Insurance companies legit, only want what’s worse for you if it saves them money -Australia-

Obviously the title won’t shock anyone, but here’s my rant.

Had a proper bad car accident a few years back and it’s completely knocked me out of the workforce. Ended up with serious nerve damage and early-onset arthritis… in my early 30s, of all things. Bit of a cruel joke, really.

The career I trained for had me on my feet all day—fast-paced, high-pressure, no sitting down, and I bloody loved it. I’ve always been the type to work with my hands and stay moving, not stuck behind a desk staring at a screen.

Gave re-training a crack, tried to shift into something that suited my mobility… but the pain’s only gotten worse. Now it’s been diagnosed as CRPS, and honestly, it’s left me pretty stuffed. I’m on disability—not proud of it, but I’m bloody grateful it exists.

Truth is, I’m unemployable. The pain’s unpredictable, the symptoms are all over the place, and it’s in my leg. Some days it’s dead numb, other days it feels like fire ants chewing through me from the inside. And unless I want to load up on meds and turn into a complete drongo, the only other option is invasive, permanent surgery that’s no guarantee to help.

So I figured it was time to put in for TPD through my super. Had everything lined up—reports, documentation, the lot. Should’ve been a slam dunk.

But here’s where it all goes pear-shaped: volunteer work.

When you’re a stubborn, hard-working bugger, you can’t just lie around doing nothing all day. It does your head in. You need some kind of purpose, yeah? Even though I’m not exactly reliable or punctual anymore, I picked up a small volunteer gig—something mostly seated—just to give myself a reason to get out of the house. This was actually recommended by my therapist, who could see I needed something to keep me going.

We had it all backed up too—orthopaedic specialist, psych, pain specialist—all of them clearly stating this volunteer work wasn’t proof I could hold down a real job. It was just about getting me out and giving life a bit of meaning again.

And what does the super do? Reject the claim.

Apparently, volunteer work = I can work full-time, no worries. And because I’m in my 30s, I’ve got “plenty of time” to find another job.

Yeah, righto.

Absolute pack of c*nts. Anyone else been stitched up like this?