A Closer Look At The Workers’ Compensation Process
You have numerous rights under workers’ compensation in Minnesota. You also have obligations you must fulfill to be entitled to benefits.
Minnesota workers’ comp law is very complicated, but once you have an experienced attorney on your side, the process is relatively painless for you. Baehman Fitzgerald is here to help.
This page details responsibilities in the workers’ compensation process. It is important to know that:
- Your employer and insurer may, at various times, ask you to be examined by an “independent” medical examiner. These doctors want to know about your diagnosis, prognosis, the cause of the injury, apportionment, restrictions on activity, MMI (maximal medical improvement), PPD (permanent partial disability), and the reasonableness and necessity of medical treatment.
- The employee is obligated to prove his or her claim. Medical evidence is necessary in supporting your claim.
- If you don’t expect to go back to work at your preinjury employer, you must be actively looking for a new job to be entitled to wage loss benefits. You must also document your job search on job logs noting who you spoke with, what jobs you applied for, etc.
- If you are working with a qualified rehabilitation consultant (QRC) and job placement vendor, and are not cooperating with rehabilitation assistance, your benefits may be terminated. If your benefits have been terminated for this reason, they may be reinstated at any time if you continue to be a qualified employee and choose to cooperate with rehabilitation again. A qualified employee has work-related restrictions and is now unable to return to his or her preinjury job.
- If you refuse a suitable job offer, you may also have your benefits terminated. If you take yourself out of the labor market — for example, if you move from a good job market to a part of the country where there are no jobs — your wage loss benefits may be terminated.
- A significant injury suffered after your work injury — a condition not related to your work — may result in the termination of your workers’ comp benefits.
- Termination for cause or misbehavior may cause wage loss benefits to be suspended.
- You must cooperate with recommended medical treatment to be entitled to benefits.
- If you are placed at maximum medical improvement (MMI), your temporary total disability benefits may end 90 days after you reach MMI.
Successfully Filing A Work Injury Claim In The Twin Cities
As you can see, there is almost no end to the complexities of workers’ compensation rules. This is another reason to work with an experienced lawyers who knows the rules and can advise you on what you must do to obtain and keep benefits.
In the greater St. Paul metro area, contact Baehman Fitzgerald at 651-447-6657.