Your Rights When Work Comp Benefits Are Stopped

If your work comp benefits have been stopped and you still need medical care, a St. Louis work comp attorney can help you.

Workers’ compensation benefits are specifically designed to help both the Missouri employee and the employer. The employee is protected from expensive medical costs resulting from a work-related injury, while the employer is protected from potential lawsuits.

Reaching Maximum Medical Improvement

Missouri employer’s are required by law to purchase workers’ compensation insurance. When you are injured on the job, your employer will send you to a pre-approved medical facility for treatment. Pre-approved typically means that this is a provider who works with the insurance company. The assigned doctor will determine when you have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). Your employer will receive a notice that your injury has been treated and that medical treatment is no longer necessary. Your benefits are then ceased, whether you agree with the assessment or not.

If you do not agree with the assessment, contact a St. Louis work comp lawyer to file an appeal. You will be given the opportunity to present medical and witness testimony to prove how you are still in need of treatment for your injuries.

Case Study – Prolonged Treatments

A St. Louis worker was struck in the leg with the machinery he was working with, causing serious injury that required extensive medical treatment. Nerve damage and a staph infection prolonged the treatments, until finally his benefits were stopped and he was told to return to work. Using medical and vocational evidence, a St. Louis workman’s compensation attorney was able to show that not only was the injured employee unable to return to work, but that he qualified for permanent disability benefits.