Being as I have nearly 20 years of dealing with the work comp system, I feel that I can offer some insight as to what anger can be generated when dealing with a system supposed to be set up to assist one who has become disabled as the result of a on the job injury.

To me, what I am about to share has become natural and for some, it may make you wonder what good the work comp system is.

My current situation has me with atrophy of both hands and arms, upper back, left neck and lack of balance because of a dead nerve in my right leg. All job related.

How did I get to be this far disabled? In my experience, I was first thought to have mental problems, and when my condition appeared to the therapist doing the work of trying to loosen up muscles that were constant spasms, the doctor told her to just pacify me as I had mental problems. This was three days after being brought into the emergency room via ambulance following a head on accident with a vehicle being driven by a drunk driver. The doctor had known me for Three days! Of course, I was in terrible pain, however for reasons that even to this day, I do not understand, even with Three episodes of going into shock, while in the hospital, he still had the gull to see me as a fake!

Perhaps, his feeling were from a previous ticket that he had received, I have no idea. From that point on, I was treated with what I would call less than adequate care for my conditions.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear at this point, if you are ever injured, always review your medical reports, you might be very surprised at the mistakes that you find and also what the medical people are thinking about you.

If I had done what I share with you, I could possibly have cut the head of the snake off and received the medical attention that I deserved.

Unfortunately, the comment from the ER doctor opened the door for the work comp carrier to use what ever they wanted to say that I was in fact not injured that badly. And believe me, they jumped at the chance.
The medical people have a way of communicating that unless you have been messed over, one would not be on the outlook for the way words are used in sentences of their reports to indicate to other medical people what
they really think.

As a police officer, we have to deal with people from a wide range, some of whom include medical people, and some of whom may well have a grudge against police officers for one reason or another.
Face it, the work comp insurance company does not want to pay out any more than they have too. And they will make it appear that one is a fake or whatever to avoid paying out.

I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. It is a shame that even though, we have put our lives on the line time and time again, once injured, we, at least in my situation are all to often abandoned. Not only by the medical field but also by our fellow officers.It is true that all to often, we are not advised about programs that we are entitled too.