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A workcover case manager warns injured worker not to speak with other people on workcover

By on June 7, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Shame files, WorkCover SA, WTF

Our co-author Trinny stumbled upon an outright disgusting letter that was sent by a workcover case manager in 2008 to an injured worker, warning the injured worker “not to speak with other people on workers compensation”! Are we surprised? Nope! If any consolation, it appears that this case manager resigned after the ‘incident’… A workcover [...]

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Injured workers are all drug addicts – WTF

By on May 31, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Medication, Pain, WTF

You may have recently read that Comcare is cracking down on injured workers’ profiteering from its generous pharmaceutical benefits and on workers’ compensation claims being used to fund drug habits. You also may have had your pain medication “reviewed” by your workcover case manager, and wondered what is going on. Well, we had a chat [...]

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Workcover case managers listen to background noise when phoning injured workers – WTF

By on May 8, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Surveillance, Tips & Tricks, WTF

A former workcover case manager recently told us that they are told to listen for “background noise” when phoning  injured workers, in order to listen for “clues” that the injured worker is “undertaking” some activity or hobby! WTF! We nearly fell over when we heard that phone conversations are encouraged by workcover insurance companies, as [...]

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Sacking the workers’ comp quaterback

By on April 13, 2013 in Articles & Research, Case manager (follies), Workers compensation

Thanks to our co-author Trinny, we stumbled on this interesting article and believe that many of the concepts in this article should be considered here in Australia too! Sacking the Workers’ Comp Quarterback By James A. Schlueter, President, Effective Health Systems In workers’ Compensation, adjusters (which are known in Australia as case managers) are the [...]

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When It’s In The Workover, Bullying can be Masked as Incompetence.

By on March 17, 2013 in Bullying & Stress, Case manager (follies), Corruption, Entitlements, Insurance companies, Nasty workcover employees, Ramblings & Whinges, Return to work, Stuff, WorkSafe Vic

When It’s In The Workover, Bullying can be Masked as Incompetence. At the moment, I’m engaged in a struggle with my Claims Management over my FOI requests, and my request for retraining. Both these struggles have been initiated by my personal requests. Neither should present cause for struggle. I have the right to obtain all [...]

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Workcover case managers: the good, the bad and the ugly

By on March 12, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Tips & Tricks

Workcover case managers come in many different shapes, sizes and – especially- characters. They can be young and extremely inexperienced, lacking communication and basic people skills; ,  many are in their forties, divorced and utterly miserable sourpusses, some are male, most are female, some have years of experience and have undoubtedly gone through a “work hardening [...]

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Tips for case managers managing “angry” injured workers

By on March 9, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Frustration & Violence, Nasty workcover employees

The workcover case manager profession is littered with, hum, “conflict” over many things, even the smallest of “things” right from the start, when a worker lodges a claim for a work injury. Yet, sadly, many case managers do not know how to properly diffuse a, ahum, “tense situation”, on the contrary;  from our injured and [...]

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Workcover claim accepted – but surgery, procedures, imaging, specialists and treatment denied

By on March 3, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Entitlements, Insurance claims, Resources, WorkCover, WorkSafe Vic

Workcover insurance companies quite often tell us and our treating doctors that they will not pay for procedures that the doctor, even the most expert of experts, says are medically appropriate and necessary. In Victoria this is in accordance with Division 2B of Part IV of the Act aworkcovervictimsdiary often hears from  injured workers whose [...]

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Workcover case manager wish list for 2013

By on February 18, 2013 in Case manager (follies), Fraud & Abuse, Fun

Dear Injured Workers, whilst -belatedly- writing my 2013 wish list, I couldn’t help myself but “put myself in the shoes” of my workcover case manager (s)…and thought about what they would have written on their wish list…   I have been a very good workcover case manager this year.  As you know, I have suffered [...]

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Narrow minded case managers:10 red flags of a bogus workcover claim

By on February 1, 2013 in Articles & Research, Case manager (follies), Insurance claims, WTF

A couple of weeks ago, workcovervictim stumbled upon a bizarre and utterly narrow-minded write-up by a large workers comp insurance company  (name omitted for obvious reasons) featuring a “sample workcover claim” to “assist case managers to recognise the bogus workcover claims”, which are, of course so rampant. 10 red flags of a bogus workcover claim [...]

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Misinterpreting diagnostic tests – another dirty workcover insurer tactic

By on November 16, 2012 in Case manager (follies), Corruption, Medical Exam (IME), Medical Imaging, MRI, Shame files, Tips & Tricks, WTF

Diagnostic Tests such as X-rays and MRIs are supposed to be extremely valuable pieces of evidence of a workplace injury and a workcover claim. Unfortunately, and not surprising, many of these tests are open to insurance doctors (IMEs) interpretation and as such routinely abused by the workcover insurance companies! After all some difference in “opinion” [...]

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Is your workcover case manager playing favourites?

By on November 11, 2012 in Case manager (follies), WTF

Over the years and based on our injured opinions and experiences, we have sadly come to the realisation that there is plenty of “room” for “interpretation” in the field of workcover and that the interpretation of relevant factors and decisions is not purely based on the law! Tell us, why would one injured worker’s claim [...]

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What is a work hardening programme?

By on November 7, 2012 in Case manager (follies), Resources, Return to work, suitable employment, Tips & Tricks

Ever heard of a Work Hardening Programme? Has your workcover case manager sent you to such a programme, made allusions to sending you? Has s/he asked an “independent” medical doctor whether you are “fit” to attend a work hardening programme? And, what the hell is it anyway, what is it used for? Well…The objective of [...]

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Workcover case managers are not your friends

By on November 7, 2012 in Case manager (follies), Insurance companies, Tips & Tricks

Yesterday, aworkcovevictimsdiary received an email from an injured worker asking us the following: “Is there an area on the website where the “good” and “supportive” claims managers and rehab people are named? My claims manager is willing to pay for my gym membership as long as they get a letter from my psych!! I see [...]

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A challenge to all workcover and workcover insurer employees and ex-employees

By on October 22, 2012 in Case manager (follies), Corruption, Insurance companies, WorkCover, WTF

I  personally challenge all  WorkCover and WorkCover insurer employees and ex-employees  such as case managers, technical managers, team leaders, insurance doctors and even “independent doctors” to come forward and admit to the atrocities they have participated in, and help make it right, even if it is just to clear your conscience. A challenge to all [...]

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Ten deadly sins of workcover claims-handling

By on October 17, 2012 in Case manager (follies), Insurance claims

My partner has been a member of the Yahoo risk management forum called RiskList: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/RiskList. which he highly recommends as a lot applies to workcover. Around May this year, an interesting discussion was kicked off, calling for nominations of the “7 Deadly Sins” of claims handling. And although the discussion was predominantly California-based, some good [...]

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