Liars
I should have seen this coming. As you may recall, one of my former patients, who is a criminal, tried to kill me , and I’ve been having some symptoms of PTSD ever since. Human resources initially said, “Oh Mother Jones, we love you, and we want to help you feel better. We will pay for your acupuncture as a way of making it all better.” It was great until the bills started rolling into their office. Now they are saying, “You should be cured by now, so no more acupuncture for you!” A friend of mine, who is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, took care of patients who were at the Pentagon on 9/11. They told my friend that they, too, initially received an outpouring of support from friends and colleagues, but that support eventually waned shortly after the 9/11 attacks. I guess that people think that time heals all wounds, and they can’t understand why victims of violence just can’t “get over it.” Of course, in my employer’s case, it’s all about the money. Lip service is cheap. Liars.
It looks like I’m going to have to file a Workers Comp claim. I can't take much more of this crap. In the the words of a good friend of mine, "Release the Scotch!"
posted by Mother Jones RN at 9:37 AM
19 Comments:
Sorry to hear that MJ.
Well, MJ, you should know better than anyone - we do not care about mental health in this country.
Look at the lifetime maximums on most insurance policies!
It is ridiculous that in the year 2008 - 2008, for Pete's sake! - we still do not regard mental or emotional trauma as "real" - at least not real enough to shell out good money for.
My God MJ,
I had never even thought about billing WC for my scotch. You're a genius!
Wait. Second thought. Two years of paperwork, a lawyer, a few days in court, and a few "approved" claims that still ended up in the rejected pile, and I might get a check for 60% of the cost of a bottle of the low-grade turpentiny stuff. Never mind.
I do hope you're better soon though, and not because I have anything at stake financially.
MJ- I worked in mental health for years....it doesn't mean crud to the bean counters in the ivory towers.
Argue, fight, file, wave a sword(ok, maybe not), do NOT pay for something that happened to you on work time....it's not your fault, and don't EVER think it is.
PS. We have a saying at my work, "Jack daniels is my best friend, he always gives good advice."
Howz about some self defense classes?? Might help you to feel safer. I'm positive Employer won't pay for that but could be worth it for you to feel more in control of an assaultive situation. Hospitals are breeding grounds for violence without accountability. Issues my ass--excuses for bad behavior is more what I have seen.
I'm sorry to hear that such a thing happened to you. I too am finding out that healing sometimes takes more then a year or two. Does acupuncture help with PTSD? I never heard of that. Hm, how about anxiety, and depression?
I cannot stress strongly enough that you need to consult an attorney.
Yes, hold them to it even if it is workers comp. Make sure it is a really good Scotch tho.
I'm handing over my best wishes, and my boxing gloves to you. You need to fight for yourself!
GO GRRL!
Oh MJ what a traumatic experience i just read about it.
Hope that man doesn 't come back into your unit.
I 've not been a victim of such violence, but taking care of two gerriatric eldrs one of them an87 yr old incapacitated dementia patient for 24x7 is very draining and i need all sorts of punctures too.
I see you were getting free acupuncture from your hospital, but I hope you're also getting more standard, proven PTSD treatment as well.
Yes, still waiting to hear the outcome of the assualt case, Mother Jones. Has it gone to trial yet?
Tammy
What part of workman's comp don't they understand?
I agree with ernursey that you should get a lawyer. Some malpractice insurers have an assault clause, which may assist you with payments. If you have your own, check this out.
Work every angle you can!
rehabnurse wrote, "Some malpractice insurers have an assault clause, which may assist you with payments."
I never heard that one before, but it's certainly worth looking into.
And "Release the scotch" sound like pretty good advice, too.
But, by all means, get a lawyer. You have friends in the law. Don't hire them -- unless, of course, they specialize in worker's comp. But ask them who the 'stars' are... and go for them.
A lot of unions have arrangements with comp lawyers. Sometimes it's because the comp lawyers are good. Sometimes it's because someone is related to someone. So be sure to ask around first.
Surely you've learned by now that America is cruel experiment in Darwinism. The fit (wealthy) thrive. The unfit (not so wealthy) suffer.
MJ:
I used to work in hospital HR for a vile healthcare system. I learned a bit of how to navigate the system and how they try to navigate the system against you. One of my best pieces of revenge was coaching a former colleague (after I left) fight the system when she had a workman's comp claim. They could never understand how she stayed a step ahead of them. If I can be of any assistance, hit me up at my blog. But ernursey & curmudgeon are right, get a lawyer who specializes in Workman's comp. Even better, if you can find a lawyer who has won cases against the institution, go to them. They already are rabid against the company, and most likely know the achiles' heals. THe institution also knows you're playing in the big leagues. Now is the time to fight it, cuz it's much more difficult as time goes on.
Also, I have some good single malt scotches at home.
The next trial date is in early Aug. My trial was delayed because the asshole did have a lawyer.
I'll keep you posted.
I'm amazed that you got free acupuncture for PTSD, for it's alternative medicine and they shouldn't have paid for it in the first place. The hospital is nice for doing that. Did you get actual (well, proven) treatment for the PTSD as well?
I can't stress the point enough......
GET A LAWYER!!!!
The WC system is stacked against the employee. And in most cases, HR and the bean counters, who don't know JACK about illnesses and injuries, make decisions based on stupid formulas and assumptions.
They're just lucky you don't sue the place for failure to provide reasonable safety measures.
I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!
Post a Comment
<< Home