When you’re out on workers compensation, you’ll receive two types of benefits. The first benefit is medical coverage for any injuries you suffered in your workplace accident. The second type of benefit is your weekly replacement wages. You will continue to receive these benefits until your claim is resolved. The question a lot of our clients ask our Coral Springs workers comp lawyers is when that will happen.
For example, do you stay on workers compensation until you’ve completed the maximum number of weeks? Or does your doctor determine when you’re fully recovered and for you to return to work at some point. The entire matter can be quite complicated if you’ve never been through the process before. That’s why we always suggest that you talk to a worker’s compensation attorney in Coral Springs before you make any final decisions.
Here, we will discuss when your benefits end and how it is determined that you’re ready to return to work. We’ll also discuss the term maximum medical improvement and explain what it is and how it impacts your case. If you still have questions about your own workers’ compensation case after reading this article, contact our office directly. We offer all new clients a free, initial consultation, so you can take advantage of the opportunity to sit down with a seasoned Coral Springs workers comp lawyer.
If Your Workers Compensation Claim is Approved, You’ll be Assigned a Workers Comp Doctor
Once your workers compensation claim is approved, you will be assigned a workers compensation Dr. In Florida, there are certain doctors that have been certified to serve as workers compensation physicians. They work in tandem with your employer and the insurance carrier to ensure your medical care and determine when it is time for you to report back to work. It’s important to remember that you can only see your appointed Dr. If you attempt to see a different doctor for treatment, your medical care will not be covered. There’s also a chance that your workers compensation claim can be terminated if you do this. You’re required to cooperate with your doctor and take part in whatever treatment regimens they offer.
Your Doctor Will Determine Your Treatment Plan
Once your workers compensation doctors have a chance to review your case and determine the nature and extent of injuries, they will draft a care plan for you. This plan will list what prescription medications you’ll need to take, any durable medical equipment you’ll need to use, and what specific medical care you need to make a full recovery.
It’s very important that you participate in your care and do what your doctor suggests of you. If you start to miss doctor’s appointments, there’s a chance that your benefits may terminate. If you refuse to do the exercises that your doctor requires of you, your benefits may be terminated. And, once your doctor determines that you’ve reached something called maximum medical improvement, your benefits will end and you’ll be expected to return to work.
You’re Expected to Participate in Your Medical Care
If you fail to participate in your medical treatment, your doctor will let the insurance company know. The insurance carrier will then contact you directly to find out what is going on. If they believe that you are not working in good faith toward making a full recovery, they have the right to terminate your benefits. If this happens, you can certainly reach out to a workers’ compensation attorney in Coral Springs. They can help you file an appeal and fight to get your benefits reinstated.
In order for them to do this, you will have to promise that you will participate in your own medical care. It is not acceptable for you to miss appointments or be late. You have to understand that your workers’ compensation doctor has a job to do. That job is to make sure that you’re taking care of and to assess if and when you are able to return to your job. They can’t do their job if you don’t participate in your own medical care.
At Some Point, You Need to Return to Work
Much to some of our clients’ chagrin, at some point, you do need to go back to work. Our Coral Springs workers comp lawyers have represented people in the past who are reluctant to go back to work. Some of them are afraid that they will reinjure themselves and be in a worse position than they are now. Others have simply gotten used to staying home and do not want to go back to the 9 to 5 grind. Regardless of what your situation is, like it or not, there will come a point when you’re ordered to return to work.
Once your doctor determines that you’ve reached maximum medical improvement, they will make a recommendation to your employer as well as their insurance carrier. This recommendation will be that you return to work, either full time or part time. If there’s no further treatment the doctor can justify, then it’s time for you to get back to work.
Maximum Medical Improvement Means There is No Point in Further Treatment
Some of our clients don’t understand what maximum medical improvement means. Over the years, our workers’ compensation attorneys in Coral Springs have become very familiar with this term. Essentially, all it means is that you have reached the point at which there’s no further benefit from receiving medical care. For example, if you injured your back, you may have already had surgery and completed three or four months of physical therapy. If there’s nothing left for your doctor to do from a medical standpoint, they will determine that you have reached maximum medical improvement and recommend that the case be closed. If you don’t agree that you are at the point where you have fully recovered, your Coral Springs workers comp lawyer can always get a second opinion.
Since we do offer new clients a free, initial consultation, it’s in your best interest to reach out to our office directly. We’ll schedule a date and time for you to sit down with one of our workers’ compensation attorneys in Coral Springs. You can ask any questions you may have, and your attorney will review your case to see if it has merit.
