Do I *have* any options? Worker's comp injury long term re-occuring
workers compensation attorney New Jersey Jul 21, 2026
Location: New Jersey and North Carolina, US The background context: I was injured at work in NJ ( Monmouth county) in 2024. I went through workers comp. The employer became verbally hostile toward me (publically, recorded on camera), would not honor the doctor's prescribed limitations and when I was finally cleared to partially return they would not allow me to go back to work. (And physically threatened me at the local bar while he was drunk...) I meticulously documented everything (I am also officially diagnosed by a doctor with audhd and cptsd- I take obsessive notes) I contacted the NJ Bar Association for direction. They directed me to both a discrimation lawyer and a worker's comp lawyer (several of each). I contacted all of them, did intake with all of them (and more) - all of the worker's comp lawyers said they couldn't take the case because a discrimination lawyer was needed. All of the discrimination lawyers said they could not take the case because I needed a worker's comp lawyer. I eventually ran out of people to call (who take pro-bono work, as I am very poor and don't have any family to help pay for legal representation or keep mehouswd while I do it myself without a reliable income source) This became overwhelming after a few months (2 conflicting sets of directions neither of which seems to work to achieve the desired goal plus autism= autistic burn out, threat of being homeless again and a man threatening me every time I saw him- as a survivor of severe domestic violence/attempted murder = severe cptsd symptoms -I am also under the care of a doctor for these diagnoses and all of this is documented by her and not exaggerated- she explained to me that she was seeing this, I did not come up with it on my own) I was left still injured, no job, no other restauraunt will hire an already injured chef- and I got a call from a friend asking me to go do emergency response for Helene (I coordinated localized food security support in Union Beach/the Bayshore region of NJ after Sandy and have certifications and off grid cooking gear to do these responses- long story but I am not just a chef but a food soverignty/mutual aid activist who does a ton of volunteer work all over rhe countey with orgs like World Central Kitchen etc) so I went to NC to at least volunteer (to explain the resume gap while doing some good to heal myself mentally)until I was healed and employable again. I never fully healed. I relocated to NC temporarily after being offered longer-term work during the recovery/rebuild process post-Helene- so I live in Swannanoa/Black Mountain NC for now due to work but am still a resident of NJ (only way to keep my health insurance plus I do not intend to relocate here permanently- I am here for work) The repeated re-injury: This past January (Jan 2026) I was re-injured at an off the books side gig for a small local business trying to get back on its feet (they misled me to believe I was on the books then when I got hurt suddenly I was not and was let go). I did not pursue anything so as not to harm their recovering business. Then re-injured again in late June 2026 while running an event kitchen for a nonprofit organization I work with. I had to work 12 back to back brutal 14 hour days on my injured arm (first 2 weeks of July) before I could seek medical attention beyond our on staff nurse/paramedic (no one else on staff could run my kitchen if I left- couldn't just leave 300 people who paid to be fed without food- I take my chef title seriously) I informed the nonprofit I was injured and required accomodations but none were given and I was not taken seriously, ignored and given conflicting directions about how to proceed. I finally had time to submit an official report via email on the last day of the event- I went to urgent care once I returned home from the event and my work was over. It is the same Injury that never healed properly according to the doctor I saw yesterday who referred me to a hand specialist. (Original diagnosis was contusion to radial nerve at elbow) The current situation: I am currently unable to work (for myself as a private chef/LLC) unable to find another job in my field (all require the full use of my right arm) and am about to run out of my meager savings and end up homeless AND lose my health insurance (tied to employment) if I don't figure something out. (I only started my LLC less than a year ago and do not have it fully set up to insure myself yet because I am poor and need to build my personal credit to get business credit so that is where i am in the process right now. I am not actually using/working under my llc yet) It seems like I can't re-open the worker's comp case because I'm in a different state and it has been over a year. But it is clearly the same injury from the case. The questions: How do I even begin to navigate this? What options do I even have? The doctors said that if I don't let the Injury fully heal finally before going back to work and re-Injuring it again that it may cause permanent loss of strength/mobility in my right arm/hand which would make me permanently unable to work in my field of 22+ years that is a field very dear to my heart that I've worked very hard to establish myself in. How do I get the care I need? Is it even worth it to try to re-open the old worker's comp case in NJ again? Does this now become a new case in a new state? Is it even possible or have I 'fallen through the cracks' in the system and am just screwed with no hope of support? (That is basically what this sub advised me back in 2024 when I posted for help navigating discrimination vs workman's comp- Shlitz creek, no paddle) Does me being female factor in? Do people just assume I can't possibly have a job that requires such constant brutal physical labor because of my gender and that's why no one seems to be taking me seriously? ( I actually have a medical problem where my body doesn't register pain normally so I can take MORE pain and more anesthesia than the average male my size, funny enough. I am also a 'big girl' who is by default physically stronger than many men of smaller build I work with so the heavy lifting usually falls to me) Does the fact that I am diagnosed with autism factor in? Is that why no one seems to take me seriously?- communication issues and stigma of those communication styles (I don't 'look' or 'seem' autistic, just super socially awkward to most people) compounded with the 'neurospicy self diagnosis' trend- everyone assumes I'm just making it up or using it as an excuse?) Does the fact that I am poor, single and have no family to rely on for support factor in? When I mention this context people seem to assume I'm 'making up' or 'exaggerating' my injuries and lack or support to 'get something for free' ..... but I am very much minimizing my needs (according to my doctor) , telling the truth and love my job/business very much and just want to move on with my life and heal and go back to my normal work routine (it is actually super disruptive to NOT be working as an audhd person who needs that routine to regulate my nervous system) Help? Any advice at all is appreciated. I just don't even know how to begin navigating all of this efficiently. Where do I even start? I need help finding the ends of the string so I can untie the knots. How do I follow the doctor's directions without becoming homless and losing my access to medical care altogether? The scream into the void: I have no family or anyone I can stay with for free. I MUST be able to bring in income for myself to stay housed and fed. I made too much on the books last year to qualify for food stamps (just barely) unless I claim homelessness/unemployment (which will make me loose my health insurance) I don't own a new enough vehicle to just drive for doordash, I don't own a good enough computer or have enough 'tech' experience to be hired for most remote jobs (i am working part time at one remote job but it's not enough to pay my bills/rent and without paying for internet I lose that job too. My computer is a hand me down that only works when plugged in, is missing keys and keeps crashing so i will need to replace it asap to even continue working that job) I am too poor to buy/rent/lease a new vehicle, a new computer or to go back to school. I am a 38 year old woman- too old it seems to be hired to an entry level position in a new field- I have been trying all of these things to the point of exhaustion. Do I try to apply for disability again? I have been denied once (for a seperate permanent injury to the leg that happened 'off the clock' in a bad accident in 2014- I have a leg that permanently only functions about 80% normally due to severe nerve damage and physical trauma... it was partially severed at the knee and reattached via multiple surgeries that left me unable to walk for a year or so). If my much more severe leg injury was denied by disability what are the chances of this arm injury qualifying? Or is it true that everyone gets denied the first time and you just have to keep re-applying over and over? Will the combinattion of 2 physical injuries AND audhd/cptsd/fibro myalgia/dorsal vagal shutdown finally be enough in combination? (My therepist has been telling me I qualify just due to these diagnosis but I have not applied because disability would micromanage my care choices, potentially require me to take medications against my will, change my doctors and limit my financial/life/career choices in a way that honestly seems like it would harm/punish me/cause further problems more than it helps me heal) It seems like the system just expects me to die once I can no longer be physically exploited for my labor. I know that sounds bleak, but as a 'milennial' it just seems to be the predicament of my entire generation. I am in so much pain, I am so exhausted and scared. I just want to heal and go back to work. Thank you for reading. Appologies that this post is so long. TLDR Workman's comp injury keeps coming back. Seems impossible to get medical treatment without becoming homless. Am I just having difficulty navigating the system because I am autistic and misunderstanding the unclear/conflicting directions? Help?
