penzt: again, that wasn't directed to you personally -- or to anyone here personally.
and my apologies for the rant. i've been on a roller coaster painwise recently, and i'm considerably grumped out about it. add a change of medication to the mix, and i feel about like a pit bull with pms. :)
i'm sorry to hear about your sister, and i hope things out okay there (i'll keep her in my prayers). :/ my situation's not with worker's comp but with social security -- same kind of hurdles, though.
i had the opportunity to file a worker's comp claim and declined to do so -- i didn't want to hassle my employer over a sprained ankle. i declined to take worker's comp years before when i hurt my back on the job in uniform, too. i've been told that i was stupid for not doing so, but at the time it just didn't seem like the Right Thing To Do. after getting screwed over by the city, i did eventually get an attny and settled with them for my medical costs only -- again, i've been called stupid and naive for NOT requesting worker's comp because, as i've been told, i could still be collecting from those injuries today.
sorry, but i don't see getting hurt on the job as being a ticket to free money. (just so you know, i'm not accusing your sister of doing that at all). i've seen it happen, though, and it pissed me right off.
it's another system that gets abused. frankly, it's a lot easier to get WC than it is to get SSDI. it's a shame, too, because it seems like the folks who REALLY should be eligible are the ones who have to fight the hardest to get it while those who get hurt at work (often for something their own fault) end up sucking money out of their employers for years.
i guess i would just like to see all things like this operate as they were intended to -- if you need it, it's there; if you don't, then don't try to scam it. unfortunately, a lot of scammers win out, and a lot of folks in genuine need (and who genuinely have earned it) get screwed. that goes for everything from workers comp to SSDI to welfare of all kinds. :/
and i do hope we can find a way to reform ALL of these programs to make sure it's fair to all concerned.
btw, my ex-gf was absolutely against military bennies -- "once you're out, that's it!" she'd say. she was ticked off that "her" money was going to give medical treatment, for instance, to someone who was no longer active military. i disagreed vehemently with her on that, but there was no convincing her that "her" money wasn't getting "wasted" on "these bums" who CHOSE a job that was dangerous. so why should SHE have to pay for it if they were hurt?
oy.