Do you need an additional allowance added to your Worker’s comp claim? Dr. Larry VanSuch a workers compensation doctor in Columbus, Ohio can help.
A lot of times the first doctor an injured worker may see is the company doctor or emergency room doctor. While they do a very good job at helping you on this initial visit, more often than not the actual extent of your injuries may not be known for several days, or perhaps weeks and months.
As a result, the initial diagnoses these doctors come up with may not accurately reflect the extent of your injuries. For example, many times after a serious injury we see claims originating from hospitals where patients have diagnosed with only a contusion.
This is simply a fancy name for a black-and-blue mark. Other minor diagnoses we see coming originating from the employer’s doctor include abrasions and scratches.
Self-Limiting Diagnoses Aren’t Good Enough
The problem with these types of diagnoses is they are what we refer to as ‘self-limiting’ injuries meaning they will eventually heal on their own even if you do not seek any additional medical care.
This could present a real problem for the injured worker with an Ohio BWC workers comp claim especially if they are still suffering with pain, say, six months later.
The injured worker may find themselves fighting with their employer to get the proper care they need because while they are still in pain, the diagnoses (contusion, scratch, etc.) on their claim don’t warrant any medical attention. As a result, any treatment request put out on their behalf is often denied.
Patient Was Initially Under-diagnosed at Hospital, etc.
Besides the obvious contusion, scratch or bruise the injured worker may have incurred, they may also have suffered a lumbar sprain/strain or herniated disc at the time of injury.
But because the first doctor who saw them didn’t take the time to accurately diagnose the patient, their claim doesn’t reflect these findings nor does it reflect the seriousness of their injury.
Additional Allowance(s) Needed
This is when the worker’s comp claim needs to be amended to include what is called an Additional Allowance. An Additional Allowance is when one or more new diagnoses needs to be added to one’s worker’s compensation claim to accurately reflect the extent of their injuries.
Some of these injuries can be over-looked during the patient’s initial evaluation while other injuries can develop over time (arthritis, etc.). In either case, an additional allowance(s) needs to be added to the claim.
Happens A Lot of Times
Unfortunately, getting under-diagnosed by the first doctor who sees an injured worker happens quite often. As a result, it can lead to a lot of verbal fighting with one’s employer, their boss or managed care organization. Sometimes injured workers lose their job under such circumstances if they can’t return to work due to the pain and disability.
We Can Help
We help patients get the correct additional allowances added to their workers comp claim all the time. It does take a lot of effort, but if you are patient enough and are willing to work with us, we can help in most cases.
So if you feel your claim should be allowed for more conditions than were originally recognized, then we may be able to help you get the additional allowances added to your Ohio Workers Compensation claim.
If you have any more questions please call us as in Columbus Ohio at 614 4289 310 and we will look forward to hearing from you