It is tough enough to deal with the physical repercussions of getting injured at work but, in so many cases, the employee also has to cope with the financial ones, as well. Some California police officers are dealing with collection agencies regarding unpaid medical bills and it is affecting several areas of their lives, including their credit scores. These men and women know that every time they go out on the job that they risk getting injured at work, but they are willing to take that risk.
A report covered the woes of several officers concerning the unpaid medical bills they have amassed while on the job. Even after going to their human resources office about their workers’ compensation coverage, they continued to receive the bills for hospital care necessitated by job-related injuries. One officer tried to refinance the mortgage on his house and was turned down because of a report from a collections agency.
The spokesman for the city for which these officers work claims the problem is not on his end and agrees that their workers’ compensation coverage should have taken care of all medical bills and that the officers themselves should not have received the invoices. The report states that one hospital provider claims that, since doctors are not employed by hospitals in California, the officers should take their concerns to the specific doctors. Since neither side has resolved the issue, the police union has elevated this fight to a legal level and has filed a complaint against the city.
For those in California who have been injured at work and are dealing with unpaid medical bills and falling credit scores, there are options on how to resolve this issue. Workers’ compensation is a benefit so many people deserve for the work they perform every day. Those who are not receiving the assistance they warrant should consider legal representation.
Source: Local News – San Francisco Bay Area, CA – San Francisco, CA – msnbc.com, Police Hurt at Work Take Credit Hit, Damian Trujillo, Jan. 23, 2014
