Based on Your Ability to Play
A few years ago, I was working in the ER and had a patient brought in by ambulance for an ankle injury sustained while practicing for a big 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
X-rays showed he had not broken his ankle but the exam revealed he had a very significant sprain. I really admired this guys tenacity as he pushed me to say he could still play in the tournament. He figured some tape and a compression bandage and he would be good to go. I told him that if he could play without putting weight on that ankle, and on crutches, it might be ok--otherwise my answer was "No."
I wanted him to follow up with the orthopedics group the next day so I asked if he might need a work excuse to make the follow up appointment. To my astonishment he looked at me with a very matter-of-fact expression and said, "Oh, no, I'm on disability."
It took a minute for me to process that concept. He could play basketball but not work?
To name but a few-- I've also taken care of others on disability who have hurt their back while moving a house full of furniture, cut their hands while doing a brake job on their car, a guy who twisted his ankle when he fell putting on a new roof, and one who fell off a trampoline while playing with the kids. One of my personal favorites was an 18 year old patient who came in for "back pain" and made it clear she "Just can't function" and was applying for disability. I could find nothing wrong except for her obesity and smoking habit.
Plain & Simple: My experiences are shared by every ER provider I've ever talked to about this situation. Disability is truly one of the most abused social medical programs. Somehow, granting people disability has an amazing curative property allowing them to function normally again. This is not to say some people don't need disability. But the overwhelming majority of those who draw it, don't deserve such a benefit. It's time to restructure disability and weed out the abusers.
X-rays showed he had not broken his ankle but the exam revealed he had a very significant sprain. I really admired this guys tenacity as he pushed me to say he could still play in the tournament. He figured some tape and a compression bandage and he would be good to go. I told him that if he could play without putting weight on that ankle, and on crutches, it might be ok--otherwise my answer was "No."
I wanted him to follow up with the orthopedics group the next day so I asked if he might need a work excuse to make the follow up appointment. To my astonishment he looked at me with a very matter-of-fact expression and said, "Oh, no, I'm on disability."
It took a minute for me to process that concept. He could play basketball but not work?
To name but a few-- I've also taken care of others on disability who have hurt their back while moving a house full of furniture, cut their hands while doing a brake job on their car, a guy who twisted his ankle when he fell putting on a new roof, and one who fell off a trampoline while playing with the kids. One of my personal favorites was an 18 year old patient who came in for "back pain" and made it clear she "Just can't function" and was applying for disability. I could find nothing wrong except for her obesity and smoking habit.
Plain & Simple: My experiences are shared by every ER provider I've ever talked to about this situation. Disability is truly one of the most abused social medical programs. Somehow, granting people disability has an amazing curative property allowing them to function normally again. This is not to say some people don't need disability. But the overwhelming majority of those who draw it, don't deserve such a benefit. It's time to restructure disability and weed out the abusers.
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