Are you an employee of Kaiser Permanente who has suffered an injury while you were at work? If so, you may be eligible to file a workers’ comp claim to recover some of your lost wages and your medical expenses while you recover. Most employers in the United States have workers’ compensation coverage for employees. If you do suffer a work-related injury or illness and need to file a workers’ comp claim, you should consult with a workers’ comp attorney because the claims process is complex and they can handle it for you so you can work on healing. Company Profile: Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanenete is a health care company which can be better described as an integrated and managed health care consortium that is based in the United States. Founded by industrialist Henry Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield in 1945, the company is based in Oakland, California, with headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. The company focuses on offering health coverage for individuals, families, large groups, employers, and even Medicare plans that are comprehensive as well as affordable. According to reports, the company had 10.2 million health plan members at the end of December 2015. The non-profit health plan, along with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals entities had a $1.9 billion net income and $60.7 billion in operating revenues. Each of the company’s Permanente Medical Group works as a separate for-profit partnership or as a corporation in its individual territory. The separate groups do not have to report financial results publicly, but their main funding comes from reimbursements from the regional health plan entity. Hurt While on the Job If you are a Kaiser Permanente employee who has suffered carpal tunnel from repetitive hand motions that have cause repetitive trauma, you may be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. This is a work-related injury that has resulted over time. As soon as you realize you have suffered an injury at work, you should notify your supervisor so an accident report can be filled out. Slip and Fall: If you suffer from a slip and fall that leaves you with a back injury or a broken bone, workers’ comp may be able to help you recover your medical expenses and lost wages. Maintenance Injuries: If you work in the maintenance department and suffer a cut while using a saw or some other tool, you may have to take several weeks off work to recover from your wound. Toxic Substances: If you come into contact with some kind of chemicals or cleaning supplies that cause a serious reaction, you may also be eligible to file a workers’ comp claim because of your work related illness. Steps to Take After Being Hurt at Work There are a number of important steps you need to follow if you wish to file a successful claim for workers’ compensation. First of all you need to report your carpal tunnel syndrome injury to your supervisor. Most companies set a deadline for this, which could be anything from 24 hours to 7 days. If you ignore this deadline, you may find Kaiser Permanente’s workers’ compensation insurer will deny your claim. As you don’t need to be rushed to the nearest emergency room you should find out whether you need to be treated by a doctor appointed by Kaiser Permanente. This is sometimes a requirement which if you fail to follow may lead to your workers’ compensation being denied. The next step to follow is completing a workers’ compensation claim form. You may be able to pick one up from your employer or alternatively ask your state’s workers’ compensation board to mail you one. You will need to fill in certain details about your injury and these include: your full name; your job title, the time, date and place where the injury took place; the type of injury; the names of any other employee involved in the injury. You will need to provide as much evidence as you can which shows your carpal tunnel syndrome was caused at work. Gathering Evidence for a Kaiser Permanente Workers’ Compensation Claim Evidence could include any of the following: eye witness reports describing your injury and how it affects your work; photographs showing how hard it is for you to do your job is with carpel tunnel syndrome; a doctor’s medical report describing the cause of the carpel tunnel injury, the treatment provided and how long you will take to recover and return to work receipts for any treatment you have paid for; invoices for unpaid treatment; receipts for out of pocket expenses like taxi to get you to the doctor, help in the home doing routine, daily tasks; Workers’ compensation insurers often deny a WC claim because the evidence doesn’t support that the carpal tunnel syndrome injury took place at work. The commonest reason for denying a claim is the lack of witnesses. If you believe that your evidence could be doubted you should discuss your claim with a workers’ compensation lawyer who will decide if your evidence is enough to ensure a favorable outcome to your workers’ compensation claim. You want to avoid getting your claim denied as this will mean you will have to file an appeal. This can take up a lot of time and isn’t always successful so it is better to ensure your evidence can’t be disputed in the first place. How to Calculate a Settlement for a WC Claim Against Kaiser Permanente Workers’ compensation claims typically include the cost of medical treatment, out of pocket expenses and 2/3rds of your weekly wage until such time you are able to return to work. Approximate Breakdown of Costs for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the Wrist for an Office Worker A doctor’s appointment = $200 A wrist brace = $30 Pharmacy costs for the drug gabapentin for 1 month = $200 Surgery if required = $7000 Wage compensation for an office worker is 2/3rds of $22 per hour for 12 weeks off is $7,008 Total cost = $14,438 This total figure is just an estimate and if you require a longer period in hospital this will attract higher costs. Workers’ Compensation Attorney You should know that workers’ compensation claims are very complex and detailed. Because they are time consuming and may require the filing of appeals, you should consult with a workers’ compensation attorney. Your attorney will work to help you recover lost wages and medical expenses while you focus on healing from your illness or injury. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Kaiser Permanente, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
