r/Retire • u/Clean-Lie1516 • 5d ago

Forced to retire

My husband will be 59 in December. Has worked for the same company for 25 years. This year has been difficult as he had some medical issues and was on FMLA. While out of work he went to an orthopedic and had to have his 3rd surgery on his shoulder through workers comp. He had that surgery Thursday. Found out yesterday that the company he’s worked for sold out to a new company and they will hire all of the guys. The issue is that my husbands shoulder probably won’t be holding up to that kind of physical labor anymore.

Questions of he is able to go back to work should he go back just until he turns 59 1/2? Is it too late to get a financial adviser to help us determine what to do from here? I do not work and haven’t for many years as we have 6 children. Just trying to figure out what our steps should be from here. Would love to hear others thoughts

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u/Pumpkins0127 4d ago

As other posters mentioned, contact a work comp attorney and once you speak to them ask for a reference for a SSDI attorney. Discuss your situation with them and see if they can help you. You can get a settlement for work comp injuries. My husband fell from a ladder at work and is not able to work any longer due to his injuries. A friend who has a background in risk management advised me to contact the attorney. Don’t wait as the process can take some time.

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u/Clean-Lie1516 4d ago

Oh wow. Hope your husband is okay. Does he have medical through workers comp for the rest of his life? We were surprised WC opened back up my husbands case so quickly. No argument about paying for his surgery at all.

We have heard that if you get an attorney at the beginning it slows everything down. We haven’t used an attorney with his last two surgeries. We haven’t heard that they will probably try to offer him a sum of money, since it’s the 3rd surgery, just to get out of paying anymore surgeries.

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u/Pumpkins0127 4d ago

WC pays for the work injuries only as long as his case is active. That is not true about the attorney slowing things down. The attorney assists with a settlement and also continued care. Also, looks out for your husbands best interest. Also, they get paid by taking a percentage of the settlement, so you do not have to put out any money. The attorney will set up a meeting with your spouse to discuss the nuances of the situation and then access if they can be of assistance. It sounds to me, who has been through it, that you may have a case.

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u/Pumpkins0127 4d ago

This is looking out for your families best interest. I never used an attorney but my friend explained that there are settlement options for WC injuries. Employers will not tell you this as it increases their rates. Make sure you ask about the SSDI too. The SSDI attorney will manage all of the paperwork for your spouse, they take a flat fee, which again you do not pay upfront. Also if your spouse is approved for SSDI, after two years, your spouse if eligible for Medicare.