Q: What are my options?
My job was able to accomodate my work restrictions & place me in a new position. The Dr's final report is that I'm "permanent stationary". WC is giving me the option to close my case for a settlement if $5,000 or to keep it open for future medical. I don't trust the WC company as they have tried to cut what they owe me in the past. I've been told I can negotiate to have both. Is that a possibility? Or is there something I can do to make sure they're not trying to get away with giving me less than what they truly owe me?
A: You can hire a lawyer, but it's a little late. Sounds like the doctor wrote you have ZERO rateable permanent disability. That's Weird, because if you have no permanent disability you should have been able to perform all tasks of your pre-injury job. That fact that they had to make a new job for you is an indication there is SOME Whole Person Impairment, some rateable permanent disability. $5000 sounds like 'nuisance value' future medical rights money. There IS the Qualified Medical Evaluation, the adjuster pays for the QME Opinion, but if you pick the QME badly you could end up with another zero. YOu could get the list of 3 QME physicians and beg local attorneys -- APPLICANT attorneys -- to pick the best of the 3 names on your list, and wait 60 days for that appointment (plus 30 days for that report).
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