Chili's shooting survivor battles NYS Workers Compensation Board For Telehealth Access
May 20, 2022
(Photo and Excerpt Credit: CNYCnetral)
Thu May 19 2022Â - The woman who survived the 2018 killings at the Chili's restaurant in DeWitt says she's come a long way, thanks to therapy and medications. But she has a major bone to pick with the New York State Workers' Compensation Board, and she's not alone. Jessica Saum says the Board allowed her to see her therapist and her psychiatrist via telehealth during the pandemic, which has put her on a path where she sees a future beyond being the "Chili's survivor".
"I still have days when leaving the house is a challenge," Saum says. "If I need to switch my appointment, instead of going into [my doctor's] office, he's totally fine with doing it virtually, because he knows I still have days where I don't want to get out."
Saum and many others are puzzled and upset by a regulation the state Workers' Compensation Board is looking to change. It wants to require every third visit be in person. Her psychiatrist is in Binghamton. The therapy provided is working, and so are the medications prescribed by the doctor. She says forcing her to go in person would be a burden.
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