Workman's Comp - Worker's Benefits and How to Find a Doctor

The working environment presents many risks and although employers do their best to protect their employees from injuries and other health related problems, accidents and injuries are bound to happen. Workman's comp is a benefit system that is designed specifically to protect employees who are injured or whose health is affected as a result of their work. This system is therefore designed with employees in mind. Once injured, the patient might have additional difficulties locating the proper physician.Injuries and illness must be work related. Workers can only be compensated for injuries or illnesses that are directly related to work activities and the work environment. If you want to make a claim for workman's comp for sickness, you will have to prove that your illness is directly related to your working conditions or activities. To do this you will have to visit a medical doctor who can carry out the necessary tests that will prove your illness is work related.Workman's comp is only applicable for injuries that are directly related to work. This means that the injuries should have occurred in the work premises or while on an errand related to work. No compensation therefore is offered for injuries that occur during lunch hours and those that aren't related to work activities.The rules of workman's comp differ from one state to the next. The rules of how and what benefits are awarded to workers with injuries or illnesses caused by work related activities therefore vary. The benefits awarded to the injured or sick employees depend on various factors. The first is whether the worker has suffered an impairment that is permanent or temporary. Temporary impairment may allow the worker to return to employment after some time. Benefits for these injuries or illnesses are therefore not as high as for permanent impairments.Another factor to consider is whether the impairment is partial or total. Total impairments may cause the worker to lose their ability to return to their regular employment activities even if the impairment is temporary.Benefits from workman's comp usually take the form of medical care, continuation of certain benefits offered at work as well as the payment of a certain percentage of the worker's wages. In many states, up to 66% of the employees regular salary is paid as compensation. This is equivalent to a third of the employee's regular paycheck.Payments are usually made continually. However, some employees may be given a lump sum of the payment. The total amount given is dependent on the employee's wages, the severity of the injury incurred and their impairment rating. These may be followed by smaller monthly payments. This is usually the case for permanent impairment that does not allow the worker to return to regular working activities.In the case of payments for partial impairment, payments are limited to an amount that will not exceed the maximum payment that the employee can earn. It is also limited to the number of weeks for which the employee can be paid. If the impairment allows the employee to return to work but at a lesser capacity, the difference in payment is made through workman's compensation benefits.In some situations, the employer's worker's compensation insurance company will dispute the injured worker's claim. If the injury or illness is valid, the employee might consider seeking professional assistance to represent their claim. An internet search will reveal a plethora of law practices dedicated to on the job injuries.So far, compensation benefits have been thoroughly described but it's impossible to create a clear picture of the worker's comp puzzle if we don't discuss the medical provider. Your research for a work comp physician might be challenging due to the decreasing amount of doctors treating for on the job injuries.When it comes to family practice doctors or primary care physicians just forget about it. The vast majority of these physicians do not treat for worker's comp injuries, however, it's the best place to start your research. Most likely, a family doctor will be able to refer their patients to a workmans comp doctor over the phone. For doctors to treat on the job injuries, they must first be approved by the state and listed on the State Approved Doctors List. You will find that there are fewer physicians on the list than not. This simply means that injured patients must see a physician on the approved doctors list even though the patient might be referred out to a specialist in the future.Another negative characteristic refers to the added workload on the medical clinic's staff. It has become increasingly more difficult for doctors to collect their payment reimbursements for medical care from the insurance companies. Nurses must obtain pre-authorization for any and all office visits or physical therapy before physicians can start patient treatment. If the medical clinic's initial authorization request for workman's comp medical care is denied, the patient coud be affected and their treatment delayed.