Health Insurance Cancellation While Receiving Workers Comp
My question involves workers compensation law for the state of: Missouri
Hi,
I live in Illinois and got injured at my job in Missouri at the beginning of February of this year. I have been off of the job since then on workers compensation. I have two areas that I would like to know more about. I have a MO workers comp lawyer lined up but haven't hired them yet. Kind of wanted to see if I could get some more information before moving forward.
I have been in therapy since a few weeks after my injury for my arm. In the last month they sent me to work hardening. My flexibility is back and the main thing left in the last few months was too get my strength back to normal. Besides the therapist judgment, they have computer machines that can track my strength. He said my strength has returned and I have my next doctors checkup this week. I do a lot of lifting in my job. The therapist was a bit concerned that while I can lift more and my strength is normal, he said you are still having lingering pain and more so while lifting heavier objects. He said he wanders if the doctor could send me back to work for a week and then have a doctors appointment after to see how it is going. I know this is just the therapist saying that, but would a doctor actually do that? With my flexibility and strength back in my arm, would they likely give me a shot in the arm and risk it or put me back in therapy? Know this is more of a guessing game but just wondering.
The second part is about my health insurance benefits. I didn't even think about them as when I logged into my insurance website uhc.com it always updated that I had benefits. I always had my payments for insurance taken out of my paycheck automatically. Since I haven't been working they haven't received any. I never received any notice that my health insurance benefits would be cancelled and even after they were cancelled. Is that legal? It wasn't until I got a call in late June from my life insurance that they said my life insurance was cancelled. Received a Cobra packet dated mid June in the mail towards the third week of June. Thought it was real curious so when I logged onto my uhc.com website to check out my insurance it says on the site it was cancelled at the beginning of March. I logged into that site through May and never had that happen until late June. I have contacted HR for my company and am waiting to hear back from them. Do I have to be notified before my insurance is cancelled and also after it is cancelled? It says it was cancelled early March on the website and since I never got any notice I had no clue. Plus, I received Cobra packages the third week of June. Do I need to hire the workers comp lawyer or should I wait to hear back from HR at my company. Thanks
Re: Health Insurance Cancellation While Receiving Workers Comp
If you received your COBRA information in mid-June, promptly requested the continuation of your benefits through COBRA consistent with the information provided, and have heard nothing back for more than a month -- no information about premiums, no indication that your application was received, nothing that would indicate that your insurance has been reinstated -- then you need to be a lot more diligent about following up with HR.
If you want to know whether your doctor will release you to return to work on a trial basis, you will need to ask your doctor. That's not a legal question.
Re: Health Insurance Cancellation While Receiving Workers Comp
Work for a major company and the HR person I have is located in Georgia. They have different HR reps and mine covers the central area. I emailed them over a week ago and they responded back saying that they would be in touch. I emailed back today with no response. I have their number, but is usually voicemail.
Maybe I didn't word the Cobra situation right. My health insurance coverage was cancelled March 5th and was never told it would be or is cancelled. I received the Cobra information on June 21st in the mail. Do I have to be notified that my insurance is cancelled? Do I have to receive the Cobra packet within a certain time frame? If my insurance was cancelled that long ago and never knew it was, I have been going months without any other coverage even though I am on workers comp for the injury. I just figured I would have to receive the Cobra packet within a certain time after my insurance is cancelled, no?
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If a doctor says you are able to return to work but you haven't reached your MMI, what exactly does that mean?
Re: Health Insurance Cancellation While Receiving Workers Comp
I suggest reading this brochure.
If you are released to work before reaching MMI (maximum medical improvement) it means that your injury is not yet fully healed but you are capable of returning to work.