Well, it’s official! A cheque arrived in the mail yesterday from the Workers Compensation Board. The cheque was to pay me for a NELP (Non-Economic Loss Payment). “This benefit is paid to recognize permanent clinical impairment & is paid to an injured worker because the impairment may impact life outside the workplace. The entire NELP amount is paid in a one-time lump sum.”
So there you go, I’m disabled! A Crown Corporation has determined this & it’s now official!
Here’s the back story: On January 30, 2009 I worked for a small town in Alberta. When I arrived at work that particular morning there was a huge sheet of ice right in front of the entrance to our office. As soon as I got inside I immediately reported this hazard to Public Works who looked after clearing & sanding the roads & sidewalks in the community. When I went out a few hours later to deliver some paperwork to our main office, I slipped & fell on this ice. I put out my right hand to stop my fall & ended up with an expulsion of the triquetrium (fractured wrist/carpal area). A small piece of the bone snapped off & did not re-attach during healing. I also had a large contusion on my elbow. I spent just over 6 weeks in a half cast, followed by 6 weeks in physiotherapy. On my last day of physiotherapy I lost my job (which is a whole other story). Workers Compensation paid for all my medical treatment & physiotherapy as well as for the one day of work I missed.
One year later Workers Compensation did a follow-up & it was discovered I had suffered some permanent damage. I have to use a wrist rest & an ergonomic keyboard for working, along with breaks to change what I’m doing from time to time. I require help sometimes to open packages. At home, I have difficulty doing things like opening cans & jars, pulling anything requiring strength, opening packages, doing up my bra, etc. I had to go through all the rigamarole of new x-rays & seeing a Workers Compensation doctor.
So now I have their decision. Quite frankly, I had forgotten about it. In a way, it’s kind of strange to have this label. I don’t feel any different than I did yesterday.
benzeknees 
Apr 13, 2012 @ 00:51:19
My mom slipped once and broke her fall with her wrist also, broke it in multiple places. That can really hurt.
LikeLike
Apr 13, 2012 @ 01:46:31
Yep, you’re right. Only missed 1 day of work though – I am WOMAN!
LikeLike
Apr 13, 2012 @ 02:03:41
You are in good company. 😉
LikeLike
Apr 13, 2012 @ 11:57:36
I agree – do we have a club or something? A secret handshake? Code words? I love belonging & since I didn’t fit in too well with the non-disabled, I’m going to work really hard to fit in with the great people I’ve met on here – ha, ha, ha. I feel a stalk coming on!
LikeLike
Apr 13, 2012 @ 10:52:54
Doesn’t change you at all. And now you have an unexpected check!
LikeLike
Apr 14, 2012 @ 05:00:53
Wow, sounds like a long drawn out ordeal, I can’t believe you only missed one day of work. I’m glad it’s finally settled for you.
LikeLike
Apr 15, 2012 @ 00:35:44
Thanks – the doctors & Workers Compensation have this new philosophy – if you are treated like a “sick” person you will start to act like a “sick” person, so they try to keep you working as much as possible when you hurt yourself. Only problem is, most employers don’t have good plans in place for modified work. For example, I was an admin assistant, spent my whole work day typing. When the doctor sent me back to work with the order not to use my right arm AT ALL for 6 weeks, my employer had no idea what to do with me. So every day I did what I could, typing everything with my left hand. It ended up causing a lot of bad feelings on everyone’s part & that’s why I lost my job in the end. I was so frustrated with the way I was being treated, I was planning on looking for a new job anyway, but I certainly didn’t appreciate the way it was done.
LikeLike