Work place injury

[daydream**believer]

Hi everyone.

i work as a cleaner and in July this year I had a fall at work which pretty much destroyed my left elbow.

Six weeks ago I had a full elbow reconstruction. 

My work and work cover have been great.

My surgeon has said I will not be back at work this year and he is doubtful I will ever be able to go back to my job ever again.

So work cover are talking about me seeing a workplace consultant and starting "external work hardening".

Anyone else done anything like this? What is it?

[mloreason]

I just looked it up daydream. You more than likely know that the idea is to place you in an unpaid position with an employer for the purpose of gaining skills. Then ideally that employer or another one will offer you a paid position utilising your newly gained skills. I don't know how successful it is.

[lyndal1838]

To put it crudely, they want to retrain you for something else so they can stop paying you what you are entitled to.

[go-tazz]

They were going to do something like that for me back 1996 when I mangled my right hand but I went back to

were I had been working in a leading hand role instead as they deemed my injury to severe for the program to

work.

It may have changed since then but it's still to reduce their responsibility.

As mentioned,the idea is to retrain you where you don't need to use that left arm/elbow as much and get you

alternative employment so they don't have to keep paying you and it would also reduce any payout as they

will state that the injury doesn't affect you much.

Just make certain that you let them know if there is any problem with it,(both mentally and physically).

It may work as long as they don't try and put you in a job that is going to test you to much and the skill

level required is too high,(or a type of job that you have no interest in).

[daydream**believer]

Ok, this has me worried.

my surgeon says I will need a years worth of physio, twice a week.

surely, no matter what other work they are going to try and train me for, they are still going to need to pay for the years worth of physio?

what if this training gets me another job? Does that mean they stop paying for the physio?

So, I've been really happy with how good workcover has been to me but should I start thinking that every move they make now is trying to screw me over and get me off their books?

[davidc4430]

i seem to remember the liberals dreaming up the idea of getting as many unemployed people shifted on to disability payments to make the unemployment figures look better.

then there was the idea of reducing the hours of work per week to 1, if you do 1 hours paid work your not unemployed.

now they are trying their hardest to kick people off disability payments.

its one area liberals are consistent in, they would love to stop paying any money to anyone not working.

that includes unemployed, pensioners and disabled people

but be a wealthy family with kids and they would love to pay you to have a nanny!

[daydream**believer]

I'm not on disability and this is nothing to do with politics.

im still employed and am on workcover

[go-tazz]

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@daydream**believer wrote:

Ok, this has me worried.

my surgeon says I will need a years worth of physio, twice a week.

surely, no matter what other work they are going to try and train me for, they are still going to need to pay for the years worth of physio?

what if this training gets me another job? Does that mean they stop paying for the physio?

So, I've been really happy with how good workcover has been to me but should I start thinking that every move they make now is trying to screw me over and get me off their books?

---

They will always be responsible for the costs of your Physio to rehabilitate that arm/elbow,(my left arm is also

covered as I was/am right handed and have to now do so many things with my left arm).

They can't get you of their "books" as it's a work place injury that they've accepted responsibility for,(so they

have to pay for ongoing treatment of that injury).

Even if you got a payout you would still be covered,(a lawyer will put that in place if you go that route).

[lyndal1838]

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@daydream**believer wrote:

Ok, this has me worried.

my surgeon says I will need a years worth of physio, twice a week.

surely, no matter what other work they are going to try and train me for, they are still going to need to pay for the years worth of physio?

what if this training gets me another job? Does that mean they stop paying for the physio?

So, I've been really happy with how good workcover has been to me but should I start thinking that every move they make now is trying to screw me over and get me off their books?

---

I am not sure about stopping the payments for the physio but if you get any other paid employment no matter how many hours you work or how low the pay is they will stop your other payments.

And yes, from now on every move they make is trying to screw you over.

[davidc4430]

he is doubtful I will ever be able to go back to my job ever again.

this would kinda make you unemployed unless your employer has a job you can do, i would imagine they will need another cleaner to do your job.

workcover doesnt go on forever i suspect.

has to come a day when workcover stops and unemployment starts.