interestingly enough, the agreement created no requirement that the employer not ask or force the employee to exceed their stated work restrictions.  Overall the document created obligations for the employee, but none for the employer. (If this sounds like collusion, it is and you can read more about why this collusion is usually permitted here.)

Given the one-sided and legalistic nature of the “work restriction agreement”, I am not surprised it showed up in cross-examination like questioning from an employer’s lawyer in a workers’ compensation deposition. The nurse case manager was essentially helping to create what amounts to attorney work-product to be used in a workers’ compensation case. (It could also be used in an employment law claim as well.) But while a “work restriction agreement” is a fairly blatant effort to create evidence, nurse case managers have more subtle tactics.

In Nebraska, medical dictation or charting can be admitted into evidence in a workers’ compensation case without worries about hearsay or foundation objections. A good nurse case manager can influence doctors to create medical evidence that is helpful for an employer.

Why nurse case managers have clout

Of course, insurers have more blunt tactics to influence medical evidence – they pay the bill. I remember sending a questionnaire out to a doctor in a case because their dictation wasn’t enough to help prove my client’s case. I was bluntly told by clinic staff that since “workers compensation already paid the bill” that they saw no reason why they needed to fill out additional paperwork. Paying the bills gives insurers a lot of influence and make their nurse case managers seem a lot more persuasive than they would be otherwise.

Many nurse case managers also have long-standing relationships with doctors which leads doctors to trust nurse case managers. It seems nurse case managers aren’t happy with their advantages and are seeking to further their advantage over injured workers through the use of forms like “work restriction agreements” that further stigmatize injured workers.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , .

Who is this nurse case manager and why are they talking to doctor about my workers’ comp. case?

Posted on by

Work injuries create many problems; pain and loss of function from the injury, medical bills, lost wages and fear of employer-retaliation to name a few. But today I want to post about another hassle that comes with a work injury:

Nurse case managers.

Nurse case managers are nurses from the insurance company or workers’ compensation claims administrators who attempt to “manage” medical care for injured workers. While nurse case managers talk about “patient advocacy”, they work for the insurer or claims administrator. From what I can tell, their version of “patient advocacy” is to talk doctors into releasing injured workers from care without restrictions and without future medical care.

Nebraska courts hold that nurse case management services benefit employers. So why does Nebraska allow nurse case managers to run amok, while other states strictly regulate them? Nebraska’s state constitution and our state’s workers compensation rules explain why nurse case managers can get away with violating the privacy of injured workers.

The right to privacy under state constitutions

Nebraska does not recognize a right to privacy in our state constitution.  Montana and Illinois recognize a right to privacy in their state constitutions. That right to privacy under those state constitutions is part of the reason why nurse case managers on a tight leash in those states. Courts in those states have ruled that injured workers have a strong privacy interest in their medical records and laws that impair that privacy should be subject to strict scrutiny.

But it’s not just nurse case managers who try to interfere with the doctor-injured worker relationship In Nebraska attorneys for employers and insurance companies often to talk to the doctors of injured workers.  These conversations are usually had for the purpose of getting doctors to change their mind about their opinions in the case. Since these lawyers are representing an insurance company who pays their bills, most doctors are willing to speak with these attorneys. (It’s a different story for lawyers who represent injured workers in workers compensation cases.)

Like defense attorneys, nurse case managers are a representative of the insurance company/employer. They have a right to communicate with medical providers under Nebraska law. And again, the nurse case managers have some leverage over medical providers. They may also develop professional relationships with providers that can help their work.

Will Nebraska amend our state constitution to guarantee a right to privacy? The right to privacy is often used to support abortion rights, so any effort to amend our state constitution to allow for a right to privacy would likely be opposed by anti-abortion activists who are influential in Nebraska.

Why the Rules of Discovery undermine privacy

But even if Nebraska had a right to privacy in our state constitution, Nebraska would either need to pass legislation and or change the workers’ compensation court rules to regulate nurse case managers. I’m not sure that would be feasible without some other changes to rules within the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court.

The rules of civil discovery apply within the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court. Those rules give employers and insurance companies broad leeway to pry into the medical history of injured workers. States like Illinois adjudicate workers’ compensation claims as administrative claims. In administrative systems employers have more restricted access to an injured workers’ health history.

Fighting back against nurse case managers

While Nebraska law permits the use of nurse case managers, Nebraska law can be used against nurse case manager. Many attorneys in Nebraska believe that nurse case manager notes are discoverable. Those notes often reveal admissions that help injured workers.

Our firm routinely tells nurse case managers not to have contact with our clients. Sometimes that means nurse case managers will stay out of examination rooms. I have used the discovery rules against nurse case managers on the issue of when they knew about permanent impairment for the purposes of penalties under Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-125. I think it’s fair to inquire about any licensing issues a nurse case manager may have had through discovery. I think its also fair to impeach a nurse case manager with evidence of licensing issues on cross-examination.

Final thoughts on nurse case managers

Overall, Nebraska has good workers’ compensation laws – particularly in comparison with neighboring states. But, Nebraska law is less favorable than other states when it comes to nurse case managers. If one gets involved in your workers’ compensation case, it might be a good idea to call a lawyer.

(Credit to Mark Perper and Tom Murphy for sharing Illinois and Montana claw on this issue on the WILG listserv)

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized, Workers Compensation and tagged , , , .

Talking points for injured workers who want to see their own doctor

Posted on by

Talking points for employers looking to undermine rights of injured workers to pick their own doctor

I was sitting in a conference call when I screen captured the email that is the photo for this post.

The email came from an occupational medical clinic in Omaha. It used the occassion of an updated doctor choice form from the Nebraska Workers Compensation court to distribute talking points for management when injured workers balk, rightly, at being sent to an occupational medical clinic.

Injured workers have the right to pick their own doctor in Nebraska. But that doesn’t mean that the insurance industry and self-insured employers aren’t going to try to control medical care to their advantage. Insurance companies spend money on “nurse case managers” and self-insureds usually have in-house nurse case managers, who in my view, try to persuade doctors to write medical records and reports that are favorable to the employer. The use of occupational medicine or “occ, med,” clinics is another tactic used by emplyoers to get favorable outcomes for themselves in workers’ compensation claims.

These talking points overcoming employee objections to going to an occ, med. clinic are an example of how employers/insurers try to work around rules that allow injured workers to see theiir own doctors in Nebraska.

I am going to break down these talking points one by one.

1.“We want the best care for you.” If an employer wants the best care for their employees, it would stand to reason they would let the employee go to a doctor who has treated the employee previously and knows their medical history. Treatment would be more effective and efficient without having to re-invent the wheel with a new doctor.

A lot of injured workers end up at occupational health clinics because they don’t have a family doctor because they don’t have health insurance. If a company doesn’t offer affordable health insurance, I would question whether the company really wants what is best for their employees.

2. See you right away – If the injury is acute, an employee will be sent to the emergency room rather than an occupational medical clinic that is more or less an urgent care clinic. While there can be delays in getting to see a family doctor, many family doctors or general practitioners will hold back appointments for urgent cases like work injuries. Injured workers need to be assertive with medical office staff in insisting that they be seen that day.

Of course, this point is moot if an employee doesn’t have their own doctor. See the previous paragraph. That’s why I support the initiative to expand Medicaid in Nebraska.

3.You don’t have to pay if you go to an occ. med. clinic – Under the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Act, an employee doesn’t have to pay out of pocket for medical care – period – it doesn’t matter who they see. There is an element of truth that some doctors don’t accept workers’ compensation insurance. But if the case requires a referral to surgeon, that surgeon will almost certainly accept workers’ compensation insurance.

By the way, if an employee does get stuck at an occ, med. clinic and they get a referral for a surgery, they can pick their own surgeon even if the employee agreed to let the employer pick the doctor at first.

4. You have to go to this clinic to get drug tested clinic anyway – This isn’t so much a talking point as it is an assertion of power by an employer. It’s a thinly veiled threat that if the employee doesn’t go to the cliinic the employer wants, then they are going to be in trouble. The use of occupational health clinics to perform mandatory post-injury drug testing is a way from employers to cleverly work around Nebraska law on doctor choice under the cover of state and federal law about drug testing. Employee drug testing is as much about employers asserting control over employees as it as about employee safety.

OSHA regulations have recently been revised to allow employers more clarity — or latitude — to drug test emplyoees after a work injury. I will post on this in the near future, but take a look at this post for now,

In short, some employers are going to do their worst to cajole and coerce injured workers into undermining their workers’ compensation case by not letting employees pick their own doctors. Employees in such a situation ought to call a lawyer to get advice and help with their workers’ compensation case.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Doctor Choice, Medicaid, Nebraska, nurse case managers, Workers' Compensation and tagged , , , , .

Workers’ Compensation:  The Man-made Quagmire (Part 2 of 3)

Posted on by

Today’s post comes from guest author Paul J. McAndrew, Jr., from Paul McAndrew Law Firm. Paul has done a good job of describing the difficulties by injured workers.

This is the second part of a three-part series in which I explain why workers should claim their rights under workers’ compensation laws. The first installment explains how employers commonly and purposefully make it difficult for workers to claim comp. This second part explains ways in which workers’ compensation insurance companies (from here on our we’ll call them “insurers”) also throw up barriers to workers getting comp benefits.

It is worth noting that many employers – mostly large corporate employers – file for and obtain a certificate from the Iowa Division of Insurance to “self-insure” for purposes of workers’ compensation. These self-insured employers have offices filled with staff that carry out the same work and serve the same purposes as out-dwelling work comp insurers. They do the same things as out-dwelling insurers to bar coverage, also.  Thus, I will treat them as one entity – “the insurer.”

Our third segment will explain why other benefits and programs don’t come even close to providing what the worker receives in workers’ compensation. It’s unfortunate, but the best thing a worker can do is slog through this quagmire and make good on his or her rights in comp.


Again, researchers determined years ago that many barriers are erected by insurers. The insurers’ barriers don’t stop after the worker applies for comp. In fact, in my experience the insurers deter workers by making obtaining comp benefits so unpleasant and frustrating, that the workers with future injuries will opt to not claim comp, but rather try to make do with other benefits, if possible. The biggest reasons workers give up on their rights in workers’ compensation are due to the insurers’ conscious effort to frustrate, confuse and delay every aspect of the claims process. That, however, is exactly what should not happen in comp. Why do I say that? Because the Iowa Supreme Court has repeatedly said that for decades. According to the Court it’s a basic fact of Iowa worker’s compensation law “that the injured claimant is compensated swiftly, fairly and with the least possible ‘red tape.’” DeShaw v. Energy Mfg. Co., 192 N.W.2d 777, 784 (Iowa 1971)(citing Cross v. Hermanson Bros., 235 Iowa 739, 16 N.W.2d 616, 618 (1944)). Besides being fast in result, the process is supposed to incline in favor of the worker. Again, as stated by the Iowa Supreme Court, “we keep in mind that the primary purpose of chapter 85 [ed. the work comp code chapter] is to benefit the worker and so we interpret this law liberally in favor of the employee. Stone Container Corp. v. Castle, 657 N.W.2d 485, 489 (Iowa 2003).

So what should you do to protect your workers’ compensation rights when the insurer is ignoring them?

Part I: Dealing with the Insurer’s Persuasion Tactics

  1. The Adjuster – The Insurers’ First Fortress in the way of Every WC Claim

    People used to ask why I do not like adjusters. The reason is that very few of them (something less than 5% by my best estimate) have any goal but cutting costs for the insurer, no matter what means are used to do so. In light of that I most commonly file the claim early on so as to deal with the insurers’ lawyers rather than the adjuster. How does the adjuster form a barrier – a tough fort – standing in the way of a legitimate work comp claim?

    1. The Various Types of Obstructive Adjusters
      Adjusters commonly do several things that occur so frequently that I believe that these things are learned and practiced forms of conduct, which are designed to frustrate any injured worker. What things?
      1. The Absent Adjuster – most commonly the adjuster may never answer the phone, instead letting all of your calls go to voice-mail. Then, the adjuster will not return your calls.
      2. The Rude Adjuster – nearly as common is the adjuster who denies a claim without explanation and will be demeaning and condescending in refusing to be willing to explain anything. In a system in which the worker is usually without any way to know things, being put down and denied without explanation is a very effective method of driving the worker out.
      3. The 100% Purposely-Ineffective Adjuster – the adjuster many times will promise action on a benefit and may even set personal deadline to do so. Then, the adjuster fails to get the action and merely extends the time for the deadline, again and again. Again, this is a very effective means to drive a worker from the system because the benefits (both medical and money) are usually promptly needed.
  2. The Adjuster’s Wingman – The “Nurse Case Manager” Commonly the adjuster/insurer will assign a “nurse case manager” (hereinafter “NCM”) to your claim. The NCM is a “confidence person.” She (the NCM is always a female in my experience) will tell the worker and family that she is there to get better and more prompt care. In fact, the NCM almost invariably seeks to interfere with the minimal care that even a company doctor renders. In most cases the NCM will also do anything to persuade that the worker should be returned to work, whether safe or not. The only effective remedy I’ve found for the NCM who acts unreasonably in denying my clients care is to file a complaint with the Iowa Board of Nursing.
  3. Employer’s Choice of Medical – “Paul McAndrew’s best friend” Why is it my best friend? Because if the law allowed Iowa workers the right to choose their own medical care, more than half of the workers who come in and need me would no longer need me. Why say that? Because about 75% of the workers who come to my office do so only because they’ve been delayed, denied, and frustrated in getting timely and proper care, so much by the company doctor (usually in conjunction with the adjuster and NCM) that they can’t get back to work as they must and they come to me to merely get medical care. They don’t even want the benefits much. They want only to get healthy so they can get back to work and earn a living to support their family. How does the adjuster/NCM/company doctor bar proper and timely care? By these means:
    1. The Company “Hack” (General-Practice Doctor)
      There are many company doctors who are well known to the practicing work comp bar as being dedicated to one thing: Maintaining that doctor’s share of the insurers’ referral of injured workers by almost any means. This leads the doctor to be little more than a mouthpiece for the insurer. This takes the form of:
      1. Stating some uncouth reason why the injury did not arise out of and in course of (commonly called “cause” but very different than) work (e. g., the court reporter, Smith).
      2. Minimizing or even ignoring the worker’s injury condition until the worker is discharged to her/his own doctor, or just leaves due to frustration.
      3. Carrying the worker along over months of periodic clinic visits without any real effort to determine a diagnosis and treat that diagnosis.
    2. The Company “Sweetheart” (Specialist Doctor)
      This specialist—-commonly an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon—becomes the insurer’s favorite by always giving a favorable-to-the-insurer opinion. Again, the Sweethearts are well known to lawyers, but not to the worker.

Part II: The Insurers’ Tricks for Wrongfully Manipulating Care

  • Prompt Care/Unreasonable Delay in Providing Care
    This speaks for itself. It’s far and away the most common method of denying care—just delay it long enough and the worker’s life demands will cause the worker to turn elsewhere for care. This is easily overcome with the Alternate Care Procedure, briefly described here.
  • When the Authorized Doctor Recommends Care that the Insurance Company Denies
  • When the Authorized Doctor Refers to another Doctor and the Insurance Company Denies or tries to Refer, instead, to its “Sweetheart”
  • When the Authorized Doctor orders care and, Instead, the Insurance Company tries to “Transfer Care” to a Sweetheart Who Will Likely say what the Insurance Company Wants to Hear
  • When the only Care Offered is not Convenient Care. This is now standardized: if the care offered is more than 50 miles from the worker’s home and the same type of care is offered closer, then the 50+ – care is “inconvenient.” Remember the “convenience” requirement applies only to “care.” Unfortunately, it does not apply to the company’s right to send the worker for a medico-legal, one-time “independent medical examination.”

 


Alternate Care Process

The Iowa Legislature enacted in 1913 the comp’s system’s healthcare provision method. Iowa Code 85.27. 85.27 provides that the employer has the right to make the initial selection of care. In this regard, Iowa is only one of ten out of the fifty states and the United States (under FECA (Federal Employee Comp Act) and the Long Shore Act) that provide the employer with such unfettered power. For years, a worker had to wait months or more than a year to get to the final hearing to challenge the insurance company’s denial of care.

In 1992, however, Commissioner Byron Orton drafted a provision that was accepted by consensus of all interest groups and enacted into law, which create the “alternate care process.” This process allows the worker to obtain prompt relief for the denial of proper care. The process is relatively simple and designed to be carried out by a worker or union representative.

NOTE: While Section 85.27 gives the employer the right to select care, that right is qualified. The care provided must be (1) prompt, (2) reasonably suited to treat the injury and (3) without undue inconvenience to the claimant. Westside Transport v. Cordell, 601 N.W. 2d619, 694 (Iowa 1999). The failure of the employer to provide care meeting any of these three requirements gives the worker the right to bring an alternate-care procedure and have the Division of Workers’ Comp. order proper care be provided.

The Steps for Filing and Prosecuting ON YOUR OWN an Alternate Care Claim

  1. Before filing, the worker must communicate the basis of her/his dissatisfaction with the care (or lack of care) offered by the employer. If you don’t, the filing will be dismissed. Communicate dissatisfaction in writing or the employer will likely deny that there was communication.
  2. File on the form provided by the Commissioner. This form can easily be obtained at http://www.iowaworkforce.org/wc/publications.htm. There is no cost/filing fee. Make sure you send a copy of the form to your employer, also, as explained on the form.
  3. When filling out the form, ensure you state: (A) The specific medical treatment sought; (B) the grounds why what’s offered (if anything) is not proper (for example, “not prompt,” “not convenient,” or “not proper care for the injury condition,” etc.); and (C) that you ask for hearing by telephone.
  4. Alternative medical care proceedings are only prospective in nature. Bills for prior care will need to be adjudicated about a year later in the primary hearing.
  5. The grand majority of alternate care hearings are heard by phone.
  6. Alternate Care Procedures Yield Prompt Results. Why? Because by law the commissioner must both hear the alternate care matter by phone and issue the decision on the matter within ten (10) days of the filing of the alternate care petition.

Please join us next week for Part 3: Why it’s Important to Receive Comp.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in employment law, Workers' Compensation and tagged , , , , .

Dirty Tricks Employers Use To Keep You From Getting Benefits

Posted on by

Tom’s post on how to protect your rights is crucial for every worker to read before they get hurt at work. Know your rights, and beware these dirty tricks that employers use to keep you from getting your benefits.

——————–

Today’s post is by our colleague Tom Domer from Wisconsin.

Over the course of 35 years representing injured workers, I have heard some whoppers – Employers’ questionable tactics that make even my jaw drop.

With all the insurance company generated blather about “employee fraud”, incidences of employer fraudulent tactics abound.

Workers beware of the following:

  • Recorded statements taken by worker’s compensation carrier adjuster while employee is under medication or in the hospital still suffering from the injury. Questions such as “It’s true you had (low back pain, arm pain, fill in the blank pain, etc.) before your work injury, correct? You’ve had lots more pain from (your motor vehicle accident, sports injury, etc.) than you’re experiencing from your work injury, correct?”
  • Employer “channeling” a worker to its “Return to Work Clinic” (doctors on company payroll whose opinion is “like some athletic coaches, ‘rub some dirt on it and get back in the game’.”
  • Telling employees to take sick leave rather than claim worker’s compensation.
  • Telling employees to file medical bills under their group insurance, not worker’s comp.
  • Nurse Case Manager who initially befriends the employee, but later makes every attempt with the worker’s doctor to prematurely return the worker to the job before a healing occurs. Continue reading
The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Fraud, Workers' Comp' Basics, Workers' Compensation and tagged , , , .

Should I trust the nurse case manager for my workers’ compensation claim?

Posted on by

Some nurse case managers may not be acting in your best interests.

The short answer is, “be careful.”

In many workers’ compensation claims, an insurance adjuster hires someone called a nurse case manager, or NCM. The workers’ compensation insurance adjusters claim that the purpose of the NCM is to help coordinate doctor appointments or work as a go-between with the adjuster and the injured worker.

Simply put, it’s important to remember where the NCM’s paycheck comes from: the insurance company.

Often times, however, the NCM will attempt to direct you to doctors that might not be in your best interest for treatment purposes, or direct you to doctors that are well-known to release patients back to work before they’re ready. Similarly, the NCM will attempt to influence your doctors into signing reports that may be detrimental to your workers’ compensation claim, or worse: your health.

Even the Supreme Court of Nebraska has stated that NCMs hired by the insurance companies are not considered a benefit to the injured employee.

Simply put, it’s important to remember where the NCM’s paycheck comes from: the insurance company. Consequently, a good “result” for a NCM (released back to work with no additional medical treatment) might not be a good “result” for you. So be careful. Just because your NCM claims that he or she is acting in your best interest, that may not actually be true.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Workers' Comp Q & A, Workers' Compensation and tagged , .