newly injured in Louisiana-what am I entitled to?

[nurse83]

Hi!

I need information (and, imagine this, my employer is not very forthcoming) on what I'm entitled to under the WC laws of Louisiana.

I'm a nurse who fell at work resulting in a sprained lumbosacral area (per the occupational health MD I FINALLY was given permission to see a week after the injury with me telling my administrator I needed to see a doctor every day) and am having sciatic nerve pain in the hip and leg I injured.

Am I entitled to pay for the time I'm spending at the doctor's office and physical therapy? I'm currently being docked for this time; today I was at PT for 3 hrs. This time is going to add up quickly and I can't afford for my paycheck to go from at least 40 hours a week to 28 or less.

The doctor gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxant. I can't take the muscle relaxant and drive and/or work because it makes me so drowsy. The doctor sent me back to work full time with numerous restrictions but even so I'm still experiencing significant pain at work and as I stated above can't take the muscle relaxant and work, so....should I make this point with the doctor at my next appointment and request time off temporarily?

I've worked as a nurse for 25 years and never had an injury at work; I'm not trying to get out of working but the pain I'm in is so significant at this point I'm not able to focus on my job duties which is dangerous for my patients!!

My administrator is also now "encouraging" me to take days off "because I found someone to cover for you"; of course this time off is being offered without pay but "you can take some of your vacation time to make up the difference in your check"
What's up with this-if she feels that I need to be off despite what the doctor has said 1) can she make me take the time off and 2) will I have to take it off without pay or use up my precious Paid Time Off

What about reimbursement for mileage to the medical appointments? Am I eligible for this?

And medications---I was required to 'turn my prescriptions in" to my administrator (I got the scripts last Friday) and the administrator contacted the pharmacy we use to fill these scripts, which is in a city 2 hours away "because that's the policy" So, I wound up getting these prescriptions on Monday, 72 hours after they were prescribed. Is this acceptable? It isn't to me--I would have thought the company could have a local pharmacy fill them and bill for them or pay for them out of petty cash-goodness knows we use it for everything else. I would have been happy to pay for them myself and worry about reimbursement for myself later--just to have had these meds in a more timely fashion.

So, I'm looking for some information, guidance, tips, whatever anyone can tell me will be appreciated greatly.

Thanks!!!!

[cfree1961]

First and for most WELCOME nurse83
I'm sorry I cannot answer your questions but there are many very knowledgeable people here that will be able to help you better than I can but also look at the top of the page and find your state and click on it and that should at least give you something to get you started,be patient and check back and I'm sure someone can help you out here.I hope you can stay as pain free as possible while trying to get answers and hope you get ALL the info you need!

[nurse83]

cfree1961 Wrote:First and for most WELCOME nurse83
I'm sorry I cannot answer your questions but there are many very knowledgeable people here that will be able to help you better than I can but also look at the top of the page and find your state and click on it and that should at least give you something to get you started,be patient and check back and I'm sure someone can help you out here.I hope you can stay as pain free as possible while trying to get answers and hope you get ALL the info you need!

cfree1961; thanks for the welcome; I have clicked onto the state tab since I posted. I will be grateful for those who may know my state's laws to reply. I'm realizing that I've never thought about W/C just knew it was there but not what a terrible maze it can be!! Pain free sounds great but right now I'd settle for less pain!

Thanks again!!

[tweety00]

Well using iowa at the state ... I do know lawyers say dont quit the job ... keep working but state how much pain you are in .... I bring in a list each and every visit and have the doctor sign it and keep a copy for yourself ..
Document everything ......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its the medical papers that the doctors make that is what helps in court or even at settlement time ...
Funny How I always had the w/c dr nurse tell me each time to call the adjuster after seeing the doctor .... when he would say nope youre all better or live with it ....
All that did for me was get me a denial ...

yes they want you to Use vacation time and all the fmla you have .... If you cant work I would be going to the doctor saying why .... But dont ask to be taken off of work ... but say how much it hurts but dont be surprised If it never showed up in the reports ...That why you make a listing ..
Keep a detailed list of milage ...
Meds Remind your super how dangerous to be working under these meds are ... but still take them also inform the doctor ... I believe that their is a code about working under the influnce .. also did w/c pay for the meds .... remember the drug store probably had a tough time getting the adjuster to approve them

finally after ive rambled on welcome to the forum I also was told lumber strain .with pain going down leg and arms .. then facet anthropathy .. now s i joint ... then after denial got the neck fusion done

[sparkey]

wc should be paying for your time you are taking to the doctors, at least here in NH they did. If you need to be out of work to take your meds and relax, you can ask your doctor and tell him/her how you feel. You should be paid for the time off you take. You also should get some medical help and testing done from their wc doctor and also can have your PC help also.

Your mileage and Meds should be covered. I go to a pharmacy 100 miles round trip after my doctors appt. and i have to have them approved also. If it is cheap enough, i pay out of pocket and get reimbursed for them so i do not have to wait. If i do have to wait for a authorization and have to come back to get them, i bill them the mileage to go back there because they were not approved right away.

Like others said, DOCUMENT , DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT!!!! Keep everything as it is very important. Even put together a pain scale of how you feel each day to bring to the doctor. Every piece of paper counts. Good luck.

[Lilly]

Hi,
What you are entitled to, is prompt & proper medical treatment.....what you may actually get is delayed treatment with a WC paid-for doctor.
"CYA" (cover your a**) in any case as the others have advised.
Good luck to you. Lilly

[nurse83]

Hi tweety00,

Thanks for your reply; it is so great to know that I'm not alone even though it sure feels that way these days!!! Of course, it would be better should none of us be going thru this stuff!

Great advice and since I'm known far and wide as the "Best of the best at documentation" in my nursing world I will now transfer that skill set to my own case LOL

As for working under the influence the way it works with my state board of nursing and my employer is: I am obligated to disclose any and all medications I take on and off the job that may hinder my performance. This goes for all nurses at all times not just because I'm injured. Of course, a lot of nurses choose not to do this because they don't want employers knowing their medical hx which also means they are not being truthful on their post hire med questionnaire which is actually a violation of LA law.

I've made myself crystal clear to my administrator on how much pain I'm in; I had to miss a day of work this week due to this although I made the day up today on my off day. I'm really hobbling around
today in severe pain but above all want to be seen as cooperating with tx plan so I also went to therapy but let them know what I could and couldn't do and what my pain was on the pain scale when they inquired.

As for the med situation: my understanding from my employer is that they use the corporate office's pharmacy of choice which is located in the corp office's town because they get the meds without hassle and the company is billed for them??

Thanks for the welcome and the info.

nurse83

[nurse83]

Greetings Lilly,

You said a lot!!!! As I'm finding out, everything has been delayed up to this point in time---getting to the doctor, getting approval for the PT, getting the meds....and at this point everything has to be approved on a week to week basis which means after my doctor's appt tomorrow I'll be looking at more waiting for approval for PT for next week, getting any new meds and well you know how it goes!!!!

Thanks for replying!!!

nurse83

[nurse83]

sparkey,

thanks for replying....you gave me some things to think about and do research on....

DOCUMENTATION is my speciality as a nurse; I've even taught classes on this so I'll be documenting my personal info with the same care I use professionally.

My meds to this point are cheap enough that I could pay for them without it being a financial hardship so I may opt for this route...but HR at my company and my administrator have DEMANDED that I "turn in" all my prescriptions to them that I am "not allowed to fill them personally" If anyone knows if I'm obligated to follow these instructions PLEASE let me know? It sounds crazy to me!!


As for the issue of pay for all this time I'm away from work for medical tx as a result of this injury, I intend to seek a definitive answer on this BEFORE the current payperiod ends. I will be contacting the regional W/C office with this question as well as an experienced plantiff's W/C attorney.

Thanks for replying!!!!

nurse83
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