To you, the medical aspects of your work injury are a matter of health. To your employer and their insurance company, medical claims are a matter of dollars.
From the day you file for workers’ comp, your medical recovery may be scrutinized and second-guessed. The insurer wants to limit the costs of your care. The employer wants you back on the job as soon as possible. Ginsberg & O’Connor will fiercely protect your rights to proper medical treatment and recovery time.
Protect Your Medical Benefits
Problems with your medical claim? Call our Cherry Hill, NJ, workers’ compensation attorneys at 856-727-1991 for a free consultation with an attorney.
Common Issues With Medical Treatment
Under New Jersey workers’ compensation law, you must seek treatment with your employer’s pre-approved medical providers, unless you get special permission to see a specialist or get a second opinion. These doctors tend to favor employers in their diagnoses and treatment plans.
You will want an experienced attorney on your side if you experience pushback regarding the medical aspects of your work injury claim. We are familiar with the conflicts that commonly arise with employers and their designated doctors and insurance carriers:
- Denial of claim — The employer may challenge whether your injury is work-related or serious enough to miss work. This will disrupt your medical care and delay your wage-loss benefits.
- Denial of treatment — The insurance company may refuse to pay for surgery, physical pain medications, medical equipment, or other needed care.
- Disability rating — The doctor’s initial disability rating may downplay the extent of your injury, reducing your disability benefits by thousands of dollars over the course of your claim.
- Independent medical exam — Periodically, the employer or insurer can require an IME to determine if there is a change in your status to reduce your benefits.
- Termination of benefits — The doctor may declare you “cured” (or that you’ve reached maximum medical progress) and recommend that further medical treatment is not needed.
- Returning to work — You may be pressured to go back to work before you are healed, or the employer may balk at the doctor’s orders for light duty, part-time duty, or disability accommodations.
Also see 6 Reasons You May Need a Workers’ Comp Attorney.
Talk to an Experienced Advocate
Our attorneys can intervene to assert your rights, from the initial claims process through hearings and appeals. We have represented injured workers in Burlington, Camden, Atlantic, and Middlesex Counties, and statewide.
To schedule a free consultation with a workers’ compensation benefits lawyer, contact us online or call 856-727-1991 (toll-free).