Workers' Compensation Discussion Forums

Hi all:

New here. After months of PT for my back, as soon as I started to show slight improvement, my employer told me that they would accommodate me with the current restrictions & pulled me off PT. Two weeks later, my condition reversed back to where it was before I started PT. I was sent home & continued to get my WC checks. Now my employer is saying I need to be seen by two IME doctors for an MMI & they booked me for that. I was benefiting from the PT sessions in a big way & asked my employer to let me continue with it until I see the IME doctors but they said no. When I asked why, they said whatever improvement I get from PT tends to be short liveD & that might give the doctors a false impression of what I can & can't do. They said I need to be seen by the docs the way I'm now in order to get a true assessment, although I've told them repeatedly that my condition has been worsening by the day since coming off PT. They are saying I'll have several options based on the report of the doctors, the more likely outcome being a vocational retraining.

The questions I've are:

What'll happen with the IME doctors?

What is an MMI & what do the various ratings mean?

If I'm sent to vocational rehab, will I lose my WC benefits or will I continue to get checks? At the end of the voc training, will I go back to my employer or will they find me a new Job? Frankly, I am bored outta my mind & I want to do something that would accommodate my current restrictions given by my primary doc.

Is there a possbility the IC might try to force me to settle based on the outcome of IME?

Do you guys think I need to contact a WC attorney at this stage or should I wait for the IME report? I'm still getting my checks and all the treatement exept for PT and as a result I've not bothered about hiring an attorney.

Thanks.

At least talk to an attorney but check them out in great detail- make sure he is ging to work for you very agressivly- some of them onlysign you up and take yur money

generally MMI means maximum medical improvement and the ratings determine how much additonal impairment benefits you are entitled to.
each state has their own comp system so it's we can only generalize until we know your state.
the same with vocational rehabilitation: some states include it in the comp benefits and other it's outside.
they can't force you to "settle" but they can cut benefits until a determination is made by the comp court.

what state do you reside in? very important as where i reside and where i was injured are rated one almost the best and one is tragically horrible... get a good lawyer ...