Traumatic Brain Injury & Your Vermont Workers' Compensation Claim
Navigating the workers' compensation system is challenging for most injured workers, but those with a traumatic brain injury can find it especially hard. Our Vermont work injury attorneys explain what resources are available to help workers with a brain injury get the benefits they need and are entitled to.
A head injury is different to most other work injuries: it is invisible to others but it can severely affect a person’s quality of life while recovering and their ability to return to work successfully. TBIs are hard to manage because symptoms are varied and affect each person differently. Sufferers often struggle to advocate for themselves or find the right specialists and services to help them recover. Treatment from professionals who know the Vermont workers’ compensation system and understand the unique needs of TBI patients can significantly improve the outcome of a TBI claim.
Our attorneys discuss four areas of support that can have a big impact.
Nurse Case Manager
Our attorneys at Biggam Fox Skinner often ask the workers’ compensation insurer to assign a nurse case manager to our clients with TBIs. A nurse case manager is a medically trained nurse hired by the insurance company to help you get the treatment you need. A good nurse case manager can be extremely helpful because they know what specialists and what treatments are available for a traumatic brain injury. They can keep your claim moving and make sure you’re not missing out on treatment.
These are some ways a good NCM can help:
- Make medical appointments and remind you about them.
- Arrange transportation to appointments.
- Attend appointments with you and ask the right questions.
- Follow up afterwards.
- Advocate for you with medical providers and insurance adjusters.
- Get preauthorization for recommended treatments.
- Get referrals to specialists.
- Submit bills and get them paid.
At BFS, our attorneys know the good nurse case managers. We can request a nurse case manager for you if you haven’t been assigned one, and we can help you evaluate their advice to make sure they are working to help you, not the insurance company.
To learn more, read our post about the role of the nurse case manager in your Vermont workers' compensation claim.
Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
If you can’t go back to your previous job or earn the same kind of money as before because of your work injury, you may be able to get vocational rehabilitation services to help you return to work. TBI patients often face unique challenges in returning to work because a brain injury can affect so many areas: their emotions, thinking, speech and language, vision, memory, motor skills, and more. They may require job retraining, a different kind of job, or special equipment (such as a screen filter or glasses) to do their job.
At BFS, we can get you working with a VR specialist who is trained in TBI injuries. Our team can help make sure that the insurance company pays for the VR provider.
Life Care Plan
Our attorneys sometimes work with experts to put together life care plans for our clients with TBIs. These provide for certain accommodations and services to help the client manage life with a brain injury.
A good life care plan can cover any of these areas:
- Minor home adjustments (e.g., different lighting)
- Personal care assistants to help with tasks like meal preparation or transportation
- Occupational therapy or physical therapy to help the injured person adapt to new routines
- Cognitive training and memory strategies to help with independent living
- Prescription services for medications
- Connections with other TBI patients and TBI support groups
Experienced Injury Attorney
A skilled workers’ compensation attorney can help with the challenging task of pulling together the kind of support we’ve described. At BFS, we have more than forty years of experience in helping injured workers get benefits and access the right services to support their recovery.
A skilled, compassionate workers’ compensation attorney can:
- Advocate for clients with the insurance company
- Connect clients with the right services
- Help clients choose the best service providers and avoid those who are less qualified or less competent (we know them all!)
- Keep a client’s claim and their recovery moving in the right direction
- Achieve a better outcome than the client can get by themselves
Biggam Fox Skinner knows the Vermont workers’ compensation system inside and out. We fight passionately to get our clients the treatment they need and the benefits they are entitled to. Call us at 802-455-9141 or fill out an online form to schedule a free case evaluation today.