Exertional Stroke

[dmsurla]

What is the name of your state? Lousisiana

My husband told his supervisor that he was not feeling well but he will work. During his shift he carried a small refrigerator which caused a exertional stroke. He is in the hospital. We talked to the HR at his work and they will not cover this under Workmans Compensation. Can anybody give me some advice on what I can do?

Thanks,

DMS in Lousiana

 

[Beth3]

Exertional stroke? Never heard of that one, but here's the scoop. If your husband or the doctor believe that the stoke was caused by work, then the employer HAS to file a First Report of Injury with their WC carrier. The WC carrier will then obtain all the appropriate medical history and information on your husband, doctor's reports, test results, etc., and issue a determination as to whether the WC carrier is liable for the claim. (This will take a fair number of weeks if not months to determine, depending on how quickly the various doctors involved - present and past- respond to the WC carrier's requests. )

In the meantime, no bills or payments for lost time will be made by the WC carrier. If the WC carrier ultimately denies the claim, then all the bills can be submitted to whatever insurance carrier your husband has (group health plan through work?) as well as make a claim for any disability benefit the employer offers.

I'm not a doctor but I think you're going to have a hell of a time medically proving that picking something up caused your husband to have a stroke. A pulled muscle or back strain? Sure. A stroke? Highly unlikely.

Your choice of course. You are free to pursue this as worker's comp and wait for the almost certain denial letter a couple of months down the road. Or you can just skip all that and have the claim filed under your husband's regular insurance.