There are 540 workplace injuries every hour in the United States.
Not all of these are serious; many of these workers may return to work in a couple of days. However, many more require extensive medical care.
If you’ve been injured at work, workers’ compensation should cover your medical bills. However, you may have to undergo a workers’ comp doctor evaluation.
Keep reading to learn more about these evaluations and what this process will look like for you.
What Is Workers’ Compensation?
If you suffer an injury at work, you will be entitled to payments in respect of resulting medical bills and lost wages. These payments are known as workers’ compensation.
The rules on workers’ compensation vary from state to state. However, employers are liable for medical expenses in most cases, as well as a portion of your lost earnings.
Because these payments can be considerable in many cases, a lot of employers take out workers’ compensation insurance.
What Is a Workers’ Comp Doctor Evaluation?
Disputes are common in workers’ compensation cases. Because insurers need to avoid paying out on premiums wherever possible to remain profitable, they have a huge incentive to challenge claims.
A workers’ comp doctor evaluation is an independent medical assessment. It will comment on how serious your injuries are and how closely they relate to your workplace activities.
If the doctor finds that your injuries are less serious than you make out, or that they did not result entirely from work, this may damage your claim.
Your employer will usually specify the doctor you are to attend. They may also give you a choice between a limited number of doctors.
If they fail to do this, you are usually free to pick your own workers’ comp physician.
What to Expect During Your Evaluation
There are a number of questions that a workers’ comp doctor may ask you to assess the veracity of your claim.
These will include details of your activities at work, or of the accident through which you sustained your injury. They may also inquire about your lifestyle outside of work.
You should remember to notify the doctor that you are planning to claim workers’ compensation if they don’t already know. They may ask you for details in relation to this, such as your claim number.
Remember, the doctor is an independent party. There’s no need to exaggerate your claim in order to ensure that you get compensation.
Making Sure You Get the Care You Need
Suffering an injury at work can be a difficult enough experience by itself. Having to face a workers’ comp doctor evaluation is an extra inconvenience for many people.
However, if you know what you’re going into, there’s nothing to fear. Follow the advice we’ve shared here and you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Did you find this article informative? If so, be sure to have a look at some of our others. We post regular content on everything to do with health.