DH onWorkmans Comp and we're going broke

[NL1720]

Just thought I'd see if anyone has been in this situation. DH hurt his back at work and we should be getting WC payments after a while. I'm just wondering what do you do when you can't make ends meet anymore? I only make enough a month to pay our monthly mortgage payment and put "some" food on the table. If we can't pay our bills, then what? Last time he was hurt he was out for almost 2 years!

[Quaker_Parrots]

I would try to get assistance where I could (food stamps) Do you have any kids under the age of 5? If yes, I would apply for WIC. With just your income you should qualify. Can you refinance your mortgage?(to get a lower payment?) tighten down on everything, cut out all things you don't absolutely need(luxury items). SIgn up for as many mysteryshops as you can here is a good one, hubby is a member, they pay out once a month(the 20th I think) http://shopnchek.com/

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[NL1720]

Just a teenager in the house and I'm also caring for my 76 yr. old Mom here as well. We already refinanced our mortgage so that's done, I can't do mystery shops anymore because of the company I work for now - I service all major retail accounts. I thought about public aid, my Mom has her medical insurance and gets the Link card through them. I'd cut back on the cable internet service and my cell phone but I'm tied in with contracts.

[Quaker_Parrots]

Check with your cell phone provider. I have nextel. For $5 @ month(or it used to be that way) you could turn you phone to non working(they would save your number for you) Until you could afford service again.

[nanajoanie]

Try going to Social Services in your community. They can help in many ways and you don't have to give up your home, car, personal belongings, etc. And call all your creditors and let them know the situation and they will usually work with you. Do you have any family that can help you financially if your promise to pay them back? Good luck and especially for hubby and his back :)

[ahippiechic]

Hope things work out for you. My DH jus went back to work last month, from being on WC for almost 14 months. It's hard.

[Angelseyes28]

My hubby broke his back on the job back in '93 and your right....WC just doesn't cover everything. He was getting 66 2/3% of his weekly pay. I called EVERYONE that we owed, right down to the community water association and explained the situation. Every company was nice enough to work with me, including my morgage company. I paid only a certain percentage of the bill, and rest was just accumulated until he was able to go back to work. Took a while to get everything caught back up but it was way better than having utilites cut off, losing insurances or cars, house etc.
Wishing all of you the best of luck.

[Willow]

I'm sorry about your situation. :( I hope things get better soon.

[NL1720]

Thanks to everyone's reply. I'm trying not to consume myself with worry but it's hard not to think about bills when it's been your duty to write the checks out all the time. We've got a really cool lawyer - I'll have to ask his opinion too.

[queenangie]

Check w/ your insurance on your house & car....some insurances have special allowances if the breadwinner is unable to work due to illness, they cover the cost of the monthly payments.

[shelhop]

My dh has been off from work since April with a work related illness. It took 6 weeks for short term disability to kick in (the amount we get is less than 50%) and we're still fighting the system to get workman's comp to cover it, which would be slightly more money. By the time we got his first check, we were drastically behind,
His paycheck, along with my sporadic child support, was our only source of income. So it's been tough. First off, call your creditors. Tell them the situation. They will usually give you some time if you let them know, instead of avoiding them. And yes, go to social services. Apply for food stamps. There is no shame in that...and it takes a load off your shoulders knowing your family isn't going hungry. Tap into every available resource. That's what they're there for.
Of course, I don't know the specifics of your situation. For us, it's worked out for me to get a part time job. It pays minimum wage, but it's something. Just a little extra to help pay the bills. And there is one more thing that we're doing. Again, I don't know if this applies in any way to you, but my husband's illness was brought on by malicious intent. We recently looked into filing a lawsuit for damages, and found a lawyer that will work for us on contingency. (But not everyone's case is like ours...I don't know if that's even an option for you.)
Keep your chin up, and hang in there. Best of luck.