Injured Workers Being Grind Into The Dirt HELP!

Michael Moore, Clinton, Reid, Anyone PLEASE HELP!

I know you have seen the chosen few that have ripped off the Worker Comp system on TV shows. But that tiny percentage is nothing to the 90 some percentage that are really hurt and can not get all the medical and other help! Try doing a story on those people! I know, that is not good media,  watching a person that is in pain 24 hours a day. Like my wife, with constant, 24 hours a day migraine headaches, constant 4 ringing tones in the ears, so much the doctor has written her as having hearing lost! Muscle spams 24 hours a day, in her neck, shoulders and back. With therapy she was able to start using her left arm, now without all the medical help, it started going back to not being able to use it all the time. Left arm and a ribbon down her leg to her left big toe is numb. Very bad problem with balance, she has had medical help to help her with the balance, but she still falls. Breaks bones and injured herself which we mostly can't afford additional medical help for any of these problems!  A black dot in one of her eyes interfering with her vision.

For 19 plus years, since 1988, she has spent most of her time in the dark! Wears sunglasses when ever going outside, trying to lighten her headaches. I took the bedroom window out, so she can hide in complete darkness! Noise will send her headaches through the roof! At times her eyes will water non stop from the pain. We can only afford less than 1/2 of her medication, and only seeing the family doctor we have had since 1980, once or twice a year. Last year we lost our family doctor and now a search to find a doctor close to his medical wisdom! We did find one that would finally see her, but wants to do all the expensive test over again. We can't afford it! Even with the small percentage of what medications she does take mostly for the pain, now she is having problems getting those. Rest of the medications we can not afford. Now What?

Even with Medicare, there is a deducible and co pay. Take that out of the around $500 month, because Bally's Insurance told Medicare she is on Worker Comp. But she is not getting any money or help from Worker Comp Insurance. Medicare takes Bally's word not the Injured Worker! Try living on around $500 month, also all medical and goverment agencies won't help her, she is on "Worker Comp". Even though she is not getting paid and not getting medical help from "Worker Comp"!

"Worker Comp" is the key word that means No One Will Help!! Even though you tell and show the agencies you are not on "Worker Comp"! A Vicious Circle!

You talk about Health Care in the U.S. Try Worker Comp, especially "Self Insured" companies! This is "Obscene" what they are doing and continue doing to Injured Workers! Most with the blessing of the government! Between the pay offs, the "I want in line to be your attorney", to the doctors that will write what the companies tell them to, so the doctors can continue to get their business!  We had a number of doctors, Bally's insurance sent her to, come into the room. Stood across the room looking at the chart. Told my wife, "There is nothing wrong with you, you can go to work!" She said, "Write that down!" Stumped, The doctor left the room for quite some time. Then came back and told my wife, "I am not your primary doctor, I can't release you for work". My wife told them she would make them the "Primary Doctor" and pay them to write a release. They left the room and most told her not to ever return.

My Wife Was Place On A "Forced Medical Leave" and walked off her job. Was first told she had to do so many spins and knee bends and the company doctor would have to OK her to come back to work! After bringing the union into a meeting with the hotel, my wife said she wanted everyone in the hotel to do the same physical things, they dropped the knee bends and spins.

After the worker comp accident she was told by the hotel, they would take care of everything, once the sell of the hotel was over. She did not go on a medical leave herself. In fact she was allowed to work almost 9 months after the injuries before they had security escorted her off the job and was told she had 20 minutes to be off the property or she would be arrested!

From the Legistrators, which she contact them, to anyone running for  elected office job, the big money that runs their campaignes could be in jeopardy! So No Help! Even those people treat the injured workers like what ever is wrong with you will heal up in no time, so "Why Rock The Boat!"

The companies (Bally) rely on waiting you out with their deep pockets! They turn down, automatically over 90% of All Cases! Closer to 97%. The cost they save just in those turn downs is "Obscene"! They use their "Team of Lawyers", this is where many Hearings and Appeals Officer are waiting to become the companies attorney. Does this influence these people's ruling in the Hearing's and Appeals Level? Think About It! At least back in the beginning of my wife's case, it had a great bearing on how they ruled and how they talked and treated her and the state attorney at the time!

The companies have these "Team Of lawyers", delay, delay and hope you go away!

If you have an injury that will heal in a few weeks, like a broken bone, this tactics help the Self Insurance Company. Everytime you have to go to a hearing or Appeals, you have to take time off from work! The company move the court date at the last minute! Finally it is not worth the cost of the doctor, medicine and time off of work cost, miss time at work count against you and you finally drop the case or don't show up! When I say the cost of doctor, your insurance company does not pay because it is a Worker Comp Case, so you  either have to lie and say it is not Worker Comp or you have to pay all the cost yourself!

If the injury is more serious and requires surgery, you are really in trouble! Your personal, work insurance won't cover the cost and you are at the mercy of the Self Insurance Company. Most Self Insurance Companies, before they even think of paying for surgery, they and the Worker Comp Hearing and Appeals, want to strip you of your self worth and send you to a Psychiatry doctor, to show "What Ever Is Wrong With You Is In Your Mind and has nothing to do with the Worker Comp Accident!" You are Crazy, Need Mental Help!  Thus Not Worker Comp! Then they send you to doctors you don't trust or know! Not your own doctor! If you refuse their treatment, you are legally dropped from Worker Comp. Even if they want to cut in your back for something that is wrong with your finger! You refuse their treatment, know matter how crazy it is, you are dropped! No money, No Help!

All through this time, the company is not paying you. Your bills are mounting up! Your family needs food, gas to go to all these medical places, transportation you need to be at court dates, to medical dates and so on!

If the things that are wrong with you are premanent, you are really in trouble, such as my wife is. I will have lots of things to tell you about this option in the future chapters.

This does not just effect the "Injured Worker" but like a rock thrown in a pond, it effects every family member and friends! The longer it goes on the worst it gets. Most people that are married end up divorced! The children that could not have nice clothes, go to the proms, extra sports and college, really hold the hate in, because they lost out. It changes the children lives and everyone that comes in contact with "An Abused Injured Worker!" They keep trying to grid you into the dirt. My wife tried to go get a job, when she was first walked off her job. Everywhere she went, even fast food, they end up calling Bally's and they told them "She has a job, she is on a Medical Leave".

I can speak about this from first hand. My wife has been in and out of their Hearings and Appeals court with a "Self Insured" Worker Comp System for 19 plus years! We almost lost everything and still live on a fine line with her big $500 plus a month pay check from Social Security Disability take away Medicare and perscrption insurance. Not being able to afford all her medicines, doctors and treatments due to co pay and deductibles! The Self Insurance Company and the Worker Comp System holds that against her also! I will tell you all about that in the next Chapters. Her retirment from the Teamster's is gone, her retirement from Social Security is hardly nothing, all her benfits for her children and family, gone! All the family and friends that died or was sick durning those 19 plus years, she could not be with! Grand parents, parents, brother, grandchild and so on! Marriages and births. To have had enjoy any of these. All the family vacations and fun we had before the Worker Comp accident, came to a complete stop! All the Christmas good times and presents were gone! All the laughter.. Gone! All the things we had planed to learn to do to our retirement years have changed. Life as everyone knew it that included my wife was gone! She is now less than a 2nd class citizen, even Welfare gets more help for their people, than she gets or her children when they were young!

She is ONLY ONE of the thousands and thousand of active Worker Comp Cases in Las Vegas NV, RIGHT NOW. Many others either, give up ,give in, move somewhere else, some tragically commit suicide! That I will also go into later!

First, she was working for one of the big Hotels in Las Vegas. At the time MGM was going through the sale to Balley's. But 10 years before that, in the early 1980's the hotel came to their employee's and had them read and understand, then sign a paper. The hotel wanted to go "Self Insured" so they could save money that they were paying the State of Nevada for their injured workers. This paper stated, if we were injured on the job, the company would take care of the employees. The doctor bills, the medication, the miss time, and if permanently injured, they would rate the injured worker and pay them a sum of money so they could get by until they die. They would take care of the injured worker so "There Would Be No Reason To Sue!" In exchange the employees would give up the rights to sue and if there was disaggrement about care, the employees would take it to the state Hearing and Appeals system and be treated "Fairly!"

By The Way, How Does Self Insurance Company Save Money? Every Once In A While, the Hotel sends out or receive bids on their "Self Insurance Plans". How do they save money? By Not Paying Claims! It is cheaper to keep a staff of attorneys on retainer, hire a company that deals with not paying injured workers and knowing the laws and loop holes, then to pay for medical and help on an injured worker! Again, Delay, Delay and Hope They Go Away! If they are lucky the injured worker slips up. Either not showing up for a court day, or make a legal error. The Self Insurance Companies rely on this because they know the injured worker has no money and don't know the laws! Again I know this from first hand! What is the Worst thing that happens to the Self Insurance Company if they lose? They just got to pay what they owe anyways! I have more on that ALSO!

 The Very First Hearing my wife went to, she had all her paperwork. The Self Insurance Company, after hearing my wife's story, told and asked the Hearing Officer Armstrong, "We Withdraw" then turned to my wife and said, "Can We Have Some Time To See What We Can Do For  You?" She thought they were going to do the right thing and help her with the medical. So, not knowing the law, she said "Yes!" The ruling came down, that the Self Insurance Company went through her past medical records, gave them to a doctor that my wife never saw, and that doctor made a medical statment that "The injuries were not from the Worker Comp Accident!" She Lost!

Yes, Injured Workers see all the Ads for Woker Comp Attorneys. Let me tell you about that! If they only have to send a paper to the Self Insurance Company requesting for them to pay, and the Self Insurance Company say they will pay, they will take the case. If there is little or no work, as they have told my wife, they will take it. She has called over 300 attorneys in Las Vegas. All have said, either No, Some Said They Called The Insurance and They Said They Would Not Pay or too much work! "Too Much Work" How About Living In Too Much Pain!!" She did have one attorney that was right out of law school. Went all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court, won there and District Court, but Bally's Self Insurance never paid everything. They also closed the case again, a little over a month after back paying her some! So she has been in a fight again. Even had a ruling from the Appeals saying "The case should not have been closed and shall remain open for further benefits". Still No Money Or Help! Back to Court!

I will show all legal documents, rulings and such in the next Chapters. Also her story. Yes, name names, dates and hope someone can help us and others!