Worker's Comp and RA

April 12, 2006

Does anyone on the list have any experience filing a Worker's Comp claim for

Carpal Tunnel / Tenonnitis who has active RA? I finally broke down and filed a

claim because I started to be awaken in the middle of the night with intensive

pain, tingling and numbness in my hands and radiating up my arms, worse than

anything else I have felt before (and let's face it we know pain), along with

numbness in my hands and fingers than has gotten progressively worse in the past

couple of months. My RA has been doing great, I'm on a study drug with MTX, so

I know from past history that this is caused by the office work I do. Lots of

typing, lifting heavy cases out of filing cabinets and moving them. I have been

doing less and less at home and my apartment looks it, no hobbies, no house

work, no nothing. Usually I go to my Rheumy when my hands get bad from work,

but the pain going up my arms has me worried.

in CA

April 13, 2006

I do know the NEW laws with work comp (california at least).. allow

for a percentage of cause being assigned to each case. This was not

the law until a year or so ago. For instance if a person with RA

files a claim.. when he/she becomes permanent and stationery .. a

percentage of cause will be given by the treating doctor.. often

other doctors are called in if there is a disagreement between

employer and employee. For instance a doctor could find... 45% cause

is the RA and 55% is the job.. it could all come down to a judge

deciding... Hope this helps.. Iam not a lawyer..this is not legal

advice I have just been through the work comp system.

Faith

>

> Does anyone on the list have any experience filing a Worker's Comp

claim for Carpal Tunnel / Tenonnitis who has active RA? I finally

broke down and filed a claim because I started to be awaken in the

middle of the night with intensive pain, tingling and numbness in my

hands and radiating up my arms, worse than anything else I have felt

before (and let's face it we know pain), along with numbness in my

hands and fingers than has gotten progressively worse in the past

couple of months. My RA has been doing great, I'm on a study drug

with MTX, so I know from past history that this is caused by the

office work I do. Lots of typing, lifting heavy cases out of filing

cabinets and moving them. I have been doing less and less at home

and my apartment looks it, no hobbies, no house work, no nothing.

Usually I go to my Rheumy when my hands get bad from work, but the

pain going up my arms has me worried.

>

> in CA

>

April 13, 2006

Hi cynthia,

I have no history with a workrs comp claim except to say finished work last

November with a wrist injury/tendonitis due to lifting (repetatily) at work.

My employess were very quick to jump up and say it was due to the RA, that my

body would be weaker than normal. My Gp wanted me to do a work cover claim as he

said at the time he believed in his heart we could win it as when I took a break

from work (4 weeks) my wrist settled within two weeks of going back I was back

in his office in agony so he was 100% sure it was work aggrevated which it was,

but my Rheumy disagreed and said that none of her patients and ever won a case,

and the RA was in her mind the underlying cause, so I did not proceed. I have

not worked since and am now on disability.

My advice is to make sure you have support of your doctors and if so go for

it...in my case another person has since hurt themselves doing my exact job, and

I ask myself evryday if I had of made a claim could I have prevented someone

else from being hurt by my ex emploers practices ..and of course they did not

have RA!!!

Good luck I hope it all goes you way

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