Out of work due to crash

Bummer to hear that!  You're return to work date would be based not only on the injury but the type of work you do, so it sounds like you don't do a desk job.  But still, being out that long for a broken collar bone that was plated seems like a long time. How long ago was the collar bone plated?  After having mine plated , I was back to riding / racing in about 6 weeks.  Is it possible to switch docs to one who'd be willing to release you sooner?   

Not sure what industry you’re in, but have you approached your employer about some form of light duty assignment? It’s possible it might not pay the same as your normal role, but most workplaces have administrative tasks that pile up because everyone is too busy to get to them day in and day out. You might offer to pick up that stuff and if approved, your doc might be inclined to sign you off for that work which would buy you more time, keep accruing PTO, etc.

You must do a pretty strenuous job. My doctor let me go back to work the day after he plated my collarbone on desk duty. 

Each state might be different, but from my past experience it was the employer that requested a doctors approval to return to work. Doctors signature may not be required.

A few months post op still seems like a long time even for your job that can be very strenuous. 

I have a desk job, so it might be differnet but both times I've missed work due to injury (collarbone and ACL), I basically told my doctor how much time I needed to miss or wanted to miss, and they just signed off on it. My ACL it could have been 3 months, I think, but I had them just do two weeks since that was the minimum requirement for short-term disability at my work. 

As long as you're physically able to do the job, your doctor should work with you or find another doctor who will. Now, if you can't do it, then you're SOL, and they're right holding you out. A month would have been more than enough time based on my collarbone plate surgery, so I'm assuming you would be fine. Maybe some pain here and there, but that's it. 

I lied and told the doctor I work at a desk. Went back to wrenching 2 days after my surgery.

Try another doctor maybe. It won’t help this time, but look into AFLAC accident insurance. I’m a first responder as well and I’ve had to use it quite a few times. Unfortunately we have the type of jobs that light duty isn’t possible, so we need to take steps to ensure we will be ok when the inevitable injury occurs. 

Think the doc makes it longer for you because he knows lives depend on your job ?  Maybe do some pushups in front of the doc or offer to do a physical test of some sort ? Sorry that sucks.  

*I would have thought with that job you'd get full pay until you're 100% ?, sucks they'll leave you hanging financially.  Good luck hope you're back to work soon  

I doubt they are "leaving him hanging".  No job pays 100% if you are on a leave of absence.   This is what short term disability benefits are for which is not the same as FMLA.  FMLA protects your job, short and long term disability pay you and generally around 60%.  You have to sign up for those along with other benefits.  The only way to get 100% would be to have your own supplemental insurance.  Even if you are injured at work, it does not pay 100%.

Get a second opinion, May is way too far out for a collarbone. I broke my shoulder blade and was only off work 6 weeks. 

IDK man....I broke my collarbone snowboarding at 35. Did not get it plated. Was back at work as a heavy plate fitter (think real heavy iron, swinging a hammer, pushing, pulling, lifting, etc .. ) in 6 weeks. Doc based my return to work on how I felt and x rays to show how it was healing. 

60% ? ouch.  I'm self employed so I wasn't sure how it worked. I used to race a guy who was a school teacher, he crashed and broke his femur. When I checked in with him a couple months after to see how he was doing I asked about the financial hit, he said nothing changed and he was getting his whole check. He was over 60 and been there for years maybe teachers are different or he had a supplemental policy. Now I know learn something everyday. Good luck OP !

Is this your surgeon? Or an occupational medicine person? Unless you've got something weird going on there's no reason to be off that long. Find a different doc. Your department should have medical director that might be willing to sign off as well. 

This is extremely strange and not normal medically.

I've tore my knee, had cadaver ligaments put in surgically and was off work 8 weeks and 3 days. I am a machinist and bend, pull, lift, am up and down machine platforms, moving all day.

Back surgery, had titanium plate and cage and "fake disc" put in. Missed 3 weeks

Two separate hernia surgeries. Missed 3 weeks.

Collapsed lung and 2 broken ribs, missed  5 days.

Full knee replacement, missed 8 weeks, 2 day.

Both shoulders, full reconstruction, Labrum, rotator cuff, bicep, (both Shoulders), missed 9 weeks.

Snapped femur at curvature going into hip. Two titanium rods and several screws. Missed 8 weeks.

I"m a husband and a father. Wife doesn't work. Our income is all based off me.  

This is just some of the injuries I've missed time from work because of motocross.

Never had a Dr yet dictate my return date. Every surgery listed, my return was based on my healing, and my input. 

OP: how and where did you sustain the injury? Is there a state agency (SDI, OSHA, etc.) managing your case? My wife became disabled after decades of data entry work and her thumb joint needed surgery and her employer made her use up all her sick leave before the state kicked in with State Disability Insurance that was about 60-80% of her normal salary.

Her case was managed by an SDI Dr. who kept evaluating her during recovery and rehab/PT.  My wife's surgery was not as restorative as advertised pre-op and PT kind of stalled out, but the SDI Dr attempted to send her back to work prematurely and filed her case as closed- cleared for return to work. Wife eventually had to hire a disability lawyer specializing in these denial cases. They sued SDI and eventually she was awarded full disability and retired from work.

Don't know if any of that applies to your situation, but these things can get compilated fast and hiring a lawyer is a last resort for us but they cut through the BS and got her taken care of.

Good Luck!

Dude. If I needed you as a fireman to help me in an emergency and you were not up to optimum health and could not give me proper assistance.how would that make you feel ?

I need to do a 6 day firefighting course to keep my masters ticket ,( marine captain ) current and we have to lift those dummy bodies out of ship type mockup and it is a physically demanding course so have some idea what you could expect during an emergency.

Plus if you rush a recovery it could affect you later in life with age and make all the things you enjoy more difficult or may have to stop all together.Life is short on this blue marble so make the most of it and be careful 

Try talking to your fire captain and see about administration work ,or do a supply inspection,  inspections of gear, truck maintenance schedule.wash floors, if you life at the station maybe be the housekeeping, cook.

It keeps the payroll coming in

I here you buddy, and i hope you get back to work soon.

Unfortunatly, I have had 5 major and many minor injuries as a family man, that wrecked havoc with finances.

Twice I was off work for over 16 weeks, these times I had to Refinance the home loan.

When you sit back and toal it up the losses are almost $100k? This is wages lost, does not include medical expenses.

You will find most issues can not  be claimed by income protection insurance.

As I type this I am again off work due to a total knee replacement, I return to work on this Monday after 6 weeks, wage and expenses $15k down the drain.

This is the main reason I no longer ride, we Love mx, but it sux.

Did he re x ray it? Demand that. A normal collar bone break without a plate is a 6 to 8 week heal. The plate is “the bone” while healing and I was told a collar bone is a non load bearing bone. Mine healed in the shape of a z, more than likely due to me only wearing a sling for a week then an evs shoulder brace for another couple weeks. 

Go for a second opinion I have quite a few buddies that are firemen EMTs here in Illinois and out in Minnesota one of my buddies out here in Illinois had a collarbone broken in four places plated it and got released to be back at full Duty 3 weeks in

And obviously your house is going to know what's going on so it's not like even if you're cleared for full Duty you're going to be the one pulling full Duty on any calls

Get to work kid!  

I’ve gone back to work numerous times with broken bones because of money.   If you’re going to be stupid you have to be tough.  

Do you work in an environment where if you don't perform, your team members and others might get killed? 

I broke my collarbone in October and couldn’t get surgery. I went back to lifting cabinets in 12 weeks. I don’t understand why they have you so far out especially with surgery. 

Most of the firefighters I know get paid to hangout way more than run life threatening calls 😂.

Yes.  Electrician.  
Not easy to work injured.  

And again since I have been stupid I’ve had to be tough.  

That might be true, but when you do get that call, you have to know that your team is fully capable. If you don't have confidence they'll be able to perform, you can't really do the job. 

That said, I do think the length of time the doc put him off for seems excessive. I mean really excessive. Thing is, none of us know how he's healing, what the doc has done for followup, etc... In my case, My collarbone was fully healed in 6 weeks. It hurt for about 6 more weeks after I went back to work, but it was healed and I could do the job.