Can I Refuse Treatment After A Work Injury?

We understand that nobody wants to miss time away from work due to a work injury, but that doesn’t mean you should refuse medical care in the event that you suffer a minor or significant injury in the workplace. Refusing medical care will likely only create more headaches for your situation, so we strongly advise that you think twice about refusing medical attention after a work accident. We explain why it’s so important to seek out medical care after a work accident in today’s blog.

Getting Medical Care After A Work Injury

The most important reason why you should seek medical attention or undergo a medical evaluation following a work injury is because failing to do so ensures that you will not be able to collect compensation for your injuries. According to Minnesota Statute Sec. 176.155 Subd. 3:

If the injured employee refuses to comply with any reasonable request for examination, the right to compensation may be suspended by order of the commissioner or a compensation judge, and no compensation shall be paid while the employee continues in the refusal.

For example, if you refuse to be evaluated by paramedics at the scene or you opt not to have a medical evaluation performed at a clinic after the incident, you will have no legal recourse for damages. This also applies if your employer requests that you undergo an evaluation by a provider of their choosing, even if you already underwent an evaluation by a doctor of your choice. If you refuse reasonable treatment, you will have no legal right to compensation.

You may not think that’s a big deal, especially if your injuries were relatively minor, but we still recommend reporting the injury and taking some steps to care for your injuries. If you try to completely ignore the injury and it ends up getting worse or a wound site gets infected, you may find it hard to collect compensation since you never properly reported or cared for the work injury in the first place.

Keeping Up With Regular Medical Appointments

It’s also worth noting that this sentiment continues to apply throughout the course of your case, even if you end up earning compensation for your injuries. If you earn benefits that include compensation for services like physical or occupational therapy, you need to attend these sessions. If you fail to show up for regularly scheduled sessions, there’s a good chance that your benefits will be terminated early. Workers’ compensation benefits are designed to help an employer quickly and safely return to the workforce, and if you are opting not to continue therapy that is designed to help you recover, the insurance company may assume you’ve made a full recovery. At a minimum, they will say that you are not holding up your end of the deal, and they’ll seek to terminate part or all of your injury claim.

Seeking out medical care and attending regularly scheduled appointments and therapy sessions are a necessary part of earning and collecting compensation following a work injury. You may not be looking forward to this care, but it’s a critically important part of the process. If you have questions or concerns about a medical evaluation or treatment session, reach out to your attorney before deciding to turn down these services.

If you need help collecting compensation after a work injury, or for help with a personal injury claim, reach out to Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today at (952) 230-2700.