SEEKING ADVICE (long-time DUer needs guidance...quickly)

[OneGrassRoot]

A long-time member of DU needs advice from someone who has been through a workers' comp settlement. Experience with Medical Set Aside. Already has attorney but wishes to speak to someone from their personal perspective.

This friend is in NC, so experience with disability within the state of North Carolina would be even more helpful.

If you have been through this, please message me.

Can you recommend other groups here to which I should post this, other than the NC group?

Thanks.

[wellstone dem]

1. There is a topic group "health" with a subgroup "disability"

Might try there.

[OneGrassRoot]

5. Will go there now. Many thanks. :) n/t

[babylonsister]

2. I can but K&R, so will do. I hope someone can help! nt

[hootinholler]

3. I can kick this for visibility. n/t

[LaydeeBug]

4. If they have an attorney, they should be handling all of it.

and they would have insight as to the logistics of the injury, the permanent or partial disability as a result...all of it.

In short, if the "medical" is being handled by an attorney, so is the retirement, etc, bc the medical effects what job your friend can do.

[OneGrassRoot]

6. I know. She's very anxious though, not totally comfortable with the attorney...

and I think is looking for moral support and more insight from someone who has been through the process.

Thanks.

[RebelOne]

9. I was going to say the same thing.

I had a workman's comp suit. I had an attorney who got me the workman's comp right away. But I was suing the company where I was injured, so the attorney had a financial interest in it.

[stuntcat]

7. k

kick

[SheilaT]

8. All I know is that these things always take much

longer than the person thinks it will take.

I'm in NM and a friend has been in limbo with a worker's comp settlement for two years now, maybe longer.

Not being comfortable with her attorney is not a good sign. She should think about finding another attorney, although that will take time and may reset the clock, plus the first attorney might possibly want some payment -- it will depend on what sort of paperwork she signed.

That said, I believe these cases are only handled on a contingency basis, meaning the attorney only gets paid if they win, so a good attorney only takes cases they think are winnable. Also, the limits on what your friend can win are limited to what she'd have gotten within some time frame, which was set when she filed the case.

The other suggestion I would have for her is that she read every single piece of legal paperwork that has been filed. Anything she does not understand the attorney (or the paralegal in the office) needs to explain. A lot of people never read these things because they think it's too complicated to understand. It simply takes perseverance and careful, slow reading.