Ever lied about a work injury to avoid workmans comp?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I have, about 8 months ago I hurt my back while lifting a patient into a wheelchair for transport to x-ray. The tech got me as the pt. claimed he couldnt walk. He did fine standing up, but as we began to go to the wheelchair he started to collaspe, and being the idiot I am sometimes my first thought was for his safety, and having a good grasp underneath his arms I kept him lifted up and had the wheelchair placed under him.

The pt. weighed around 200 pounds, needless to say I felt an immediate tightness in my back.

I did not realize how severe it was till the next day when I couldnt get out of bed lol...Talking about interesting situation. When I finally stood up felt like a thousand daggers were stabbed into my lower back.

The tech was there with me when this incident occured and would had backed me as she saw me in pain after this occured, but, I did not want to go under workmans comp.

Workmans comp means this for me:

Go to the ER, sit in ER for hours, have x-ray done, fill out lots of papers, deal with nursing supervisor. 5 hours later get sent home.

Next day, go to our "Walk-in clinic" where the poorest of the poor go for treatment. Wait there in incredible back pain near individuals sick with communiable diseases, wait for 2-3 hours, see clinic doc, have x-ray done again, go for MRI/whatever he decides, workmans comp begins.

Rince repeat above till I get terminated for being a "risk", here about improper lifting techniques from risk management/health nurse.

So instead I paid out of pocket to see my doctor , cost me about 500$ with insurance but was worth it.

Even tho I feel I am permantly injured from it, I still find it worthwhile to see my doctor.

(Reason I post my sciatica flared up worse then ever, second time I ever had it, and now will pay for a MRI this week). But still worth it to me :D :bowingpur

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Sorry, with such a severe injury and to cover any problems in the future, I would have reported the injury while on the job.

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I can identify with you, especially the part where you get terminated. Also when I was in the military, there were people who would pay out of pocket to be treated by civilian medical personnel for two reasons. One was to avoid being labeled unfit for duty and eventually terminated from their military job. And the second reason being that they wanted a better chance to get quality medical care. I did this myself. Well worth the cost for peace of mind and being treated like a paying patient rather than an owned commodity. Any chance I get to be in control of my own care, I take. When the employer gets involved, I have found that what happens is not necessarily in my best interests.

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Specializes in Nurse Manager, Med-Surg, Instructor.

I've been hurt on the job before and reported any injury that caused continuous pain. If I was able to take two advils or tylenols in order to continue my shift and the pain went away, then I wouldn't report it but if the pain continued, I did. I was usually seen in the ER and followed up. I filled out the incident reports because I wanted the hospital to know there were unsafe areas and keeping it quiet wouldn't help anyone. Who knows, the next time it could be a patient who is hurt. Hospitals are fearful that employees will attempt to stretch out their workers' comp benefits and stay out of work longer than is warranted. There are employees who do cheat. My employers were always interested in me getting the help I needed so I could return to work quickly. If you don't report injuries, how will your facility know if your environment is a safe one?

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Not only is there the termination possibility, but I have found on job applications the question "Have you ever filed a workman's comp claim? Not sure if it's a legal question, or if they could find out....but why risk it unless it's unavoidable. It's one more time that something that is suppose to help the worker, ends up being just another pointless hoop to jump through.

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Being on the other side of the equation in the past, it just sucks being the employer and having to dole it out for abusers, and know that the legit "team players" are suppressing the problems to "keep everyone happy". I really wish that lie detectors were legal, sometimes.

The majority of comp cases we had where something like 90% lazy liars, and 10% authentic, and the money and time duration of claims was about the same ratio. Tons of great guys working hurt. A real bad situation, where there is no solution in the present time.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

about the same time i hurt my back, a co-worker of mine tore her rotater cuff. hers was obviously an at-work injury -- a patient who was afraid to stand clutched at mary and dragged her down when mary and another nurse were trying to stand her. mary went to the walk-in clinic, filled out the appropriate paper work, got sent home and was out on disability for six months. during those six months, she was terminated and lost her health insurance right about the time she was having surgery. workman's comp chose her doctors and directed her care. she also lost all her paid time off and her seniority. once she was fit to come back to work, she was re-hired but her pto and seniority were gone forever. that was the workman's comp way.

when i hurt my back, i didn't realize i'd hurt my back. the next day i could barely move -- sciatica type pain -- but i was too stupid to realize it was a back injury until 2 weeks later (after two visits to my primary physician, one trip to the er, a visit to an orthopedic surgeon and an mri.) both the er and my primary physician said "you have garden-variety sciatica", which, foolishly, i didn't connect to a back injury. i was also off work for six months, on disability, with fmla. i got a paycheck every payday, although some of those checks were mighty small and i never got terminated or lost my insurance. my pto was gone -- but it all got paid out to me over the course of the six months -- but i kept my job and seniority. plus, i got to direct my own health care. i chose my doctors and my treatment plan, i decided to get surgery.

when mary and i compared notes, i realized that i had a much easier time of it! my husband bugged me the whole time about "why don't you go after workman's comp," but my orthopedic surgeon told me as long as i had disability insurance and health insurance, i was better off not filing for workman's comp. after listening to mary's story, i agree.

i didn't make a decision to lie or to avoid workman's comp -- i was just too stupid to realize that the "pop" i felt in my back lifting a patient was a back injury. my back never hurt. but i was so much better off in the long run!

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Short term disability is a good idea, I need to pick that up asap I think.

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.

I have never lied about a work injury, but I will from now on to avoid any contact with Workman's Comp. After a bad fall at work, I was unable to work for about six months. WC laws vary from state to state, but here is my complaint list about WC.

* Max pay was only 300 a week. Quite the pay cut for me. I can't even begin to pay monthly bills on that kind of salary.

* Unable to pick own doctors.

* Unable to use my own health insurance.

* Unable to use my short or long term disability insurance.

* Ended up losing my job through no fault of my own.

Make no mistake about it, workman's comp insurance is all about the employer not being sued. It is definitely not any help to the employee. I would have much better off without it.

I absolutely would not ever file an incident report on any workplace injury again. :nono: Workman's Comp insurance ruined my life for about a year.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

I have to agree with many of you. I had a back injury after sliding on a urine soaked floor with a very large, very confused pt. I went to my PCP the next day expecting a day or two of flexeril and then back to work. My PCP said I needed an MRI and probably a few weeks of PT. Ok,.schedule the MRI,..well since I had told my PCP how I hurt my back my private insurance wouldn't pay for the MRI, the office visit, nothing!

I had filled out an incident report since the pt, me and one of my coworkers ended up in the floor. I had no choice to file work comp and after seeing 6 Dr's, getting the MRI, and seeing a Neuro surgeon, I finally got the 6wks of PT that every single doc I saw said I needed! I was off work a YEAR just to get 6 weeks of PT! I didn't loose my job and received most of my normal pay,.but the care I received was horrible, no one listened to me, they all had tons of paper work to fill out and acted like they hadn't even looked at my chart when I came it.

I didn't want permanent disability, I didn't want surgery, I didn't want to be off work,.I wanted my PT so I could get on with my life! I ended up hiring an attorney after 8 months of being given the run around and finally I saw a real doctor who said " I think you will have good results with some PT". Ya think?? It was very frustrating and unless I'm missing a limb or can't speak for myself I will NEVER get involved with work comp again!

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

After reading all of this, I feel fortunate to work in the state where I do!! I fell on company property, leaving work, and broke my leg. I didn't even think about Worker's Comp. My friend called an ambulance, I was in the hospital several days, had surgery on the leg.

When I got home, I got a call saying my work had filed worker's comp for me. I got what amounted to nearly a whole paycheck the entire time I was off (was about $70 shy of a whole check), I had already picked my dr. They did send a nurse case manager to most of my dr appts, but they paid for all my meds, all my dressing supplies, and when the dr said I could go back to work, they paid for a taxi to drive me as I was not allowed to drive for two more weeks.

Now I know worker's comp varies from state to state, and I work in a different state than where I live. I have been told I was lucky to fall in my current work state, as WC in my home state is really really lousy.

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.

I didn't want permanent disability, I didn't want surgery, I didn't want to be off work,.I wanted my PT so I could get on with my life! I ended up hiring an attorney after 8 months of being given the run around and finally I saw a real doctor who said " I think you will have good results with some PT". Ya think?? It was very frustrating and unless I'm missing a limb or can't speak for myself I will NEVER get involved with work comp again!

In some states, (like mine), you can't even hire an attorney until your WC case CLOSES!

Workman's Comp needs an overhaul. It should be federally ruled, not on a state by state basis.

Who would ever dream that as a result of a work injury that your income would drop to $300 a week MAX PAY, you can't pay your bills, you can eat up your entire savings, and end up a pauper with nothing.

Makes me think twice about repositioning those 500 lb patients Q2hr without much assistance. Once you are hurt, you get tossed to the wayside. You give, give, give, and give more only to be hurled on the trash heap! :angryfire

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