You Shouldn’t Have to Pay for Treating Your Injury
One of the first things that should happen after you’re hurt on the job is that you see a doctor.
It should be a doctor of your choice. And your employer should pay for it.
In workers’ comp, you should never have to pay out of pocket for medical treatment for your workplace injury.
You should receive these benefits:
- Doctor visits at no cost to you
- Reimbursement for costs of traveling to doctors’ offices
- Reimbursement for prescriptions
If your clinic tries to charge you for medical care or your employer tries to make you go only to a company doctor you need someone to step in and protect your rights.
The experienced attorneys at Mitchell & Associates can keep your workers’ comp claim on track. We’ll provide an initial assessment of your case for free.
Why You Should Go to Your Own Doctor
When you’ve been hurt on the job, and now you’re Too Hurt To WorkTM, it might seem like your employer is just trying to make things easier by connecting you with a doctor.
Often, they’ll send you to their own clinic first. But after that, you should still go to your own doctor.
If you get stuck going to your employer’s doctor, it puts you at a disadvantage.
Company doctors are more likely to declare that nothing is wrong with you. They might try to rush your case, approving you to return to work too soon.
A lawyer who knows the workers’ comp system can make sure you get all the medical treatment you deserve.
How Do You Know What Doctor to See?
You also need to make sure you get a doctor who knows the workers’ comp system.
Workers’ comp has its own rules for medical treatment. All the care you receive has to follow the medical guidelines. These include certain forms doctors have to fill out at certain times.
Workers’ comp also has its own legal system, with its own courts and judges.
So you need both a lawyer experienced in workers’ comp — and a doctor who understands workers’ comp.
At Mitchell & Associates, we know how to work with local doctors and make sure they follow all the workers’ comp requirements.
We can connect you with doctors who will look out for your best interests.
And we can make sure you get medical treatment fast.
Other Workers’ Comp Benefits You Should Receive
Free medical care is one of three major forms of benefits you should receive after you’re hurt on the job.
You’re also entitled to these benefits:
- Indemnity Benefits, which pay you two-thirds of your salary up to a limit
- Vocational Rehabilitation, which is orientation for you to find a new kind of job, but no guarantees that you will get a job
Sometimes indemnity benefit checks come too slow. Sometimes caseworkers use vocational rehabilitation as a way of pushing you off indemnity benefits.
An experienced workers’ comp lawyer can intervene to make sure you get the medical treatment and other benefits you deserve.
