Can I Get a Second Opinion about My Treatment While Collecting Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

You have suffered a serious work injury and you are not satisfied with the care and treatment you are receiving from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurer. The insurer’s doctor may want you to get surgery, or they might be simply following the orders of the insurance company rather than giving you the most appropriate care for your injury or illness. You are wondering if you can get a second medical opinion, and more importantly, you are wondering if the workers’ compensation insurer will pay for it.

After you sustain a workplace injury, or an occupational disease, you must report it to your employer who will direct you to visit the emergency room if the injury requires urgent care, or to an approved doctor. When you are injured at work, you may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, which in Tennessee, include:

• Medical benefits
• Partial wage replacement
• Temporary disability benefits
• Permanent disability benefits
• Death benefits

After you have visited with one of the approved doctors, if you are not satisfied with the level of care you are receiving, or if you do not agree with the course of treatment that they recommend, you have a couple of options from which to choose:

• While the law does not require your employer’s insurer to pay for a second medical opinion for your workplace injury or illness treatment, you can still request one.
• If the insurer declines to approve a second opinion, you can pay for one yourself. However, the employer will continue to abide by any restrictions that the insurer’s approved physician has already authorized.

If you are working with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney, they may be able to facilitate an independent medical examination to provide you with a second opinion on treatment options for your workplace injury or ailment.

If you should encounter any difficulties with your workers’ compensation claim, if your employer’s insurer denies your claim, if your claim has been delayed for reasons that are unclear to you, or if you are considering settling your case, you may want to consider hiring a workers’ compensation attorney from Wagner & Wagner. When you work with us, you can leverage our years of experience, knowledge of the law and familiarity with the Tennessee workers’ compensation system. We take on the legal burden so that you can focus on getting better so that you can get back to work.

At Wagner & Wagner Attorneys at Law, we put our skill and experience to work for you. We serve clients in Chattanooga and Cleveland, TN, in North Georgia, and all the surrounding counties. Call us today at 423-756-7923 or complete our contact form to schedule your free consultation with a knowledgeable Chattanooga workers’ compensation lawyer.