I'm sorry to hear yet another work cover story that has ended this way. Why were you not entitled to compensation for pain & suffering? Was your WPI <10%? Did you use Maurice ,Blackburn? Going with the wrong legal team can be your undoing in this situation. The wrong team will fail to send you to a reputable orthopaedic surgeon and therefore your WPI is reduced = no compensation.The nutter the insurer sent me to  reported my WPI as 0%. Mine ended up being 12% after being examined by a decent orthopaedic surgeon then a WCC appointed AMS who both agreed I had 12% WPI. I urge anyone who is injured to NOT go with the union legal firm. They offered me very poor advice which would have definately seen my claim denied and me labelled with some psychiatric illness.The insurance company tried to make me see their psychiatrist after their orthopaedic dinosaur wrote in his report that I was 100% fit for full duties;my pain was "curious" and I was probably just mentally ill. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS OLD CHESTNUT. You cannot be forced to do this.The wonderful gang at Maurice Blackburn tried to persuade me to do just that.All the while telling me that they could not send me to another psychiatrist of their choosing to counter argue the psych label I would definately get because they could not recoup the expense!!!! What the hell were 20 yrs of fees paid to NSWNA? A friend gave me the phone number of a legal service who took my case. It cost me nothing and they took none of my compensation payment. Without them I would have lost my case; lost my job,been falsely labelled for life as a psych patient and ended up destitute as NOBODY will hire you once you have had a workcover claim whether you are awarded compensation or not. Maurice ,Blackburn also declined to appeal my case to the WCC meaning my WPI = 0%= 0 compensation and no liability on the part of my employer and the insurer. My employer was also responsible for my injury. NO MANUAL HANDLING education/training and a NUM's preference for RNs to use draw sheets to lift patients up beds! No slide sheets allowed and no wardsmen in the hospital at all. My only saving grace was that I do not work with adults.Therefore,my low lifting capacity was adequate to allow me to retain my position. My employer tried very hard to get rid of me and even tried to go after my registration by telling management I was suicidal ,then luring me into a room with a child psychiatrist by lying to me and saying I was meeting the team leader to discuss my roster! I had to go so far as to take them before the IRC to be allowed to return to work.This was even after I had met the minimum lifting requirement that they had imposed. I went through hell for more than two years with no family or friends to support me. I clung to my sanity by a thread. I was constantly angry but I think that the anger is how I kept my motivation and pre-empted almost every move my employer and their seedy insurer eventually took. Get legal advice immediately after confirming your injury with a doctor.Also contact NSWNA and ensure they attend ALL meetings between you and your employer.I advise you obtain a voice recorder and ask permission to record EVERY meeting. It is amazing how much more co-operative and well behaved people become when they know they are being recorded.If you are not satisfied with your appointed NSWNA organiser then contact the manager and request someone else be appointed. The first woman appointed to my case was awful.She did not do her job and she did not represent me at all.She left me with no industrial representation via her unethical actions. Later down the track NSWNA realised what had happened and I was given proper representation.You do not have to accept the rehab provider the insurer assigns you.They have no interest in your recovery rather to save the insurer as much money as possible by giving the very worst form of rehabilitation. Beware of a company called "Injury Treatment". They are scum and will try to have your case dismissed or closed. You can choose a provider you want.

Seek compensation it is not about some payout it is about ensuring your employer and the insurer take care of you in the future if you do not recover from your injury. I was only awarded enough to cover the cost of small car but should I deteriorate in the coming years I will be taken care of financially and medically. Don't listen to fools who try to disuade you from making a claim.Are they going to take care of you in the future? It is a dehumanising and extremely stressful experience but the alternative is far worse.Ensure you enlist the help of a good psychologist (not psychiatrist or you will end up drugged and losing your claim after your credibility is destroyed).EAP is not useful in this instance as they only deal with short-term issues and often cannot even manage to produce your file at sucessive sessions so you have to start over again.Lifeline has free face-to-face counselling services if you are having difficulty affording the usual fees. If the state government gets it's way and slashes the workers comp system then we will be expected to live on nothing whilst trying to recover with the inadequate insurer paid rehabilitation methods. The idea is that you would never report your injury;take all of your annual and long service leave whilst recovering then if you don't recover then - sacked. Bear in mind when you vote next year this is the ALP's suggestion when our wage claim (including one24) was made!