My lawyer told me to skip the QME exam and it cost me 6 months of benefits

Back in March after my injury at a warehouse in Fresno, my attorney said I didn't need to go to the Qualified Medical Evaluation because the insurance company would settle anyway. I listened to him and skipped it. Six months later I still haven't seen a dime of my temporary disability payments and the case is stuck in limbo. Found out from a buddy that the QME is what actually gets things moving in the system. Has anyone else had a lawyer steer them wrong on these exams?

2 comments

2 Comments

rodriguez.diana19d ago

Hold up, your lawyer actually told you to skip the QME? That's a huge red flag to me. In my experience, that exam is basically the engine that gets your case rolling, not something you blow off. It really stinks that you lost six months of benefits over bad advice like that. Honestly sounds like your lawyer dropped the ball big time, not steering you right at all.

amy15419d ago

Fresno warehouse injury and six months of lost benefits? That is honestly insane. I cannot believe a lawyer would tell you to skip the QME, that's like the one thing that actually proves your case to the insurance company. Your buddy is totally right, that exam is what gets the adjuster to stop dragging their feet and start paying. Your lawyer must have been either totally clueless about how workers comp works in California or he just didn't care about your case at all. I really hope you can switch lawyers or file a complaint about that advice because that is just straight up bad.