workmans comp doctors

Acupuncture is an accepted medical option for treating a work related injury. In 2007, the California Department of Industrial Relations made revisions to current workers compensation laws and deemed acupuncture to be a covered medical modality for injured workers. What this means to injured workers is an increase in treatment options and less reliance on pain medications and muscle relaxants. Natural relief from work related injuries is now an option and all of California workers need to be made aware that this amazing medicine is available to them. Dealing with a work injury can not only leave you in pain, but also confused about your treatment options. Often, companies are contracted to send their employees to specific medical facilities when they're injured. As long as it's not an injury requiring emergency medical care, the employer sends the employee to someone within their Medical Provider Network (MPN), a group of preassigned health care professionals set up by the employers insurance company. If you are unhappy with the provider you are sent to, you can request another provider from the network.

Due to many medical providers abusing the workers compensation system, limitations have been put in place. No longer are medical providers granted unlimited treatments of patients. Chiropractics, physical therapists and occupational therapists have been limited to only 24 treatments. When using acupuncture, functional improvement is expected within 3-6 treatments, with the patient being treated 1-3 times a week. Typically, the expected duration of treatments is from 1-2 months, but treatments can be extended with documentation of continuing functional improvement. Acupuncture can get employees back to work faster and can be done in conjunction with other healing modalities. If you're already using acupuncture for health care, make sure to fill out a pre-designation form allowing you to use your acupuncturist in case of a work related injury. Our goal is to get you feeling better as soon as possible, getting you back to work as soon as possible and enjoying life pain-free once again.

A disabled employee receives two-thirds of his or her normal monthly salary during the disability and may receive more for permanent physical injuries or if he or she has dependents. The act provides compensation for survivors of employees who are killed. The act is administered by the United States Department of Labor. The Federal Employment Liability Act (FELA), while not a workers' compensation statute, provides that a railroad company engaged in interstate commerce is liable for injuries to their employees if the company has been negligent. The Merchant Marine Act (the Jones Act) provides seamen with the same protection from employer negligence that FELA provides to railroad workers. The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) to provide workers' compensation to specified employees of private maritime employers. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs administers the act. The Black Lung Benefits Act provides compensation for miners suffering from "black lung" (pneumoconiosis). The Act requires liable mine operators to pay disability payments and establishes a fund administered by the Secretary of Labor providing disability payments to miners where the mine operator is unknown or unable to pay. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs's Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation regulates the administration of the act. Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations provides an example of a comprehensive state plan for workers' compensation. It is applicable to most employers. The statute limits the liability of the employer and fellow employees. California also requires employers to obtain insurance to cover potential workers' compensation claims and sets up a fund for claims that employers have illegally failed to insure against.

As troubling, there is little in the way of specific adjudicator continuing education for workers' compensation adjudicators. This subject matter is usually addressed by a very small group of adjudicators in each state. Typically, workers' compensation adjudicators are employed specifically for such claims and housed within a state's workers' compensation commission or board. These agencies have minimal resources for adjudicator training and education. In the world of workers' compensation, modernization and education have always been a budgetary challenge. Certainly, there are a multitude of educational seminars conducted around the country. Many are state-specific, which may be helpful for substantive legal issues. Many are medical, which certainly help us better understand mechanics of injury and new testing or treatments. What is missing in these programs and seminars, however, is a focus on the role of the workers' compensation adjudicator. States have Commissioners, Comp Judges, Administrative Law Judges, Deputies, Hearing Officers, Benefit Review Officers, and more. With all of these varied titles come varied responsibilities and authorities. The role of a workers' compensation adjudicator, with all of the nuances implied by these titles and responsibilities, is varied.