Worker’s Compensation

In a previous blog posting, I wrote about reporting a work injury to the employer.  In this blog, I want to discuss what happens in a worker’s compensation claim immediately after the injured worker reports the injury to the employer. In South Dakota, the employer is obligated to send the First Report of Injury to the South Dakota Department of Labor,…

If my insurance company pays for my medical bills after I have been injured, do I still have to pay back my insurance after I settle my bodily injury claim? Following your injury, your automobile insurance and/or your health insurance carrier may have paid medical bills on your behalf. And now you are in a position to settle with the…

All too often, injured workers come to me after a work injury and tell me that their employer sent them to the “company’s doctor.” At first, the employer appears to be doing the injured worker a big favor by sending them to a doctor. But, if the worker’s injury doesn’t get better within a short amount of time that initial doctor selection…

Does the insurance company nurse have to go into your doctor’s appointment? Frequently, I’m asked whether the insurance company nurse always gets to go into the examination room when the injured employee is seeing that employee’s treating doctor. Upon reporting an injury and seeking medical care, the workers compensation company may assign a nurse to “help” with the injured workers…

After a work related injury, the injured worker’s bills start piling up.  This can be a very stressful time. Recovering from a serious work related injury is difficult.  It can become even more worrisome when the medical bills start piling up. Generally, the employer is responsible for maintaining worker’s compensation insurance.  Part of the worker’s compensation insurance coverage is for the…

I am frequently asked about returning to work after a work injury.  Usually, the worker has the misfortune of being injured seriously enough that the injured worker’s doctor orders the worker to cease all work activities while recuperating from the injury.  This is typically in conjunction with surgery. There comes a point in the healing process where the injured worker’s…