Under New York’s workers’ compensation law, when you are injured on the job, you do have to follow a certain protocol when it comes to choosing a doctor. First and foremost, when you are injured in a workplace accident, seek first aid and other necessary medical treatment as soon as possible.
Under the state’s workers’ comp law, the treating healthcare provider must be authorized by the Workers’ Compensation Board, however, emergency situations are an exception.
PPO & ADR Programs
Your employer may have been authorized to participate in the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), or an Alternate Dispute Resolution Program (ADR), if this is the case, you may be required to receive your medical treatment from a participating healthcare provider.
If your employer is a participating employer, then your employer is required to notify you in writing, all of the information regarding a PPO or ADR program. Further, if you end up needing any diagnostic tests or prescription medicines, either your employer, or their workers’ compensation carrier may require that you obtain your tests or prescriptions from specific pharmacies or a diagnostic network that they have contracted with.
What to Do After You Are Injured
If you are ever injured in a workplace accident, be sure to notify your supervisor right away, and tell them how it occurred, where it occurred, and what types of injuries you sustained.
Under New York’s workers’ compensation law, if you are injured at work and fail to notify your employer in writing within 30 days of the date of the accident, you may forfeit your rights to workers’ compensation benefits.
On the other hand, if you are suffering from an occupational disease, you must notify your employer within two years of discovering that the disease was work-related, or within two years of the disablement, whichever occurs later.
To learn more about the claims process, and what we can do for you, please contact our New York firm to schedule a free consultation!