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Worksafe, who are you really helping?
Worksafe’s Mission is: 'Actively working with the community to deliver outstanding workplace safety and return to work, together with insurance protection.' When speaking with a WorkSafe employee today it was made quite clear to me that Soula’s insurer is doing everything possible to delay potential reimbursements. Yes, the WorkSafe employee agreed with me that the ‘hoops' Soula is to jump through are all a waste of time, money and energy. However, I was told to call back again in three months to see how they could help. What!? When asked why I cannot be helped now, I was told [...]
My life as it is within Workers’ Compensation – it’s a dog’s breakfast
In my current state of bewilderment, this may be the best way I can describe my life as it is today. I shouldn’t bag a dog’s breakfast, as unlike that which the workers’ compensation system has dished out to me – a dog’s breakfast is nutritious, and dogs love eating it. But the vision of pieces of food strewn apart, sliding about and sloppy, and pretty much dumped in a bowl destined to last a few seconds before it’s consumed without much thought or agenda, reminds me of what the system dishes out to me as an injured worker. The system’s employees I’ve [...]
My interview with the ABC 7:30 report
(View the story online http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2016/s4547621.htm) Tune in tonight for my interview in regard to navigating practitioners with a chronic illness. On the ABC's 7:30 report (yes, on ABC at 7:30) Patient's have a voice and patient's can help other patients by reviewing the professionals (and not!) whom they've seen. Best of all, patients can do this with their own patient, laymen language. I wish I had read 'This practitioner helped me with my sitting pain' somewhere on the net. Perhaps it would not have taken me 4.5 years to be diagnosed. Love the idea of whitecoat.com.au. Love the idea [...]
My workers compensation battle is turning into a WorkSafe carnivale
It’s been a huge few weeks for WorkSafe and injured workers in Victoria. I’ve always encouraged anyone who contacted me with their frustrations and horrid experiences of being an injured worker in Victoria to call their Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s role, as it was explained to me, was to gather complaints and if/when the complaints amounted in one specific matter, the Ombudsman would have reason to report the complaints to our Government and possibly investigate. Clearly there have been many complaints and the Ombudsman just recently released this report about Worksafe’s ‘oversight’. After finally gathering myself from the last blow [...]
Act 3 – explained
Big day for me today. Thank you to the Victorian Ombudsman and to all the injured workers who spoke up. ...Sadly too late - won't bring our beautiful home and life back. Act 3: Home lost to these vile insurer (and WorkSafe Victoria supported), unjust actions: 'At interview, one former agent employee said that management placed pressure on staff to maintain decisions at conciliation and to not pay compensation past a certain date. This was to ensure the agent did not ‘breach’ their ‘targets’. Read the article and full investigation, Investigation into the management of complex workers compensation claims [...]
Worksafe’s Dirty tactics – finally realised
I woke up crying last night. I hardly ever cry. My boiling point hits when I’m feeling that I’m in a situation where I see no hope in sight and that I’m being treated unfairly and disrespectfully. My boiling points have been few during the minute-to-minute demands of chronic pain management (over the last 9+ years) because it makes sense to me that you can have an accident and things can go wrong in life – that’s understandable although very upsetting and very difficult to deal with. However, in respect to managing as a self employed injured worker with [...]