Getting injured on the job is stressful. Not only are you out of work, but now you have to worry about doctors appointments, who will take you to the appointments, how you will get to the appointments, all the what-ifs, and recovery plans. You also have to deal with figuring out how to pay your bills while you are injured. Thankfully the state of California recognizes that each business should have some kind of workers’ compensation insurance. If you were injured on the job then you have 30 days to tell your employer that you were hurt in an injury in order to start a workers compensation claim. You can totally make a claim on your own, but unlike your fierce loyalty to your job, your job may not reciprocate and you will need help.
Typically after an injury, you should go to a doctor to document the injuries that you sustained. The doctor will take detailed notes to put into your file and they will provide a treatment plan. Depending on the kind of injury, the treatment plan can take weeks months to years. For example, if you have a severely torn rotator cuff then your treatment plan may involve surgery and extensive physical therapy. This means that you may be out of the job for a year or so. Other lengthy injuries are spinal cord injuries or traumatic amputation. These complicated injuries can take a long time, but sometimes the insurance companies aren’t so patient. Sometimes, your insurance companies don’t believe some smaller injuries like carpal tunnel.
To remedy this insecurity in your injury, insurance companies hire third-party physicians to check you out. These physicians are supposed to be an objective observations of your situation and they can be scheduled at any time throughout your claim. Typically, an insurance company will request an Independent Medical Reviewer to either help conclude a claim or to find a way to close the claim. These physicians are not your personal doctor and they are not there to make you feel better. These physicians may not be as thorough or delicate as your regular physicians.
If an Independent Medical Reviewer has been requested then you are legally obligated to attend. However, you do not have to go it alone. You can take someone with you and it is recommended as it is good to have someone in the room documenting anything that may not seem like a standard of care. Unfortunately, not every independent medical review is truly objective. If you feel as if the examination was not as you expected or something doesn’t feel right then it may behoove you to speak with one of our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at JML Law Group, a Professional Law Corporation in Anaheim. We are here to be a strong advocate for you as we know that workers’ compensation claims can turn from protecting you to abandoning you. Call 818-610-8800 or click here to start a conversation with our professionals to ensure that you are getting just compensation for your injuries.
Every case is unique and needs to be evaluated by our experienced lawyers. If you have been injured in a work-related accident.