Do You Get Paid Time Off to See a Doctor Under Workers’ Comp?

You do get paid time off to see a doctor under workers’ comp. If an employer tries to push you back into light duty, you can refer to the rights afforded to you by a workers’ compensation claim and emphasize that you do not have to use your vacation days for appointments. You can instead rely on medical leave, during which an insurer can supplement your lost income.

However, most insurance providers will require you to work with pre-approved doctors to benefit from medical leave. You also need to strictly pursue treatments that will help you meet your maximum medical improvement (MMI) to benefit from this kind of financial support. Fortunately, Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyers can emphasize your right to coverage.

Our guidance makes it easier to pursue treatments from covered specialists. It also gives you the chance to challenge an insurer’s attempts to deny you support. You can learn more about the work we can do for you during a free workers’ compensation claim consultation.

Applying for Workers’ Compensation After an Accident

Employees throughout the United States have the right to benefit from workers’ compensation when working for a qualified employer. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers refer to the Fair Labor Standards Act 29 CFR 785.43 when supporting our clients in their fight for essential medical care after workplace accidents. 

Applying for workers’ compensation requires injured parties to manage a complex web of communications between themselves, their employer, their employer’s insurance providers, and pre-approved medical professionals.

If you want to benefit from the financial aid offered by your employer’s coverage, you must:

• Promptly communicate the severity of your injury to your employer
• File a workers’ compensation claim with the appropriate parties
• Press your employer to file any paperwork requested by those parties verifying the severity of your injuries
• Work with covered medical professionals to restore your lost quality of life

In other words, yes, you can get paid time off to see a doctor under workers’ compensation, but you first need to apply for support and then must visit doctors who are covered by your employer’s workers’ compensation policy. This complicated process gets easier to tackle when you have an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer on your side.

PTO and Your Workplace Injury Care

Your employer does not have the right to force you to use PTO to cover doctors’ visits or medical treatments after a workplace injury. When you apply for workers’ compensation, medical appointments during work hours become an insurer’s purview. Specifically, insurers make it possible for you to go on medical leave to attend appointments.

An insurer will subsequently supplement the income you lost while away from work. This means that you get to keep your vacation and PTO without sacrificing your right to reasonable medical care. It also means that you preserve your right to go to the doctor when the need arises, even if an employer tries to force you back into light duty.

So, do you get paid time off to see a doctor under workers’ compensation? Yes! If an employer tries to force you to use your vacation time or PTO instead of an insurer’s medical leave, we encourage you to speak to an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer and ask for legal support.

What Expenses Can You Expect Workers’ Compensation to Cover?

When you pursue a workers’ compensation claim after an accident, you have the right to expect your employer’s policy to cover costs like:

• Your emergency room care and transportation fees, especially in cases where your injury immediately puts you at risk for debilitating disabilities or even death
• Travel reimbursements for medical visits within 10 miles, including the cost of gas, lodging, and meals
• Comprehensive medical examinations assessing non-emergency injuries and/or the state of your injuries after you’ve received emergency assistance
• Specialist examinations after you’ve been referred to those specialists by a primary care physician
• Follow-up treatments with medical professionals, including the cost of physical therapy, necessary surgeries, pain management aids, and specialist treatments

As mentioned, you can also receive compensation for wages lost while pursuing medical treatments. Our team of workers’ compensation lawyers in Atlanta can help you calculate how much of your paycheck you can expect to receive when filing your workers’ compensation claim.

What Costs Won’t Workers’ Compensation Cover?

You are unlikely to receive financial aid from a worker’s compensation claim if you seek medical treatments from doctors or specialists who aren’t covered by your employer’s insurance. Likewise, you can’t ask for coverage for treatments not related to your accident.

Finally, most workers’ compensation claims won’t provide you with support for cosmetic procedures. If you want to pursue compensation for a cosmetic procedure, you can work with an attorney to discuss how that treatment might be essential to your recovery.

Work With Your Physician to Emphasize Essential Treatments

If you want to receive paid time off to see a doctor under workers’ compensation, you need to work with your physician to prove that your treatments are essential to the restoration of your lost quality of life. Physicians specifically have the responsibility to authorize your absence from work and set work limitations.

Likewise, physicians establish the goalposts for your Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). Your MMI reflects the total mobility and health you’re anticipated to restore after medical treatments. Your MMI may subsequently determine what right you have to rely on workers’ compensation for certain benefits, as well as when you’re expected to return to work.

What’s the Difference Between Temporary Total Disability and Temporary Partial Disability?

When discussing your MMI, you can discuss what the logistics of going back to work might look like for you. If you’re contending with a temporary total disability, you must prove that you’ll be unable to work for at least seven days to receive financial benefits, including the right to medical leave.

Comparatively, if you’re dealing with a temporary partial disability, you may have to return to a modified version of your job or another job that involves light work. 

The workers’ compensation benefits you stand to receive will vary based on how insurance companies and medical professionals classify your losses. You can work with an experienced attorney to discuss your injury classification and how it might impact your long-term benefits, including your right to get paid time off to see a doctor.

A Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Can Protect Your Right to Fair Accident Support

Your employer cannot force you to use your PTO or sick time to see a doctor after a workplace injury. Once you file a workers’ compensation claim, you have the right to receive paid time off to see a doctor via medical leave. Your employer’s insurance provider should then offer you compensation for your lost wages based on the time you had to take away from work.

If you feel like you aren’t receiving the benefits you deserve following a workplace accident, don’t panic. You have the right to reach out to a workers’ compensation attorney in Atlanta to request representation. Our team at John Foy & Associates can mediate with a provider on your behalf and ensure that your employer acknowledges your legal right to medical leave and other benefits.

You can book a free workers’ compensation claim case consultation with our staff today.