Understanding Personal Injury Law

When Your Workers' Comp Exam Goes Wrong

22 October 2021

Celina Nichols

If you were approved for workers' compensation benefits, you may be staying home for a bit. At some point, many hurt workers begin to wonder when they can return to work. The decision to go back is based on the status of your injury and is determined, in most cases, by your workers' comp doctor. However, some hurt workers end up being asked to undergo a special exam. The independent medical exam (IME) is meant to evaluate your health status and determine what future benefits, if any, you should receive. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned with this exam. Read on and find out more.

What Does the IME Evaluate?

An IME is no ordinary medical exam. You won't, for example, be evaluated by your regular workers' comp doctor but a new doctor that has never seen you before. You should expect the doctor to focus on how you are doing at the present. You can expect to be questioned closely about how the accident occurred, too — even though they probably have access to your claim information. Sometimes, you will also be asked to take part in a few diagnostic tests like a CT scan, blood work, and more. Don't expect to get any feedback from this exam because the sole purpose is to report back to the workers' comp carrier at a later date.

Why Do The Insurers Need to Know About Your Condition?

All workers using workers' comp benefits are costing the insurer money. The longer you are out of work, the more money they have to pay you in disability benefits and medical expenses. The point of the IME is to find out if you can possibly go back to your job or not. In rare cases, you might be told to remain home for a few more weeks and recuperate. In most cases, though, hurt workers are told to either go back to work or that they can never go back to work at the same job again because of their injury.

Get Help With Your IME Results

When you can never return to your job, you may be deemed permanently disabled. That means you could be entitled to a lump-sum payment from the workers' comp carrier. However, you may also be told to return to work even though you are still hurt. Both of these situations indicate that you need to contact a workers' compensation lawyer. They know how to get you the money you deserve if you are permanently disabled, and they also know how to help you when you are still too hurt to work. Speak to a lawyer about your workers' comp issues today.

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