Xchanging case manager rudest email ever

Today an injured worker (who is protecting his/her identity ) received the most shocking, rudest, vilest email ever from his/her workcover case manager! Enough to make anyone sick, really….

S/he received an overdue account notice in the mail for a heart test s/he had done in hospital on the day of his/her last surgery in early December, with a “nasty little reminder letter” attached to it, as well as another cardiac service account. So s/he scanned and sent them off to the “return to work coordinator”, basically the guy who deals with her/his paper work at his/her former workplace . The injured person  liaises with the RTW coordinator on a regular basis (and has been doing so for at least one year, and sends him for example my certificates of capacity, accounts and questions via email. I started doing this ever since his/her nasty case manager blocked his/her email!

Here is the email s/he sent to the return to work coordinator

click to enlarge

Pretty harmless, or? Well s/he did ask him to tell my case manager that she needs to let him/her know within 7 days whether she has paid the accounts (one of which is overdue) or else s/he would involve WorkSafe and possibly his/her lawyers.

Why did s/he write this? Simple, because his/her nasty case manager has a long history of not paying accounts,to the point where s/he had had debt collectors knock on their door! Chances are real that the case manager will again ignore this overdue account.

It is worth noting that the injured worker did fax the overdue account in December 2011 and that their case manager, to date, did not settle the account.

Xchanging case manager rudest email ever

Within an hour or so, the injured worker received an email from said case manager. The sickest email ever. I think it was supposed to go to the return to work coordinator but came to them by mistake. Check it out:

Said case manager writes:

We don’t want to feed her behaviour again…..

Once again she is becoming demanding with her emails and I will not be responding….

Un-fucking-believable!

Consider this: injured woker’s last correspondence with Xchanging case manager

This is the injured worker’s writing style…. very demanding as you can see, they even wish the bitch a merry Christmas and sign off with Kind Regards.

What the f*ck has the injured worker done wrong now to deserve to be insulted like this behind their back? How lovely to receive these kind of (supportive) emails when you are in terrible pain, feeling unwell (heart failure), stressed and already pretty depressed.

The injured worker tells me they have sent a copy of this email to Xchanging Management, Xchanging Customer Service, their lawyers, and treating psychologist and psychiatrist. They will write a complaint letter to WorkSafe as well.

What do you think of this kind of behaviour from your case manager?

 

 

About WorkcoverVictim

I was assaulted by a large patient whilst working as a nurse . I underwent numerous major shoulder reconstructions and suffered near fatal complications. I am left with an extremely painful and irreparable dominant arm. This site was born out of my sheer frustration, anger and grief regarding the workcover system where all is not made clear, where the waters are very murky, and when the chips are down, the very people who are responsible for duty of care and support simply choose to ignore you, the injured worker. I dedicate this site to all injured workers who have been abused by the adversarial workcover compensation system. May they never give up, may they fight like warriors for their legitimate rights, and -most importantly- may they hold onto their dignity, self-respect, self-esteem and sanity; and may they WIN!

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45 Responses to Xchanging case manager rudest email ever

  1. Injured January 23, 2012 at 8:05 PM #

    This case manager is nuts and needs urgent psychotherapy, I’d say. This is really unbelievable that an employer allows someone like that on their staff, let alone WorkSafe! I am utterly disgusted and feel that this needs to be brought to the attention of the Ombudsman, the Media and perhaps the EOC. This is bullying.

    • Also January 23, 2012 at 8:56 PM #

      May I add that the Act clearly states that the injured worker must submit their accounts to their employer… so to write to you “no more correspondence via employer” is outrageous and against the law! What are you supposed to do? BTW when you send accounts directly to her she pretends she does not get them, so to see. Your case manager is DEMANDING! And by stating that she will not respond to your reasonable request to let you know in writing whether she has paid the accounts within 7 days, she is basically mocking you. How are you supposed to know whether the accounts are taken care off? Do you just wait for a third “overdue” or final warning letter? Debt collector? Or what?

      You must complain to WorkSafe. This behaviour is inappropriate and totally unacceptable!

      • workcovervictim January 23, 2012 at 9:19 PM #

        Good point – it’s true, the Act states that we have to submit our accounts, queries etc to the employer. She has no leg to stand on and in fact it looks like she is defensive (= panic mode).

        The online claims manual states (under entitlements-medical and like services)

        Usually, agents will receive accounts from the worker’s employer. The worker will receive a service, and the service provider will forward the account to the employer (unless alternative arrangements have been made to forward the account directly to the agent). ”

        OR

        “If the worker has already paid an account, they can send the original invoice plus the receipt to the agent for reimbursement. ”

        It also states that

        “Agents must: make or reimburse payments to workers, employers, providers and others in a timely and appropriate manner”

  2. Out of control January 23, 2012 at 8:42 PM #

    Private comment.

    • WorkcoverVictim January 23, 2012 at 9:00 PM #

      Thank you for your heartfelt empathy, you make me feel better, as always ;)

      Pretty upset by this behaviour though! Will follow (and pass on) your tips.

  3. None January 23, 2012 at 8:49 PM #

    The behaviour of Xchanging and in particular, this case manager, is entirely unacceptable.

    She has no authority whatsoever to issue any direction to you.

    You, on the other hand, have acted entirely appropriately. You have accounts that are unpaid and you have a right to demand that they be paid in a timely manner.

    WorkSafe needs to act immediately and issue a direction to Xchanging to have this case manager removed from having any contact with any injured worker.

    You keep your head held high and do not allow this piece of scum at Xchanging to harass, intimidate and bully you.

    • workcovervictim January 23, 2012 at 9:14 PM #

      Thank you, None – you are making me feel much stronger! Really, I mean it!

      I have been dealing with a real monster myself for the past 2-3 years…a frustrated miserable, vindictive psycho I swear, she is impossible to deal with, denies me everything, delays everything and is vindictive and repeatedly breaches restraining orders too (she is NOT allowed to email me or contact me directly). She has severely impacted my PTSD and depression (as you can imagine) and this has been well documented by my treaters. I have tried to have her replaced  about 8-9 months ago, to no avail. Xchanging refuses. But then they agreed that she was not allowed to contact me (ever) directly (again) and that all correspondence from her was to be via letter and opened by my treating psych and that she was to respond to my queries within 5 working days in writing, She never responds.

      I just hope I now have enough “evidence” to have her replaced before she makes me really sick. I know it’s stupid but I really have nightmares about her.

      Real nutter, she is.

       

  4. None January 23, 2012 at 10:28 PM #

    Believe it or not, I have been dealing with these morons for a lot longer than you have.

    You keep strong. This cow in Xchanging is clearly off her rocker — and I’m trying to be polite here.

    She has it in for you. She must go. She is an embarassment to herself, to Xchanging and to WorkSafe Victoria.

    • workcovervictim January 23, 2012 at 11:39 PM #

      How do you keep your cool and your head high? Any tips? It just that it seems that I let her get at me, if you understand what I mean…. Already this evening I am unable to sleep because of this stupid bitch! I have had my injury for over 7 years, any quite a few nasty case managers, but this one really does my head in. Have you (or anyone else) been able to have a longstanding case manager replaced? I have had her for 2-3 years. Should I correspond with her via registered post and request signed receipts so she can no longer lie?

      • Well... January 24, 2012 at 1:08 AM #

        Private comment.

        • WorkcoverVictim January 24, 2012 at 7:54 AM #

          Thanks for all the tips. Union… yes I have one, but they have been useless in the past (e.g I asked for URGENT assistance when I felt I was going to be sacked and it took them 2 months to intervene… 1 week later I got terminated). My lawyers highly recommend workcover assist, so I may give them a bell. This CM needs to be removed from the frontline as you rightly say.

          • Hmm January 24, 2012 at 9:50 AM #

            If the Organisaer at the union is useless then s/he should be removed also!

      • Well... January 24, 2012 at 1:13 AM #

        Private comment.

      • johnny rotten March 25, 2012 at 8:49 AM #

        WCV well i must be special ive had 7 in 2 years

  5. Tips January 24, 2012 at 11:17 AM #

    tips for dealing with difficult people:

    See it for what it is. Rather than internalize the criticism or dwell on what you might have done to deserve the attack, recognize that the nasty person has personal issues.

    Get away. Exit the room or the conversation calmly, efficiently, and without saying anything you’d regret.

    Diffuse with humor: This is a variant of the old saying “you catch more flies with honey then vinegar.” If you humanize yourself to your adversary, they may want to go out of their way to help you. Self-deprecating humor is often an innocuous way to accomplish this.

    Silent confrontation. Rather than fire back or get into a row, just maintain eye contact and give a calm smile that indicates you know what your tormentor’s doing; eventually they’ll feel so uncomfortable they’ll stop or leave.

    Come again? Asking someone to repeat their nasty remark I’m sorry, what did you just call me? Forces them to own up to what they just said and many people, embarrassed, will water it down the second time around.

    Don’ts: Don’t taunt, name call or get physically violent. Also, never tell an invalidator he or she is wrong; it starts a war.

  6. Ben January 24, 2012 at 6:29 PM #

    Part of the idiotic game.

    The fact she’s frustrated is evidence you’re playing well.

    Sleep well knowing you’re acting with the high moral ground, and collect the evidence, and keep it well organised, well documented, and present it in the appropriate forums.

    Court, politically and also as publicly as you can.

    It’s impossible to not let it get to you I reckon.  One strategy you could try is to treat it as much like a fun game of monopoly as you can, their move, your move.  You know how to play now.  Learn all the tools you have at your disposal — especially things like the relatively new victorian human rights charter, which requires all existing legislation to be “interpreted in a compatible way” — there should be a nice legal game for you to put them under the pump if you wanted to take the fight to them – check with your lawyer though — if it’s not worth doing on balance of risks “with legal counsel involved” (due to risk and cost — also, check that losing wont hurt your other case with your lawyer) perhaps you could consider submitting a case and representing yourself.  You’re smart, and seem to have an increasingly good grasp of the law, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be heard by the courts in such a case – the filing fee would probably also be waived due to your financial situation.   (be careful though, I’m sure there’s a lot of work, and a lot of frustration — you gotta feel like it’s a fight you’re capable of and want — no good us having you dead now, where would I get my bi-daily workcover posts from then?  :P )

    Ben.

    • workcovervictim January 24, 2012 at 6:55 PM #

      Ha, Good ol’ Ben, I must say your comment made me really laugh from the belly, till it hurt! Thank you so much for brightening my day! I mean it!

      I’ve been ruminating some more, you know like a cow and it’s seven stomachs… and actually realised that I have so much more “written evidence” than I thought  from the wrongdoings, bullying and harassment from this case manager. For example:

      - when I was sacked and got really suicidal, she was aware of this and knew I had just been referred for urgent psych treatment, yet she did everything to cease my psych treatment ! She actually wrote to me that I did not need  a psych as I could talk to her, WTF!

      - I then appealed this at the ACCS and won. She then breached the ACCS ruling and told me in writing that the ACCS ruling is not valid and send me a bill for $700 for psych treatment! Then she got the Conciliator on the phone to her!

      - When my shoulder deteriorated catastrophically last year I I informed her about this (and the MRIs + surgery plans) as well as my surgeon, she wrote to me literally that she “is not interested in my physical condition, but wants to have me psych assessed to have me return to work’ !!!!

      - refusing to pay medical bills (i.e for blood tests for shoulder infection etc) to the point where I had the debt collector knocking at the door!

      - refusing to grant permission for the arthroscopy for my shoulder and delaying it then by 2 months.No explanation provided. No IMEs.

      - approving taxi transport after sending me to 3 IMEs (who all strongly support it), then withdraw the taxi approval without providing and explanation for 2 months, until I complained to worksafe, then telling me my taxi travel is not approved based upon a retrospective letter from my surgeon dated before the IMEs and before he even saw me to assess me! Then she refused to release that “letter” under FOI. Eventually worksafe released it. The ‘letter’ was a note to the case manager stating that the surgeon would provide further info after having seen me!!!!

      - refusing to pay for an ultrasound of my right leg, stating that my leg has nothing to do with my shoulder but I just had hamstring tendons harvested and transplanted in the shoulder!

      - making me wait for over 2 months to write me a 1 sentence approval letter for a radiology facility for an MRI whilst the MRI was prescribed by my surgeon (does NOT need prior approval) and an urgent fax was sent by my surgeon saying the MRI is very urgent

      - refusing to allow me to choose a rehab provider from a list of 3

      and many more.

      If this is not enough to show sheer “bad faith”, incompetence, ill will and vindication, I am not sure what is. Enough is enough and I am not going to put up with anyone who treats me like that. I am writing down all the facts (and evidence) as we speak and will pursue the matter. She has NO reason to behave the way she does, and she has no reason to instruct me who I can talk to and who not! To state “no more emails via employers”is absolutely outrageous- the Act clearly states that injured workers have to submit their accounts etc via their employers!

       

  7. Ben January 24, 2012 at 7:27 PM #

    I’d love to hear what your local member had to say about the law being interpreted in such a way as to justify such treatement of you …

    They could be an ally or a foe, and they’ll probably lie to you.  But at the same time, if you get a member of parliament to sign the request, the ombudsman is not allowed to refuse to investigate by law.  Another tool for the warchest…  (the ombudsmans office didn’t even know of this part of the law when I called them about it, perhaps nobody has ever exercised it!)

    I’m glad I’ve brightened your day.  Wish there was more I could do (and am open to suggestions).

    Ben.

  8. workcovervictim2 February 1, 2012 at 9:44 PM #

    I have just spoken with Workcovervictim. Although he is still in bed,still dislocated, he was in better spirits this arvo cos he got rid of his evil case manager! He received an express letter (wow) today notifying him that he has been granted a new case manager, with immediate effect! That was rather very quick, given that his lawyers only sent off their “letter” about the “communication issues” literally 1 day ago, yohoo!

    The evil case manager must be seething! Workcovervictim has tried twice before to have her replaced to no avail.

    Small victory – must be celebrated!

    Cheers to all !

  9. None February 1, 2012 at 10:50 PM #

    I am very glad to see that evil case manager off this case. However, she needs to be sacked.

    Xchanging, sack that case manager so that she cannot harass any other injured worker.

    I think it’s high time that someone FOI-ed information about complaints received against Xchanging, and about specific case managers.

    Xchanging, do you want to risk that information becoming public? Sack this harassing CM now!

    • workcovervictim2 February 2, 2012 at 12:30 PM #

      Workcovervictim says it’s a real pity the name of that psychopathic case manager cannot be spelled out here, for she out to be named and shamed publicly!

      And, wicked as Workcovervictim is, they ought to bloody “burn the witch” publicly on a nice but slow burning bonfire, toes first….

      God forbid how many other injured workers she is ill-treating and pushing on the brink of insanity, even suicide.

      It is true though that no-one should be afraid of their case manager – they are just (in) human (99% of them), low-lives, probably extremely unhappy people, bitterly twisted at their own failures in life.

      • Ben February 2, 2012 at 11:09 PM #

        Perhaps Derryn Hintch might do some time to release her name ;)

        Not that it at all matters – she’s simply doing what she’s been trained to do.

        The problem isn’t even in the workcover offices — it’s the incentives the victorian parliament set up through legislation, and even undermining the ability of citizens to complain about unfair treatment.

        The people in the workcover offices will just be “doing their job” and each little chunk probably seems reasonable enough such that people can convince themselves to turn up to work each day.  But add all that up, and you’ve got what we’ve got.

        An abusive system, with no individual to blame.

        In that case, we mustblame our legislators, and we must blame the voters, us, for not holding the legislators to a sufficient standard to ensure the public systems are set up and incentivised for good social outcomes.  (not profit)

        Ben.

        • hmmm February 3, 2012 at 12:48 AM #

          Respectfully, I disagree with you.

          Naming people can change their behaviour. They might think twice before acting in that manner again. It might have an impact on their relationships with co-workers, their employer, their family and with future employers.

          Whilst the other things you say are valid, I believe that holding individuals in the system to account is very important. It’s these individuals who as a whole exert this undue pressure on injured workers.

          • workcovervictim February 3, 2012 at 12:01 PM #

            Oh, I couldn’t agree more with you! It’s just that if I were to publicly publish that witch’s name, I would undoubtedly (and very quickly) receive a letter from Xchanging’s lawyers for defamation! I have seen it happen to other sites, have a look here: http://civilrightsforinjuredworkers.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/threats-and-intimidation.html.

            Would be terrible if they were successful at shutting down the site, we all know what they’re capable off!

             

  10. hmm February 3, 2012 at 2:34 PM #

    Some of the things said on here (without naming the case manager) probably are defamatory.

    However, if all that’s said is factual, then that is allowable.

    As for the link you provided, it seems that they were doing little more than trying to intimidate the injured worker – the same happens here in Australia.

  11. actavista February 3, 2012 at 2:41 PM #

    There is a myth about “if its true you can say it”. This is not correct.

    But in order for someone to sue for defamation, they must be able to show financial loss or otherwise harm as a result of the defamatory comments. Most people won’t sue for it because it’s a difficult process and unless you’re famous, probably not worth pursuing.

    Simply stating the facts about someone or something can still be classified as defamation if it caused financial loss or other quantifiable harm.

    • workcovervictim February 3, 2012 at 4:27 PM #

      Surely this means that if I were to publish the case manager’s name on here, Xchanging could have a case for (greater) defamation, in addition to all the other negative publicity the blog has posted specifically about Xchanging? Bad case managers, bad insurance company –> loss of customers because some read this blog.

      However, there are specific websites in Australia were consumers can leave really bad opinions and comments about “companies”, there is one about Allianz for example (not good enough org) and another site about doctors.(ratemds.com) How come they are allowed to do this? is it because they are ‘personal’ opinions and “ratings”? On the ratedMDs website a few hired workcover doctors are highly ‘defamated”.

    • aha February 3, 2012 at 5:39 PM #

      Wrong. See http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/wp_defamation

      • Ben February 3, 2012 at 6:33 PM #

        So since she was legally acting as the agent of Xchanging, that’d mean you’d have a pretty high bar to reach to be able to prove she’s personally responsible for her actions.

        Does she have a personal responsibility to act ethically, morally?  Lots would think so, but it’s a merky area at best.  All sorts of excuses are made.

        Is the guy who pulled the trigger to nuke Japan responsible, or his boss, or his bosses boss, or the president who signed the order?  Any of them could have stopped it, so are they all responsible?  None of them?  Only the guy at the top?

        I get how it’d be satisfying to attack her personally, but I just don’t see how it’s at all helpful, bullying the agents of the bully aren’t at all going to bother the bully – in fact, it probably helps the agent justify being even meaner to the next person.

        Everyone must co-operate, or whoever competes the fastest and hardest tends to win over those trying to do the right thing.

        Insurance companies know how to play this game, citizens are unequipped, and never will be.   Perhaps if there was an “insurance union” to fight victims battles for them (they’d have their funding starved until the membership fees were more expensive than the insurance, and that’s even assuming a high percentage of people take it up)

        Ben.

        • hmm February 3, 2012 at 6:47 PM #

          You don’t have to claim that she was personally responsible, it isn’t even a factor. However, as with any newspaper, you are allowed to report the facts.

        • Oh February 3, 2012 at 7:35 PM #

          She wasn’t acting as _agent_ for Xchanging, she is/was their _employee_. She has special obligations under the Corporations Act I believe!

  12. Ben February 3, 2012 at 5:31 PM #

    Individual doctors are less likely to care enough to hunt it down and sue.  And they probably profit from making it easy for workcover to find these dodgy suckers.   I bet there’s someone in workcover googling for the most complained about doctors so they can use them more, even better from interstate, as it makes litigating harder.  Plane tickets are cheap.

    Xchanging aren’t likely to sue this blog, as it stands to lose more by doing that, than trying to keep it marginalised.  The scare tactics that it’ll affect your legal rights is exactly the game that has maximum payoff for them.  Suing you directly, they don’t stand to gain anything from (no court is going to award damages) and the negative publicity it’d gain would be hard for the public to ignore (as opposed to it’s current abusive games which the public has gotten used to, and doesn’t care about)

    That said, I’m not a lawyer, so consider it an armchair opinion.

    Ben.

  13. Ben February 3, 2012 at 5:39 PM #

    Also, you don’t seem to gain anything (other than perhaps vindicitvie satisfaction) by publishing her name.   She’s one in thousands trained for similar behaviours, picking on one won’t worry any of the others in any significant way — they’ll almost certainly never hear about it.  It’ll probably just inflate their egos and make them feel untouchable at you complaining and being unable to do anything about it.

    You’d really need to sue her for negligence, which her employer would indemnify her for anyway as she was acting in their capacity, and unless you won and got awarded a giant stack of cash, they’ll sit around having a laugh at your expense drinking beers at how badly they beat you.

    I’d think you have a case for negligence against them, having read your story, but I’d be pretty sure it’s not an easy fight, nobody in the legal establishment seem to like rocking the boat in that way, follow the rules, keep the cash-cow alive.

    Perhaps I’m too cynical, but I’ve been running this gauntlet for a while now myself, and even if I’ve got some detail wrong, the general outcome isn’t likely to be far off, so read it down to that effect.

    Ben.

  14. workcovervictim February 3, 2012 at 9:35 PM #

    Well, all this info about defamation certainly puts a spin on things and I may reconsider publishing the case manager’s name after all! In fact, it is my opinion that she has not only been negligent (gross negligence in delaying and denying vital medical treatment), but that she has also been bullying and harrassing me on a personal level. I have plenty of evidence to that effect, including the above article.

    She has also breached several restraining orders and “contracts” drawn up by Xchanging themselves (to deal with “communication issues) – i.e repeatedly calling, emailing when she was not allowed to). I have an email where she bluntly writes that she “is not interested in my deteriorated physical condition”, this despite my surgeon’s letters to that effect (catastrophic deterioration) and my own and she insisted that an IME shrink would be able to form the medical opinion re my buggered arm and decide whether or not I could RTW pronto! ha! She has also breached twice 2 different conciliation certificates of ruling. She has done things such as approve payment for X in writing, then withdraw it a week later. She has demanded I attend an IME at 36 hrs notice and when I told her that I could not because I had a dislocated shoulder, she said if I did not comply she would cease my benefits (in writing via email). She has put in writing that – when I was extremely suicidal – I did not need o see a shrink as I “could talk to her”! And there are many more such examples of which I have evidence – this kind of behaviour and treatment has been going on for 2 whole years my friends. Even some IME reports describe “a degree of bullying and harrassment from Xchanging”!

    I have no doubt that this CM took it out on me on a personal level- maybe because she could not get away with sh*t.

    If this does not consist of bullying & harassment & intimidation (causing mental harm to me), I am a glow worm.

    I may discuss it with my lawyers next.

    The good thing is that I got rid of her, it took just 1 letter from my lawyer and 24 hours later I had an express post letter in the mail advising me of the change of CM, effective immediately (+ restraining order remains in place!).

    • None February 3, 2012 at 10:13 PM #

      Wow, just wow! You had not revealed much of that information previously. I have been following your blog from the outset.

      How that case manager got way with all of that is astounding.

      For the sake of other injured workers, WorkSafe Victoria must take action to direct Xchanging to have that case manager terminated.

      • workcovervictim February 4, 2012 at 7:08 AM #

        Oh, yes, she is EVIL. I will publish some of her original emails over the next few days and title posts “Xchanging evil case managers” or something like that, so Google picks it up ;)

  15. Tip February 4, 2012 at 6:12 PM #

    Sentencing Act Claims – What might you be entitled to?

    I found this interesting snippet which may well apply to your psychopathic case manager – given that she has caused you mental harm and that you can clearly demonstrate this:

    Many people are not aware that if you are a victim of a crime and have suffered injury, you may be entitled to compensation from the offender directly.

    If the perpetrator is convicted of a crime which has caused you an injury, you are able to make an application under the Sentencing Act for compensation. Injuries can be physical or psychological. An application may be made at the time of sentencing, or within one year of the date of the sentence. Making a claim under the Sentencing Act provisions can, at times, avoid the need for a complex and expensive separate civil claim.

    Of course, the successful recovery of the compensation is only possible where the offender has assets to satisfy the order. But hey your CM surely is rolling in the bonus money she has made from you, by denying you care, treatments etc.

    [Source Adviveline Injury Lawyers]

  16. Ben February 5, 2012 at 10:35 PM #

    If you get her prosecuted criminally for her actions, I believe there’s also a “victims of crime” fund the state can pay from (I think from memory it’s capped to around $100k though)

  17. Ben February 5, 2012 at 11:01 PM #

    Figured it out — my ad blocker was blocking their petition.  Should have thought of that earlier, it only clued me in when you said “picture” that it might be blocked :)

    I’ve also shared it on facebook.  Not that I have any friends left to share with.

    Ben.

  18. Herbert Adams February 18, 2012 at 6:28 PM #

    The individual who wrote the offending article – should be named without fear, including her supervisors – they should be all taken down to Port Arthur, placed in refurbished stocks, and have rotten eggs, fruit and vegetables thrown at them for a full 24 hours before being asked if they wish to formally apologise.

    I have had the grossest insults imaginable and also my medical team, we had one in the Doctors Surgery on a case conference who was given a thorough dressing down and strongly abused – never had any comment afterward – they break easily – and need to be treated with utter contempt and abused – any other method will not work.

  19. Alli March 23, 2012 at 8:13 PM #

    Holy cow, I am In shock over what I just read. As I am American the laws are vastly different. But I am v.v. sure that what you have experienced is a pattern of misconduct & abuse that was commonplace if not the norm for W.F. I believe that you should contact ANYONE who will listen & tell them your story, the fact that you have documented it is invaluable beyond belief. While clearly your caseworker was negligent to the point of putting your life at risk; I believe the BIGGER ISSUE is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Which means a pattern has been established & condoned by W.F. Who, in the interest of saving money, has turned a blind eye to the treatment of people whose care is entrusted in them. All the while this horrible caseworker has done irreparable damage to you with no regard for your safety, not to mention quality of life. To me the natural next step is filing a class action lawsuit against what sounds like a horrible, broken system. You don’t have to name names, just share your experience ( perhaps your news station has an investigative segment ) & wait for the flood of others who have suffered equal, & possibly ( death??) greater atrocities. I hope beyond hope that some type of action is possible for you & any others who have been abused as you have. People who do BAD THINGS & THOSE THAT ENCOURAGE IT BY DOING NOTHING SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!! I will be sharing your story in America with my friends & hope that life becomes easier with this unbalanced person out of your life. Please don’t disregard my suggestion, the fact that YOU kept accurate records, that your Dr.s can corroborate them, & most importantly that they changed your caseworker one day after your lawyer sent a letter is an pretty good indication that W.F. was not only aware of how poorly you were handled, but also a CLEAR indication that they are in ‘damage control mode’ meaning that they (better than anyone) understand how badly this could affect them. I imagine the numbers are staggering, especially as the targets are weak, ill, frightened & have been bullied for who knows how long…. making them less likely to actually stand-up for themselves anymore. Speak to your lawyer, & if you have or haven’t yet seen Erin Brockavich watch it. My family lived in that town for about the first year after I was born. Neither of my parent knew anything about the situation until they watched the movie. Power is in numbers & given those previously afraid to speak a voice!!! I will be watching what follows w/great interest!! Best,
    <3 Alli

    • workcovervictim March 23, 2012 at 10:00 PM #

      Wow. thank you so much for your POWER comments – you OOZE power and “BUTT KICK” – that’s a term Erin Brockovich uses! It is people like YOU, BUTT-KICKERS that I/we need to bring those kind of insurance company’s vile tactics to its knees. I am FED UP with being treated like a CRIMINAL, a PEST, a RAT, a SECOND CLASS CITIZEN just because one day, I went to work and was beaten to a pulp by a total stranger.

      I was extremely fortunate today to have met THE real Erin Brockovich, who came to visit me at home! She visited ME. By visiting ME, She visited US. She visited the [Australian] INJURED WORKERS!!!

      And I tell you what, she told me NOT to be afraid, she told US not to be afraid and to STAND UP – I pinched myself about a hundred times, and touched her about a million times to make sure I wasn’t DREAMING. rest assured.

      Erin Brockovich, my HERO, LIFTED my spirits and has SET ME ON FIRE. I am ready to KICK BUTT and I want all of you to JOIN ME to KICK BUTTS! No more, enough is ENOUGH.

      Watch this space- we are RISING UP.

      • johnny rotten March 25, 2012 at 8:40 AM #

        Ive got a feeling this just keeps playing in my head and ive got a feeling we will do more than just kick butt and a thank you to the five star genral

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