Is Physical Therapy Covered by Workers’ Compensation?
Physical therapy is used to be a routine treatment in a workers’ compensation case. Doctors recommend it to help an injured employee heal, gain back strength, and get back on the job. But, insurance companies have a growing concern for their bottom line in recent years, leaving injured workers waiting long for a decision to approve Wisconsin physical therapy. Workers’ compensation is a mandatory insurance program designed to make sure employees who experience injuries while on the job are compensated for medical care, lost wages, and any kind of long-term disability that results from work-related accidents.
Is Physical Therapy Covered by Workers’ Comp?
Workers’ compensation pays for physical therapy under some circumstances. Under the program, employers are required to pay for necessary medical treatment associated with an on-the-job injury. The employer can choose a doctor to oversee the care of the injured worker. If the doctor recommends particular treatments, therapies, and medical devices for the treatment and recovery of the employee, workers’ compensation should pay for them without its limits or guidelines. And because physical therapy is usually recommended by treating doctors as reasonably necessary treatment, it is often covered by workers’ comp. The coverage may include physical therapy treatment after an injury to aid in recovery or rehab.
Workers’ comp usually covers rehabilitative therapy after a surgical procedure related to workplace injury. Sometimes, it may also cover physical therapy for a particular period when long-term disability resulted from the injury. For employees, this means that to get their physical therapy paid for by workers’ comp, it should be ordered by an authorized treating physician as a medically necessary part of their overall injury treatment.
Is a Lawyer Important to Get One’s Physical Therapy Approved?
If an employee finds that the insurance company has refused their request to include physical therapy in their workers’ comp benefits, they must contact a workers’ comp attorney immediately. They should not delay in reaching out to an attorney since a delay in getting physical therapy can negatively affect their recovery from the injury. To get the physical therapy an injured worker needs, the attorney will file a motion with the court or request to expedite approval of the order for physical therapy. Also, they can ask the authorized doctor’s office to file a Form WC-205 requesting approval of the order for such treatment. The lawyer may also request a hearing before a workers’ comp judge to get an order approval.