I recently had a call with a Walmart worker in Illinois who told a nightmare story about their work injury. Sadly it’s a story we hear a lot with so many companies. Long story short is they had a knee injury a while back and couldn’t get in to see a doctor who could do a MRI for a few months. The end result is that they were walking around with a partially torn ACL. They needed to work so they had a brace on. I’m sure the delay in treatment made their condition much worse.
This is a common situation. So what do you do as an injured worker in Illinois if you get hurt on the job and your employer or their insurance company is delaying or denying your ability to get in to see a doctor?
The first thing to know is that you don’t have to wait on them to let you see a doctor. If you are hurt, go to a doctor. For most people that means go to the emergency room. If you have a back, neck, knee, arm, foot or hand injury, ask the ER for a referral to an orthopedic doctor. Go to that doctor and listen to what they have to say and recommend.
You can also see your family doctor and ask them for a referral to an orthopedic if needed. The key is to get timely medical treatment and report your work injury to your employer and the doctors you see.
When insurance companies and employers (usually very large companies) delay your medical care or deny it without reason, it’s often done as an actual business strategy. You see, the longer you take to go to a doctor, the easier it is for them to create a defense to your case. If you hurt your shoulder in January, but don’t see a doctor about it until May or get limited care, they will argue in court that you must have been hurt some other way. They will say that if you were really hurt, you would have gotten more medical care.
It seems absurd when they are the ones preventing you from getting the care you need. But sadly it works. So what do you do?
You take control over your life and your health. Go to a doctor of your own choosing. Someone independent who’s not a vendor of the company. A truly independent doctor will give you the best advice for your health. They don’t change their opinion of what care is needed based on whether or not you were hurt at work.
I do realize for some people this is easier said that done and that employers can be intimidating. That said, if you have a work related injury you don’t need health insurance to get into a doctor. Work comp pays for 100% of your reasonable medical care.
We can help you if you are having trouble getting medical care for a work related injury. We have a state wide network of experienced Illinois work comp attorneys and aren’t afraid to get involved against any company, big or small. Call us at 312-346-5578 for a free consultation.
