A frozen shoulder injury, also called “adhesive capsulitis,” causes pain, stiffness, and loss of mobility in the injured shoulder. Full recovery may require surgery and up to three years of physical therapy.
If you are out of work in Kentucky because of a frozen shoulder injury caused by your job duties, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. If you are not receiving workers’ compensation, which covers the cost of medical treatment and a portion of lost wages, you need to speak to an experienced Kentucky workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible.
At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, our Kentucky workers’ compensation attorneys have helped workers with frozen shoulder injuries seek the full benefits provided by KY workers’ compensation law. We have recovered more than $300 million in workers’ compensation benefits for our hardworking clients in Manchester, Lexington, Manchester, Somerset, and elsewhere in Kentucky.
If you have a frozen shoulder claim because of an occupational injury, we want to help you. Contact us today to set up your free consultation with a frozen shoulder injury lawyer.
Workers’ Compensation Settlements for Work-Related Frozen Shoulder Injury
A frozen shoulder is typically the result of a previous workplace injury that required immobilization of the arm. One of the most common causes of a frozen shoulder is not moving the shoulder while recovering from a broken arm, a shoulder injury, or surgery.
Broken arms are common workplace injuries. They often occur because of accidental falls, motor vehicle accidents, being struck by falling objects, being slammed against machinery or structures, or being trapped between objects such as a truck and a loading dock.
Shoulder injuries are also common workplace injuries. They occur due to cumulative trauma or long-term wear and tear, as well as the types of traumatic accidents that cause broken bones.
Kentucky’s workers’ compensation program grants eligible employees full payment of medical expenses for work-related injuries, including bills from doctor exams, surgery, and physical therapy sessions, as well as the cost of prescribed medications.
While the employee is out of work, KY workers’ compensation pays about two-thirds of the injured worker’s weekly salary and wages. If you have already missed work because of a frozen shoulder injury without workers’ comp, those lost wages should be part of a settlement.
In Kentucky, for example, arthroscopic surgery to repair a shoulder injury can cost more than $9,500 in an outpatient hospital. Physical therapy can cost you a $20 to $60 copay per session with insurance or $80 to $150 per session without insurance.
Note that workers’ compensation pays all medical costs, including copays for work-related injuries.
The amount a workers’ compensation case ultimately settles for will vary according to the severity of the injury and other factors, including the following:
- Average weekly pay,
- Age,
- Education level,
- Ability to return to work.
Contact our Kentucky Courage attorneys at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer to review your medical diagnosis and help you understand your legal options. The case review is free. We are honored to use our legal experience to help Kentuckians who have been injured on the job and need a strong legal advocate.
Challenges to Frozen Shoulder Claim Settlements
In frozen shoulder cases, the necessity is to prove that the condition is a work-related injury to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. For example, if a worker suffers a broken arm on the job and is required to keep the arm immobilized for a period of time, leading to stiffness and loss of motion in the shoulder, that should be a compensable injury. Workers’ compensation pays benefits for injuries that arise from the performance of job duties or the overall work environment.
A frozen shoulder may also be caused by illness, such as Parkinson’s disease or heart disease, but particularly by diabetes. Diabetes and heart disease are common medical problems.
The American Diabetes Association says 13.6% of the adult population in Kentucky, more than 474,000 people, have been diagnosed with diabetes, and 33.8% of the adult population has prediabetes with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
If you have diabetes, heart disease, or another disease associated with a frozen shoulder, you can expect your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier to say one of those conditions is the cause of your frozen shoulder, not a workplace injury. If you have precursor symptoms to diabetes or heart disease, they may argue that they have led to your frozen shoulder. You will need an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to stand up to the insurers and argue persuasively that your medical condition is a result of an occupational injury.
At Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, our workers’ compensation attorneys are known for summoning Kentucky Courage to fight unjust denials of workers’ comp benefits. We will help you gather medical records, doctors’ affidavits, and records of a previous workplace accident to establish that a prior work injury has led to your current frozen shoulder condition.
We can refer you to an independent physician to get medical exams and a true picture of your health on the record for your claim.
If your initial frozen shoulder claim has been denied, we will file an appeal on your behalf as we continue to press the insurance company to do what’s right. We will help you present your case at the first appeal stage, the Benefit Review Conference, and if necessary, at a hearing before an administrative law judge or the Workers’ Compensation Board. We stand ready to fight for you now.
Experience Easy and Convenient Shoulder Injury Workers’ Compensation
If your claim for workers’ compensation benefits to get you through a frozen shoulder injury is being challenged or has been denied, contact us today for a free, no-obligation discussion of how we can help you. Our workers’ compensation legal team is ready to demand every dime of the workers’ comp benefits available to you by law.
Contact us to schedule your free consultation. If we don’t recover workers’ compensation benefits for you, you will not owe us a fee for our legal assistance. Put Kentucky Courage behind your workers’ comp claim today!
