I'm going to address this in sections.


"I"m not familiar with too many lump sum cases, since long-term disability is usually paid as something like 65% of proveable taxable income (since it is tax free, paying a higher percentage than that would be a raise for many people).

In the case that the insurance company tried to give me a lump sum, you don't have to just have to accept whatever they offer.  In a major case, like lifetime lost income, you get a decent lawyer and get what you are owed.  "

I'm aware I don't have to accept what they offer, but here in Canada, not sure about the States, most lawyers want some $3000 retainer, something I'm in no position to pay, no lawyer I know of works on a "You get paid when we get paid" basis, well they do, but you still have to pay that retainer first.

"In your case, it sounds like unfortunate circumstances, but I'm not seeing how the critical accident insurance on your car purchase is their fault.  I've never even heard of that coverage, so maybe it's a Canadian thing, but if they failed to disclose something they were legally obligated to disclose (again, doesn't sound like the insurance company's problem, so much as the car dealership's problem), you are probably owed at least a refund on any premium that was paid."

The insurance company was given the same finaicial information as the Dealership, and proceeded reguardless of being stated on said documents that I worked at this job for only 3 weeks at this time. So I'm holding the insurance company liable for that one, it's not the dealerships job to know the ins and outs of a seperate insurance company.

"For the WCB it sounds like you really need to get a lawyer.  If you actually have PTSD and are physically unable to do the job due to your hand, it sounds like a decent lawyer could get that dealt with easily."

Read the first.

"EDIT TO ADD:
regarding lump sums... if you do the math, that lump sum will, on average, generate the amount of lost income you're talking about over the long term (at lower than average long term stock market rates), if you invest it and leave it invested, so in the actuarial sense it is an equivalent amount of money."

I can agree to that, but why should I have to invest something I would otherwise be able to earn, just to make it equate to what I would actually earn being completely healthy. Does somewho who works their full time and suffers no injury have to invest anything so they earn what they would have otherwise earned not injured? No, if they invest their earnings, they get additional over and above earnings from it, not compensable earning to replace what you would otherwise make.

It is not the job of insurance to make you 100% whole (or better than whole) either financially, or otherwise.  If that is your expectation it is not aligned with reality. (insurance is to mitigate your losses, not eliminate them)

In fact, $150k invested over 30 years is closer to $1.5MM (at 8% average) to $2.6MM (at 10% average) which has definitely happened over the long term and is probably what their actuarial tables are based on.

PROBABLY, there was an option to get an on-going payout that was the equivalent to the lump sum, based on similar numbers, above.

I can sympothize with you on that, but that doesn't change the fact that your dad was the one that went through it, not you, you simply felt some of the aftershocks of what he experienced, you yourself never experienced it.

I'm not saying this to try to deminish your experience from this, or to disqualify your experiences as real, but their not real in the areas you seem to believe they are. My wife lives with me, as does my child, they see what I go through every day, trying to get dressed, fix breakfast for myself, etc, things that I find to be real challanges now because I have only 1 functional finger on one of my hands, yet despite them seeing what I go through, the expressions of pain on my face as my hand seizes up due to whatever reason. They still freely admit that they can't even begin to understand what I'm going through, simply because they've never been through it.

Yup, they call those Pension payouts, you receive monthly installments of the total payout until you would otherwise retire.

I'm sorry that you mistook a post that was meant to be encouraging as attempting to somehow one-up you or claim that I personally went through what you're going through.

No no, that's not how I took it at all.

I was simply explaining to you that experiencing something, and watching someone else experience something are 2 completely different things, and the watcher will never truly understand, even if the experience effects them as well, that's all I was saying.

I hope you didn't take it as an insult, or as stated before, that I was trying to diminish your experience. But quite often encouragement can be taken the wrong way when dealing with disabilities, specially when someone is compared to someone else, just a heads up.

Edit:

Here's a story, this is a true story, and part of it is related to me.

Several years ago, I had heard of an individual who was on WCB (I call them the Workers Crusification Board) suffering from a life long injury, one that actually prevented him from getting out of bed most days. This individual ended up going to the WCB office in my very city, with a rifle. He snapped. I thought to myself when I heard this "This guy is nuts, completely psycho" and dismissed it as another crazy.

Well, a few years pass, and I find myself injured, and on WCB with a lifeling disability. I find my sanity is slipping as I'm forced to deal with WCB, and the idiocy that reigns supreme over them. I find myself now, only now, several years after I originally thought "Wow, that guy is nuts, completely psycho" do I find myself understanding why he did what he did, while I don't condone his actions... I understand the point that these kind of people can push you to. Only then, when I myself experienced it, could I truely appriciate the REALITY behind the situation that occured many years prior that had nothing to do with me at the time.

Some experinces need to be had to understand, and without having the experiences, comparing them to something else is kindof an insult. Not that I actually took it that way in this instance.

For all of the WCB horror story aspect of this... is individual long-term disability insurance not available in Canada?

I've seen the payout sheets for worker's comp in the USA, and they get pretty grisly with putting value on specific portions of specific body parts.
But that isn't really insurance you are "buying" yourself like long term disability insurance would be (where you can get coverage that guarantees full payout if you are unable to do your exact job that you were covered for).



EDIT:  and I am sorry if you took it as an insult, but I don't think it is insulting to suggest that I personally know an extremely talented woodworker that still does his job with multiple missing fingers on one hand.  That seems REALLY similar to your situation.

It is, but not when dealing with being injured at work so to speak. Alot of long term disability insurances have disclaimers stating that if it happens at work and is covered by WCB that it's not payable, or is only partially payable, so once you get injured at work, your essentially screwed in that respect.

I wasn't refering to the woodworker, I was refering to your dad and his situation, and how it has effected you.

However, in regards to the woodworker, while the injury itself is similar, you have to consider experience, you say this man is extremely experienced with woodworking. I on the other hand, was injured after only 6 months of experience woodworking, and still suffer shutters and flashbacks of that day to this day, particularely when I see or hear a saw of any kind. In addition to that, this woodworker appears to me to have been of healthier mental state than I was before my accident or now after the fact.

The individual variables that lay benieth are the true factors, not the completely visable condition that's apparent to anyone, be it friend or stranger.

With that being said, comparing one persons condition to anothers can, and often is, taken as an insult, even if on the surface both conditions appear the same.

Variables you havn't considered in your annalysis is recreational activites over your friends, his is likely woodworking, mine was music and games, to be more specific, Guitar and games.


Again tho, I never said I was insulted, I simply stated that it can, and in most cases is, taken as insulting, because the comparison itself is the insult, not the injury one is being compared to.

In the USA, if it is partially payable by another source (workman's comp, SSDI, etc) then they still pay the difference up to the policy limit.



The woodworker I mentioned was injured when he was still an apprentice.  Granted, his injury was not actually woodworking related (he lost fingers in a couple of unrelated accidents - so any mental trauma was not job related)

The point was that even with missing fingers he was still able to become a master woodworker. (so if you come to terms with the trauma, people have managed to do highly skilled work with their hands, even with missing fingers).  

Not saying that you would go back to woodworking, though, since there is clearly some serious psychological impact from what happened.


And I'm seriously not trying to minimize your situation, because I definitely wouldn't want to lose any number of fingers, if I could avoid it.  


Since your game hobby is very likely inhibited using standard controllers, have you considered contacting Ben Heckendorn about working with him to develop a controller that can be used by people missing fingers on one hand?  He has done some interesting designs in the past, and I thought I read that he was trying to get into that kind of work on a more regular basis, with a humanitarian purpose.

I've often thought about this sort of thing but figured it's always been outside of my financial abilities, as custom things often tend to cost more.

I totally agree about overcoming adversity, I just havn't really been given the time to come to terms with things, and move on to figure out other potential passions. The largest portion of my gaming that has been effected is the retro gaming, I've purchased recently an adapter that allows me to use the PS2 controller on my SNES console, but a controller that's tailored to my specific needs would be nice, as the paddles are difficult to use, and the original controllers have buttons directional pads that irritate my stub thumb, I wasn't aware that there was someone with reputation in this area. Thanks for the tip, I'll contact him.

Anything analog seems to be somewhat doable, depending on where the analog stick is located, it can't be too far from the side of the controller on the left, for obvious reasons. I'm currently playing GTA5 so I'm not totally disabled in the gaming area, just have to stop frequently as my hand tenses up fairly quickly.

As for the American Insurance systems, they have been under scrutiny for quite some time, so there may have been revamps to how they operate, but I know here in Canada, the same techniques used, or used to be used, by American Insurance companies to deny entitlements is being employed here in Canada.

The biggest problem is there is no government agency that mediates WCB in any way shape or form, their self regulating and can essentially write their own law into policy. This portion has been confimed by my MLA (Local Politician)

benheck.com was his website. You should be able to contact him there, or find a motivated amateur on his forums.


On my drive home I got to thinking about a guitar attachment that would let you finger chords with one finger.
You would probably have to do one device pre configured for each compatible set of 3 or 5 related chords, so it will inhibit any aspirations of playing free jazz... But it seems like a device that if it worked there would be a tween market for that would make it worth commercializing.

A person could still get the satisfaction of doing individual string picking and not just play rhythm guitar.

I know they have those Bars, but I think if we're going to continue the discussion, it should be via PM's as it's WAAAAAY off topic lol, has been for a while. Back to shipping.

I'm tired of your liberal treat me fair crap in this post. The sooner u wake up and realize life isn't fair the better off you will be I am assuming by your post your about 16 or 17. Grow up.

With a reply like this, I really hope you just knee-jerked after one of his earlier posts and didn't actually get to the part where he says he's a 30-something working dad that lost most of his fingers on one hand in a tragic table saw accident...

I was thinking more along the lines of some kind of mini-keyboard where you pressed individual buttons that would mechanically actuate fully fingerings. (like a simplified hand)

And I care that you're tired? Just a second while I put on my caring face...

I'm 32 btw, hows about you stop trolling, I notice it was almost a full 24 hours from the time I posted last to the time you posted, did you sit that entire time thinking of a way to say what you said? You had no reason to say what you said other then to stem an argument, which BTW, if you check the rules, isn't allowed.

What you said wasn't in light of Debate.. no... it was an attack on me personally, which is a violation of forum rules.... Learn to read?

Interesting, never considered that.