I’ve gone to my personal physician for laryngitis. He says I have vocal strain and need to be on vocal rest. How do I file for Workers’ Comp and SWCI? Will the fact that I have already seen my doctor impact my ability to prove my case?

Your doctor will have to verify that your laryngitis is work-related. If that’s the case, you should file both medical and disability claims through Workers’ Compensation and you should file the paperwork with Equity to start your SWCI claim. Cases of vocal strain and other repetitive stress injuries tend to be rejected by insurance companies more frequently than acute injuries and you should be prepared to defend your case by showing your rehearsal and performance schedule and the amount of singing, shouting or other stressful vocal activities you perform in the production. (You should also be sure you haven’t been engaging in other activities that could have caused the strain; vocal cases have been lost because the Actor went out partying 2 or 3 nights a week or was seen at a baseball game screaming encouragement to his team!)