Your Doctor's Role In Your Workers' Compensation Claim

If you ever get injured at work, then it's essential to get correct and timely treatment. The obvious reason for this is to help you get well. However, your doctor also has important roles to play in your workers' compensation claim. Here are four examples of these roles:

Determining the Duration You Need Off From Work

The more you stay away from work, the more workers' compensation benefits you receive in terms of weekly compensations. Also, don't forget that your employer will not derive any benefit from his or her relationship with you while you are recuperating at home. At the same time, you may feel that you need as much time as possible to recover from your injuries. This puts your doctor under pressure. On one hand, you want a lengthy recovery period, and on the other hand, the other parties want you to get back to work as soon as possible.

Connecting Work and Injuries

One of your doctor's most important jobs is to determine the relationship between your injuries and your work. This may be a straightforward or complicated affair, depending on the nature of your injuries and work. For example, if you are a truck driver who gets cut up by glass during an auto accident, it may not be difficult to determine what caused your injuries. However, it may not be that easy to connect assembly worker's job with his or her repetitive strain injuries.

Determining the Nature of Your Treatment

Remember, one of the benefits of workers' compensation is to pay for your medical bills. The scope and nature of treatment you receive determines the amount of these bills. Your doctor determines whether you need physical rehabilitation, chiropractic care or any other forms of specialized treatment that your regular physician may not offer. The more specialized treatment you receive, the more costly your medical bills may get.

Establishing the Extent of Your Disabilities

Lastly, if you are disabled as a result of your work-related injuries, then it's your doctor's responsibility to determine the scope of your disability. He or she is the one who determines whether you are partially or totally disable, or whether your disabilities are temporary or permanent. These distinctions have a bearing on the benefits you receive, and for how long.

As you can see, your treating doctor plays a big role in your workers' compensation claim. That's why it's essential to be honest with him or her, avoid speculations on your injuries, and avoid giving guesswork answers during consultation or treatment sessions.    

For further assistance, contact a local workers' compensation attorney, such as one from The Law Offices of Gregg Durlofsky.

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