A NEW CAREER?

MY HUSBAND CRUSHED HIS WRIST AT WORK. HE HAS BEEN OUT SINCE SEPT. HE HAS HAD SURGERY AND IS GOING THROUGH THERAPY. HE WORKS IN A PRINT SHOP AS A PAPER CUTTER WHICH REQUIRES HIM TO LIFT AT LEAST 50LBS. THIS IS THE ONLY WORK HE HAS EVER DONE. HE IS 32 WITH 3 KIDS AND IS THE BREAD WINNER OF THE HOUSE.HE RECENTLY SEEN THE DOCTOR AND HAS BEEN TOLD HE HAS 1 MORE MONTH OF THERAPY AND DOCTOR VISIT AND THEN WERE ON OUR OWN.WORKERS COMP HAS TOLD US MANY DIFFRENT THINGS FROM WE WILL PAY THE DIFFRENCE WHEN YOU GO BACK TO WORK TO WHEN THE DOCTOR RELEASES HIM THE PAYMENTS STOP. THIS IS A CAREER ENDING INJURY. HE HAS NO DIPLOMA AND NO OTHER SKILLS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE LIFTING. HE HAS A 20 LB WEIGHT LIMIT.
WE WERE TOLD ABOUT VOCATIONAL REHAB BUT WE ARE WORRIED WE WON'T GET ANY BENIFITS AFTER FEB 1,2001. WE WERE LUCKY HE WORKED 50 TO 65 HOURS PER WEEK BECAUSE IT HELPED OUR WORKERS COMP PAYMENTS.(AT $13.00 PER HOUR PLUS OVERTIME)
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF WERE DOING OK. THANKS,ANGEL SHOAF

I am a law school graduate. What i offer is mere information, not to be construed as forming an attorney client relationship.

I don't know which state you are from.

Check your state workers compensation website for this information and also think about consulting with a workers comp attorney. Many offer free consultations. Try http://www.attorneypages or call your state bar association and ask for lawyer refferal.

should we settle?

My husband found out today that we have several options after his doctor releases him back to full duty work with a 20 lb weight restriction on his right hand. This was a career ending injury and he will be retrained. We are awaiting an mmi status, so we don't know what to really expect till then. He has talked to wc and they gave us some choices to think about till then. First they will pay benifits up to 26 weeks retraining and if it goes longer (52 weeks etc..) it will require court order. If the mmi comes back 4 or 5% we will get 1/2 comp rate and our medical stays open.Or we can settle out and they said we would get loss of wages,cost of surgery,any meds he had but we had to find out on our own what those figures were. This wc company doesn't do settlements while leaving medical open.So that wasn't an option. We were also told that if we keep medical open and he reinjures it they won't cover it, unless it was a result from the injury itself.(if that makes any sense?) Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks lots,Angel Shoaf. ps.we live in Orlando,Fla.

[Edited by ANGEL SHOAF on 01-09-2001 at 11:09 PM]