Quitting work with injury

[purplebluedevil]

What is the name of your state? I live in Arizona. I have been told by a surgeon that the damage from a soft tissue mallet finger injury that I suffered at work cannot be fully repaired. The only thing he can do will only make it worse. My problem is that I am soon going to have to quit work. I am very dependent upon working with my hands. I know that when I seek future employment I will have to inform them that I have filed under worker's comp. in the past. I will also have to inform them that I have not fully recovered and never will. That fact may and will influence whether or not I am hired. Should I expect any kind of compensation from my current employer? I have one last appointment with our Occupational Medicine Doctor. Should all the details of any settlement be worked out before I actually quit. I am quitting because my wife just retired from the Air Force and we will be returning to North Carolina. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Beth3]

When the doctors agree that you have reached MMI (maximum medical improvement) a medical evaluation will be made based on the degree of lasting impairment you have and that will be translated into a dollar amount (a permanent partial disability settlement) based on the formula provided for in your State's WC reg's. Be advised that has nothing to do with the impact it will have on how you earn your living. It's basically based on a chart: one finger = $X, a whole hand = $Y and so forth.

If you can no longer perform the type of work you have been doing, you may qualify for vocational rehabilitation.

Worker's compensation is a complicated area of the law and those laws vary considerably from State to State. Before your WC claim progresses any further, you would be well advised to consult with a WC attorney.