FAQ #1 What's the petition about? The Friends of Karrie petition seeks immediate enforcement of medical and disability benefits awarded Karrie Vickery in 2003 for the Traumatic Brain Injury she sustained on August 11 1992 while working as a store manager for Bed Bath & Beyond in Deerfield, IL. The goal of this public awareness campaign is to put pressure on Bed Bath & Beyond to comply with the 200
3 court order that awarded Karrie lifetime medical and disability income benefits. Bed Bath & Beyond raises funds and advocates for the Head Injury Association of NY, a group that advocates for people who've sustained Traumatic Brain Injuries to receive early, lifetime treatment and services as well as for their caregivers and families to be supported so they all may have a dignified life. We trust the HIA will use their influence to ensure Bed Bath & Beyond provides this same early, lifetime treatment and services to their traumatic brain injured-employees. It is urgent that the HIA do so because Bed Bath & Beyond stopped paying for Karrie's medical care in September 1992 while she was hospitalized for her injuries. On October 11, 1992 all of her benefits came to a screeching halt based on a report written for the employer that directly and purposefully contradicted her treating physician's clinical findings and evidence that she needed care and was unable to perform simple daily living tasks, let alone work. She waited 11 years for the court to decide this matter, lingering in a house-bound state with a poor quality-of-life because Bed Bath & Beyond denied her the medical care they knew she needed to recover from this traumatic brain injury and induced endocrine dysfunction. On April 17, 2003 the Appellate Court upheld the order on final review. Bed Bath & Beyond, however, did not begin paying for her injuries as ordered. Instead they continued the same unreasonable and vexatious conduct - denying all medical benefits and reducing/delaying disability benefits. - that warranted reviewing judges to apply the remedies of maximum penalties, interest and attorney fees to prevent these delays from continuing. By the fall of 2010 Karrie's doctors found her destabilized, in a severely ill and decompensated condition and informed her that, without comprehensive medical treatment for all her injuries and induced conditions, she would not survive more than a few months. Karrie followed the directions provided by her doctor and the court and requested emergency enforcement of medical and disability benefits. The Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission ignored her emergency request for enforcement, made demands beyond her functional capacity and then used that as evidence against her. The commission then heard, and approved, motions by the employer to terminate the lifetime order against them, and by her former attorney to withdraw without notice or time for new counsel to be effective. The commission's flurry of demands brought on repeated adrenal and hypertensive crisis that necessitated Karrie withdraw from any further activity. Her condition worsened over the following weeks and her doctor ordered her to rest or risk her life. The FOK petition goals include the following:
* re-instate and enforce the court's order for lifetime medical and disability income benefits
* ensure benefits so she can see the medical specialists and complete the treatment needed to save her life
* ensure providers receive prompt, full reimbursement so treatment is not interrupted
* ensure back due benefits are paid immediately
* ensure weekly benefits are paid on time so she can afford a home and a car
* ensure she has a home so she can obtain a working animal to accommodate her disability
* ensure patient advocate will be paid promptly for services
* ensure all the above so her husband can use his studio for work [not living], return to work as a composer and earn a good wage that allows them both to live with dignity. FAQ #2 Don't injured workers get medical care for injuries? In Karrie's case, the employer - Bed Bath & Beyond - has denied and delayed necessary medical care since the day she sustained a traumatic brain injury. While Karrie was hospitalized a few weeks after the injury, Bed Bath & Beyond cancelled her disability medical coverage and income, placing the financial burden of this catastrophic injury on her and her new husband. FAQ #3 Does she have medical coverage now? In 2001 the Illinois Industrial Commission's Permanency Hearings and Administrative Review were concluded, finding that Karrie was permanently totally disabled and awarding lifetime medical care and disability income to her as a judgment against her employer. When the Appellate Court upheld the order in 2003, Bed Bath & Beyond's "unreasonable and vexatious conduct" of delaying necessary medical benefits was penalized and Karrie’s awarded benefits were to commence within 30 days. Bed Bath & Beyond stopped medical coverage three months after losing their appeal in the Appellate Court and haven't paid or reimbursed one cent since then. FAQ #4 Why would Bed Bath & Beyond refuse to comply with the court order? Follow the money. The average cost of medical care for one traumatic brain injury was $4 million in 2007 [The Invisible Wounds of War, RAND, 2008]. In stark contrast, Bed Bath & Beyond, by delaying hearings for so many years, reimbursed only $54,000 in medical expenses for an eleven year period, which is the most Karrie could pay out of pocket. They are engaging in the same tactic now. Bed Bath & Beyond has to know, in light of past judgments against them, that they will not get away with denying Karrie’s medical expenses forever. By refusing to pay for her current medical care, Bed Bath and Beyond avoids paying for what is required to treat her late-stage condition. When the courts resolve this non-compliance the most Bed Bath & Beyond will have to pay out is the reimbursement for what Karrie can afford herself, which is significantly less. FAQ #5 So how can I help?
1) Sign the petition asking Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to enforce the order that took eleven years to decide, affirm and uphold:
http://www.change.org/petitions/illinois-governor-pat-quinn-restore-justice-to-traumatic-brain-injured-worker-karrie-vickery
2) Share this petition with your friends and family:
http://www.change.org/petitions/illinois-governor-pat-quinn-restore-justice-to-traumatic-brain-injured-worker-karrie-vickery
3) Like this page: http://facebook.com/friendsofkarrie
4) Help Friends of Karrie reach out to other grass-roots organizations and journalists
