Workers' compensation provides an injured employee with three benefits. 1) they are entitled to indemnity benefits (wage loss) if they are either taken out of work by an authorized treating physician or placed on restrictions that the job either cannot accommodate or cannot accommodate to the wages that the injured individual earned before. 2) an injured worker is entitled to a permanent disability rating. If the authorized treating physician determines that there is a permanent disability as a result of the on the job injury, they are compensated for that. 3) an injured worker is eligible to receive medical treatment for that injured body part paid for by the workers' compensation insurance carrier. Treatment provided by the authorized physician that relates to the on-job injury, is paid for by workers' compensation insurance. The injured worker does not have to pay any deductibles, copays, or any other fees when they attend a scheduled appointment. In fact, they are also entitled to payment of both mileage to and from the doctor's office, and reimbursement of any parking fees the injured worker may incur at the doctor's office. The authorized treating physician can recommend treatment for the injured body part. They can even recommend a referral to another physician for treatment. The injured worker can also make a one-time request in authorized treating physicians. If indemnity benefits are being paid, or have been paid within the last 120 days, they can request an independent medical evaluation with a doctor of their choosing at the expense of the workers' compensation insurance company. An injured worker can always refuse medical treatment if they do not want it. They can refuse any invasive or non-invasive procedure if they so choose. Workers' compensation does require the injured worker to have invasive medical treatment. In that same regard, the injured worker cannot choose to have any medical procedure they want. Any and all treatments have to be prescribed by a treating physician authorized by workers' compensation. Just because a doctor thinks that a surgery will help an injured worker mend, it does not mean they have to have that surgery. There may be spiritual, or other medical reason that the injured worker does not, or cannot have the surgery. Nobody, even in a workers' compensation setting, can force an individual to have surgery. If you have any further questions about medical treatment, please do not hesitate to contact the lawyers at Gerber & Holder.