About Workers Comp
By David Meade
“All politics are local” is a common phrase in politics. Last week a local man had the opportunity to speak to a Republican Presidential hopeful who was in the area about getting help with a situation that has gone on for more than three years. Ronald Rowe of Williamston has been dealing with a Workers Compensation claim related to an injury he received while working in Pennsylvania in 2012. The company he was working for is located in Ohio. Rowe said he has written to Governors, congressmen, senators and even the President to try to get help with his situation in dealing with the Ohio BWC system.
Last week, with Ohio Governor and Presidential hopeful John Kasich in the upstate, Rowe took his case directly to the governor. After a Town Hall meeting broadcast live on CSPAN, Rowe was able to talk with Governor Kasich about his situation and question him about Ohio’s recent $1 billion in worker comp rebates to businesses, while injured workers get care put off, red tape, denials and appeals.
“When I spoke to Governor Kasich and explained to him the issue about my worker’s comp case, and explained to him that I have contacted his office and every time the response I received was that is the way the policies are and nothing could be done to change it, his response was (Bologna) there is something we can do.”
Rowe said Kasich told him, “We need to get you the help you need.”
Rowe said he left his name and number and also paperwork mailed to the governor’s office for the past year and a half.
“Hopefully they will look into the matters and issues I face with medical treatment and lost certification to get me back into the workforce.”
According to Rowe his ankle injury included a ligament sprain and tear and tendon tear and tendonitis.
Soon after the injury he was terminated from his job and as a result lost his insurance. He went to court and by court order, had an MRi and began therapy. About a year after the initial injury, he was approved to have surgery to repair his ankle.
“That was over a year after the incident occurred,” Rowe said. “I went a full year of limping around in pain. All I could use was my left foot.”
Other problems associated with the surgery left him in pain and in need of additional therapy, which was later denied coverage.
Additioanl care was denied due to red tape and paperwork appeals.
His situation became more complicated when his ankle gave out and resulted in a knee injury.
“I took a step and my ankle gave out,” Rowe said. “When my ankle gave out, I twisted my left knee. Now I had to see the doctor for another injury due to my original injry not having proper treatment.”
His injury has resulted in not being able to work, putting him behind on bills and having to pay for insurance that “gives me less coverage than I had been receiving.”
Governor Kasich was speaking at the Strom Thurmond Institute in Clemson.
If your would like to see the exchange between Rowe and Governor Kasich, go to approximately minute 49 of the broadcast video at:
http://www.c-span.org/video/?404881-1/john-kasich-town-hall-meeting-clemson-south-carolina
