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When I get a Hispanic sign up, I'm told whether I need a translator or not. So, if I do, I have either Cynthia or Evelyn call the client with me.
We make an appointment and we say to them, "Well, Stan's gonna need a translator." Because we want to be absolutely sure we're hearing the right thing. Not trying to impress anybody.
What I found is that most Hispanics know a little English, feel uncomfortable speaking it to a gringle, okay. So, they prefer to have a translator.
So, I'll ask them, have a daughter, or a son, a sister, a wife, whatever it is. What I find interesting though, is that, while we sit around the kitchen table doing a sign up, so, I'm talking to the translator and the translator's translating to the client, but the client's shaking his head 'yes' and 'no' to questions because he understands what I'm saying.
And after about 10-15 minutes, I usually find, without exception, that now I'm talking directly to the client and the client's answering the questions.And, don't forget, I'm getting paperwork. There are a lot of the answers to my questions are on the paperwork. So, even if he can't explain it, if he has the paperwork.
So, what we say, what Cynthia and Evelyn usually say is, "Get all the paperwork." And, then they'll ask us, "Well, what do you mean by paperwork?" and we say, "A pay stub, a driver's license, a business card, doctor's paperwork, or hospital's paperwork."
Because all of the information, anything from an insurance company, anything at all, I can find something I can usually, I can show you, in fact, an example of any sign up that I ever bring in.
Paperwork will answer at least 70% of my questions. And, some things that, maybe, they don't know or don't have we'll find out anyhow. If you don't know the name of your Workers' Comp. insurance company, that's okay. 0:01:53.701, 0:02:03.001 Because your employer has it on record. And, we will ask the state, "What's the name of the employees Workers' Comp. insurance company?" And, we'll get an answer right back. So, some things they're not going to know. 0:02:03.001, 0:02:19.001 But, I'd never had a problem getting all of the information I need from, not just Hispanics, but anybody that doesn't speak. I've signed up all kinds of nationalities, all kinds of people. I feel that Evelyn or Cynthia are able to make our Hispanic clients very comfortable.
And, know what to expect from me. The Hispanic community in particular, not that all our clients are Hispanic; they're not, but Hispanic clients are received here with the respect that they deserve. And, they're able to communicate with the office because of the Hispanic people that work here.
A guy gets hurt and he's Hispanic and the client's employer thinks, well, he's not that smart. He doesn't even speak English. They don't even tell the Workers' Comp. insurance company.
So, that's problem #1. So, now we have to make the insurance company aware of it and when that happens, sometimes, the Workers' Comp. company will say, "We're awful sorry. We were never told." And, then they'll investigate the case. And quite often, I'm sure on Workers' Comp. will say, "Oh, okay." He went to the hospital.
He's got hospital documentation. He did make out an incident report. So, sometimes it's not the Workers' Comp. insurance company. Sometimes, the problem, quite often, the problem is the employer not telling the Workers' Comp. insurance company.
But, the bottom line is, if you got hurt on the job and you reported it to your employer, and you went to the emergency room, or you went to the company's doctor, and you did everything right, and the Workers' Comp. insurance companies denied it just because they want to deny it, then we have a problem with the Workers' Comp. insurance company. And, has that happened? Yes. Has it happened a lot? Yes.
Because their job is not to pay you. Anybody that thinks about insurance should understand one thing, when you buy insurance, whether it's for a car, or for a building, or for a Workers' Comp. insurance, you're only buying a piece of paper.
And, that piece of paper cost about 3 cents or maybe a nickle. And, that $2,000 that you're paying for that policy, is going into the insurance company's pocket. Now, when you get hurt, you're messing up the whole system. Because, now that same $2,000 is coming out of their pocket is going to pay your doctor bills and your prescriptions and your physical therapy.
Well, they don't want to do that. So, will the insurance companies do that because of that reason? Yes. We've seen it a thousand times, not a hundred, but a thousand times or many thousands of times because this all about money. And, so you need to be protected because you're not going to beat the insurance companies at a hearing.
If you go to a hearing, the judge is going to say to you, "Mister (so & so), who's your attorney?" Because, if you've ever been to a Workers' Comp. hearing, you would notice a lot of attorneys in the place.
And, they call your name, but you don't have an attorney with you, most judges, Workers' Comp. judges will say, "Where's your attorney?", "I don't have one, your honor." , "Well, okay. Come back in 3 weeks with an attorney."
Because you're not going to beat an insurance company. You don't have the first idea what he's gonna say. So, you need an attorney sometimes. Should you need an attorney? Absolutely not. If you get hurt on the job and you really got hurt on the job and you did everything right, there's no way in the world you should need an attorney. But, unfortunately, you do.