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James Martin's Lyme Disease Horror Story
How Lyme Disease and Exploitation of ERISA Laws Can Destroy A Life

The only prognosis worse than "poor" (my current prognosis) is "fatal."
Granted Social Security Disability during July, 1999.

It's Part And Parcel Of The Corporate Mentality

Talk about false advertising!!! During the recruitment cycle, the benefit plan is highly touted. Taking into account these "intangible benefits," the whole package appears to be quite attractive and competitive. It's only when you buy into it that you find it to be a hollow promise.

I'm quite sure there are other MRG employees with similar or worse horror stories. However, since the employee health benefit plan is part of your "compensation plan," not only are you discouraged from exploring these eventualities (class-action suit, anyone?) , the at-will nature of MRG's employment agreement makes discussing compensation matters a termination offense. It's even gotten to the point that Corporate Counsel directs you to restrict e-mail to their issues only.

I have nothing against Steak and Ale, Bennigan's, Ponderosa, or Bonanza. They are great places to eat; the staff is seriously motivated to serve the customer, and does so quite successfully. The "field" does a hell-of-a-job.

However, the corporate mentality prevails at the MRG Restaurant Support Center. True benefits paid are niggardly at best. Rather than do the right thing (take care of the employee), they watch and evaluate the bottom line. If they "save" the company cash, they are rewarded with management bonus plans. If they lose an employee ("our most important asset"), oh-well, hire another one.

If the employee pursues the benefits, the stalling tactics and "performance issues" surface. "He wasn't terminated or discriminated against for exercising his rights under ERISA, he just wasn't performing to expected level."

Funny how things work out that way. Once the pattern becomes evident that deliberate wrong-doing by the employer and TPA has occurred, they fold-up shop, reopen under a new name, even with the same principals in place. Start the record all over again.

The original intent of ERISA was to protect pension plans. The single-employer self-funded, MEWA, etc. health benefits were added as a not-too-well-thought-out afterthought. The specific exemptions provided a safe haven from State Laws. It is a well known fact that the States with the least restrictive incorporation laws have a concomitant increase in their "incorporated in ...." levels. Where States have experienced egregious employer behavior, specific laws to address this anti-social behavior were passed; to force the employer to do the right thing. ERISA superseded these protective Acts.

I'll update this page with any change in MRG or First Health actions. Just remember, the only prognosis worse than "poor" (my current prognosis) is "fatal." Let's just hope that at least one of the corporate-beings has a morals-attack.