Back in 2018 I worked for a Christian ministry that served individuals with mental disabilities, generally autism, in a multi-group home setting. In retrospect, it was an awful place. We got paid barely above minimum wage, worked weirdly split hours throughout the day, were not given any benefits, and were at risk from being physically harmed by the residents. I didn't realize it at the time, as I was freshly married and happy to be getting any work I could.
I worked in a home that had four guys living in it. Due to their capacities, I needed to cook them dinner every night. It was a special night where we were having chicken nuggets for dinner (they generally made us eat incredibly healthy). Three of the guys were home. They had their fill and we were winding down for the rest of the evening. One of the other guys worked at a local video store and was coming home late. I had reserved quite a bit of dinner for him, as he generally has a large appetite and I knew he'd be excited. However, I made one grave mistake. I knew he always wanted seconds. It didn't matter how large the portion he received was or how much was given during seconds. He always needed seconds, and I gave him all the food from the start.
When asked for seconds, I had to explain to him there was none. He went into a bit of rage, which I was accustomed to, as we often were the punching bags for those that were unable to control their outbursts. He jumped me and tried to tear my shirt in half (that was his thing). I grabbed his arms to hold him, but he began to fall towards a corner. I slowly lowered him down, so he wouldn't get hurt. All of a sudden I heard him make a zombie noise, and he bit me. He took a quarter sized chunk out of my arm.
I called the director and informed her of what had happened. I was instructed to go to the closest urgent care, get taken care of, and then give them all the documentation for works comp. They said they would handle everything from there, and that's where I went wrong. I ended up getting a TDAP shot and was put on the heaviest antibiotics they had. A couple days went by and everything seemed fine. The guy who bit me will still apologize to me to this day for doing it, and I don't hold it against him in the slightest. I wish I could go visit him still, but I was burned too bad by this ministry that I'm not allowed to go to the house anymore.
I ended up leaving after a year and a half for an office job that paid 1.5x what I was making, gave me benefits, and was a consistent and normal work schedule. After about a year from leaving the ministry, I went to apply for a mortgage with my wife. When my credit was pulled, they declined the mortgage. I was confused, as I've never gone to collections for anything. The only debt I have is federal student aid, which was in deferment. I looked through my credit report and there was unpaid medical debt. I traced back the debt based on the time frame, and it was around when I had gotten bit. I called the ministry and grilled into them, asking why it was never paid for by workers comp and questioning why they never told me. I was given some dismissive answers, and they said they'd take care of it. I believed them.
Fast forward another year. I got a final notice from a collection agency, and my stomach dropped. The agency was trying to collect on the medical debt. I absolutely lost it at this point. I called the agency and explained what was going on. They were apprehensive initially but asked me to investigate it and send them what I had. I called the ministry once again. I've never yelled at anyone the way I yelled at them. Apparently the person who would have been taking care of the workers comp was no longer employed there. Everyone there was acting like they had never heard of this (some of them I had joked with in person about getting bit and were fully aware of it). They said there was no proof of it happening and they had no documentation. I sifted through every email and paper folder I had until I found the evidence. I had a thread of emails with the workers comp form filled out, sent to them, and them acknowledging what happened. I submitted the appeal to the collections agency, they accepted it. I called the ministry back and threatened to sue them for all they were worth if they didn't handle it. Thankfully they didn't call my bluff and it was settled there. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my credit score fixed, but there was no longer any debt.
Moral of the story: Never trust your employer. They will lie and screw you in any way they can. Always follow up on anything that can affect you. They will do everything they can to shirk responsibility. Hold them accountable protect yourself.
TL;DR
I was injured on the job. I was lied to about workers comp covering it. Went to collections and it hurt my credit.