Do you think I was out of line?

[Colleen A.]

My DH got hurt at work on 9/19 and returned to work on 10/8. He has called the insurance company a few times to see if the lost wage check had been cut. He was told twice that they had no indication that he lost work (the worker's comp dr faxes the paperwork to the home office). We got copies of the paperwork ourselves and the home office "supposedly" faxed them a second time. This was 2 weeks ago and still no check. By the time he gets home from work at night, the adjuster from the insurance company is already gone for the day. She has tried to reach DH during the day at home and since he is not here, she has spoken to me. Anyway, DH asked me to call her this morning to see if she had everything they needed in order to release this check. She called back and left me a message that they STILL had nothing from corporate to indicate he lost work. DH got called into the office today and got an earful from the manager about my calling and instructions that I am to "stay out of corporate business" and "it is not my business". I didn't think I did anything wrong - the only information I ever gave her was information about the accident. Nothing more. In fact, when I called this morning, I even told her she could call DH at work if she needed to. The only thing that might make sense is that the error in the insurance company's not receiving the paperwork came from this office and not headquarters. Maybe the insurance company calling corporate alerted them they the local branch was not doing their work correctly. I don't know what to think. The adjuster had said on her message that she would call me back this afternoon. What should I say? "Sorry, I'm not allowed to talk to you anymore. I was a bad girl...."

Do you think I was out of line?

 

[Serena]

Not at all.

 

[honeywolf7]

No

 

[gemmie214]

No, I personally think you were not out of line but I do feel that what was said to your husband was unprofessional. Also I do believe that the company could get in a LOT of trouble for slowing down or blocking the release of money. From the reaction I would guess your DH's company dropped the ball.

 

[Wagamama]

get a lawyer...

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I look at it this way...your dh put you in charge of hunting down his paycheck. You are perfectly within your rights to do so, imho. If they had a policy in place of employees ONLY pursuing his work comp claim then it should have been made clear to your dh, right?

Put it this way, as my dh has been in the corporate world for 3yrs now and the motto is..."NOT MY PROBLEM!" Who knows what crap they say or do or lie about, you never know. Now that does go on with work comp claims but at least the injured is in on it.

Your problem is getting the idiots to cut you a check.

Good Luck

 

[A kid at heart]

Get a comp attorney.

 

[JAP]

I agree with everyone above. Your husband's company is out of line.

Good luck and I hope you get a quick resolution.

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

Believe me, with hubby working out of town and being here most of the time, I get to handle alot of his business! I know everything he knows and vice versa, and I can't imagine not being able to do this,

 

[believe]

Definitely not out of line. If they would have handle everything the first time your DH asked about it, then you wouldn't have needed to step in and assist.

 

[SeaSpray]

I *always* handle my DH's personal business, for the same reason you did; DHs are usually at work during daytime business hours. You did nothing wrong, you are his WIFE and especially since he asked you to handle this for him, there's no reason they should be upset about it.

Like others have said, they're embarrassed because THEY didn't handle this properly.

I'm curious; what did your DH say to them when they "yelled" at him???? I hope he tactfully let them know that you had every right to handle those phone calls.

 

[Pam]

No - you were not out of line.

And, quite frankly, if it had been me - if the company had not contacted me and let me know what was going on, I would have been calling up DH's company about 1 week after the accident, asking how to proceed in getting the "ball rolling" regarding the workmen's comp/disability.

IMO, they got off easy with you and should be thanking you for being so patient with them. And the insurance company should have been working more closely with the company (and vice versa.) Sigh.......... I feel bad that you had to go through all of this and now the company puts you and your DH through the wringer because of their ineptness.

Pam

 

[Kermit]

I agree that you didn't do anything wrong. I think that most wives do handle that kind of stuff, both because their husbands are at work and because men just aren't usually as good at that kind of stuff if they aren't actively involved in running the household. I wouldn't get a lawyer yet since it is your DH's employer, but I'd tell him that he needs to get ugly and get things moving.

 

[Colleen A.]

DH held his temper and simply told them that he asked me to call for him and that he knew I did not call corporate, but the insurance company.

Did I happen to mention that the manager had a "witness" in his office when he spoke to DH? To add insult to injury, it was my nephew!! DH got him the job a couple of years ago when he lost his last one. Seems like the manager wanted to humilate DH more than anything!

DH called the insurance when he got home yesterday. Still no word from them yet!!

 

[Tink13]

NO way were you out of line------these insurance companys can be a real PITA too...I am dealing with this now,,,,when my husband had to be out of work because of his (NOT EXPECTED) colon cancer,, and operation, and loss of work,,,,,we had papers filled out and sent and resent and resent a third time,,,,,we made sure the last time they were received cause we made them sign for them,,,,your husbands company seems to be upset at YOU for something THEY did not take care of....in the long run its what YOU and your HUSBAND know you did and didn't do,,,,horrible how some people are not happy until they can make someone else feel bad,,,,,,

 

[mhopset]

I can tell you this. As soon as you mention attorney, I bet they get all the information faxed in correctly and you have a check within a week.

 

[doxdogy]

You did nothing wrong. Your husband was spoken to in an entirely unprofessional manner. His manager has no more business managing people than the man in the moon. Is there anyone above the manager that your husband can speak to? That is totally out of line to "dress" him down in front of someone.

 

[NHAnn]

I don't think you were out of line, and I don't think you should get an attorney and have to pay the attorney to get what is rightfully due to your DH under WC law. Though it would NOT hurt for your DH to mention to his company that he asked you to look into it instead of paying an attorney to look into it...as another poster said just the WORD attorney might get things moving.
In NH, the WC ins companies and employer's responsibilities under WC law are regulated by the State Dept of Labor. The Labor Dept can fine the employer and/or insurance carrier for failure to report and pay claims in a timely manner..........perhaps you should look into it from that angle in your state.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Don't get me started on Workers' Comp! I had something happen this past May. My bills still haven't been paid! I'm getting 2nd notices from collection agencies. And being that I was working at the hospital, it's their own WC company!

 

[Colleen A.]

DH called me at lunch time today. I asked him if the insurance company ever called him this morning. He said they hadn't. I "encouraged" him to call them immediately and see what he could of find out. He called and reported back, a few minutes later, that the local branch (where he is!) FINALLY faxed them the information they were waiting for (the authorization that he was indeed out of work - I guess the doctor's note telling them he was under his care from 9/20 - 10/8 and was released for work on light duty wasn't proof enough for them! ) The lost wage check is being processed now. I wonder how long it will take them now!! I would love to get an attorney after these people but I would be afraid of the back lash he would endure at work. The business was bought out earlier this year. Until that point, it was a great place to work. Now, it seems like they are looking for anything to bust on you for! When DH was out of work for 3 weeks, this new manager showed up and took over. When my nephew returned to work after his Disney vacation, the guy was all over him having a fit. He had been trying to reach DH and couldn't! He thought something fishy was going on. My nephew called my sister who called me! The only thing "fishy" was that the idiot had been dialing the wrong phone # for a week!! I would be curious to see if I could report them to the Dept of Labor for the delay in the check....AFTER he gets (and deposits!) the check!!!

Thanks for all the support! You guys are great!