If you’ve been injured at work and are set to miss some time while you recover, let us help you file for and collect workers’ compensation. The work comp system is designed to protect injured employees and ensure they have respite in the event that a job-related injury forces them to incur medical bills or miss out on paychecks while they recover. Workers’ compensation offers lost wage benefits that pay two-thirds of your weekly wages while you’re away from work, and it will also cover medical bills related to your care, but how is it determined which types of treatment will be covered by your company’s workers’ compensation provider? In today’s blog, we explain which treatments will be covered if you are seeking compensation through a workers’ compensation claim.
Covered Treatments Under Minnesota Work Comp Law
There isn’t a comprehensive list that outlines which treatments always are or always aren’t covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Instead, whether or not a treatment is approved by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance provider is decided on a much more individualized basis. Whether your surgery or physical therapy sessions or massage therapy is covered by insurance is decided by answering one specific question:
Has the treatment technique been deemed reasonable and medically necessary?
As long as a licensed medical professional has decided that a specific treatment is necessary to effective care, you should have no problem getting compensation for that treatment. A couple key points of note:
- The recommendation must come from a licensed medical professional (For example, going to a chiropractor because you assume it may help your back after a work injury wouldn’t meet this threshold unless your treating physician has recommended it as part of a specific care plan).
- The insurance company may contest the original medical evaluation and request that you seek a second opinion.
- Most treatment plans are not expected to be carried out indefinitely. If your doctor recommends six weeks of physical therapy, don’t assume that anything after six weeks will be covered simply because the prior sessions were covered.
If you’re hoping to pursue a specific treatment, you should ask your doctor about its relevancy during your independent medical exam. It’s certainly possible that they will work it into your care plan, but they may also ask you to pursue other treatments first. We recommend sticking to their care recommendations so that there is no question as to whether or not you will be reimbursed for these services.
At the end of the day, your care needs to be deemed reasonable and medically necessary to treat or aid in the relief of the effects of your work injury. The specific act itself isn’t all that important, so long as it has been professionally recommended and is a reasonable course of care.
If you’re still wondering which types of treatments are right for your situation, or you’re interested in filing a claim that ensures you are reimbursed for the care you received following a work injury, connect with the team at Hey Workers. For all your workers’ compensation or personal injury needs, give the team at Hey Workers a call today at (844) 439-9675.
