If Angelita like many employees knew that filing a work injury was really a possible end to their long tenures with their job at Kaiser one would think it better not to mention the occurrence but it happens to be the law so both ways can be an end to someone's way of living.

Angelita had been reprimanded for changing a patient's bed where the patient had been sitting in their bowel movement for a long time instead of doing the paperwork that nurses must complete at the end of their shifts.  Angelita knew that if she did not do it there would be little chance that the graveyard shift could get around to caring for the patient.

It was this kind of hurry up and try to do what is right when Angie tripped and fell over an IV cord, which from that fall injured her neck, lower back and both knees.

It should not have been an incident that stopped her from working up to retirement age but because of the lack of care and concern, Angie just became a liability and was treated as a stranger by her employer and the employers physicians.

Shortly after her fall, Angelita went to the emergency room where a few x-rays were taken but nothing was said or done about her condition.  As days and weeks went by Angelita found it harder to work because she continued to experience pain in the parts of her body that made it difficult for her to attend to the patient's such as lifting and turning patient's over.

After a few months of working in poor condition and having to call in sick, Angelita went off work on an industrial injury.

Angelita contacted the Kaiser physician that saw her in the emergency room and she asked him for an MRI.  He told her that she did not need one and if he did write a request for her to have an MRI he would probably get in trouble.

Lucky for Angie, she could finance some of her own treatment outside of Kaiser.  So she paid to have an MRI done and she also paid for appointments with a chiropractor that helped her.  Kaiser kept quiet except for a few disturbing letters like the one from Employee Solutions that told Angie to retire or she was going to be terminated.

Angelita's attorney told her to get a doctor's request for modified work so that she could try and get back to work.  Angie's chiropractor requested she work fewer hours per week.  The Worker Comp Coordinator, MS. CYNTHIA MOORE assigned Angie to work in the Hospice Unit which ended up to be only for a week.

Angelita did well in that department both physically and mentally.  The next assignment from MS. MOORE was for Angie to work in the Pathology Department to file paperwork.  The work was hard on Angie's neck and back and within a couple of weeks Angie was reprimanded for working too slow.  So Angie was taken out of that department and told to go home.  Angie waited daily for further instructions from MS. MOORE but Angie never got a call.

One day Angelita just took notice of the letters "VRMA" on her temporary disability check which happened to also be on her other checks.  She found out that it would mean she was getting vocational rehabilitation payments in with her other money.

About a month later, MS. MOORE contacted Angie to come into her Kaiser office to discuss vocational rehabilitation.  At the meeting with MS. MOORE there was also a man who claimed to be a consultant in Rehabilitation Services.  His part in this service was to give Angelita information on how to search for her own job through the Kaiser computer system in the Personnel Department. 

At that time Angie was becoming confused and frustrated with the way Kaiser was treating her.

About five months later, Angelita was given another appointment with a Vocational Rehab Counselor who informed her that half of her Rehab money was already gone and by the time the fees were taken out for himself there was not much for her to choose from.  Angelita was basically forced to pick an inexpensive short term class that would be a class that was no longer than twenty weeks and would give her a certificate.  Angie was talked into taking a Floral Arranging Class at ARC A Junior College.  Angie was more confused than ever.  She did not want to believe the obvious and that was she was going from her nursing vocation that in the twenty some years has brought many pay raises, now she ws to get a job arranging flowers at minimum wage and that is if she can even get hired anywhere at her age and with her disabilities and with no experience.

Kaiser knows what is going on especially since they are partners with State Fund in their own WorkerComp System.

Angelita never filed a grievance because she was aware of how the Union was not representing the employees and that the grievances were being dropped without a sound.  However, Angelita did contact Roy Clarke, the Union Rep to ask for is advice.  Roy told Angie to put in for an early retirement and that way she could wash her hands clean from all the paperwork.

Angelita still had hopes of getting well and going back to work.  Angie saw a Kaiser doctor, a Spinal Surgeon who said that according to her X-Ray he would have to fuse more than four or five vertebrae and he didn't usually like to do more than two.

Angie then sought an outside surgeon who ws shocked when he saw her old MRI films.  He made the remark that he did not know how she was still able to walk, as he pointed everything out to her in the films.

Angie had a successful surgery, but it was too late as far as Kaiser was concerned for giving back a job to someone who had earned it over the years.

One of the benefits Kaiser offers it's employees is Dental Coverage but for Angie it was a different kind of experience when she went to her appointment only to find out that she had been terminated from Kaiser.  Angie never received any such information from Kaiser.

Angie had to struggle and is still struggling for proper Health Care.  Kaiser has billed her for services and has also turned her into collection agencies for non-payments.  The fact that Angie was forced out of her job does not excuse Kaiser from having to honor the Union Contract which gives Angie full Health Care Coverage.