Who is responsible to seek immediate medical treatment in the event of an injury or illness?

1. DWC

Workers' compensation benefits are designed to provide you with the medical treatment you need to recover from your work related injury or illness, partially replace the wages you lose while you are recovering, and help you return to work. Workers’ compensation benefits do not include damages for pain and suffering or punitive damages.

Report the injury or illness to your employer

Make sure your supervisor is notified of your injury as soon as possible. If your injury or illness developed gradually, report it as soon as you learn or believe it was caused by your job. Reporting promptly helps avoid problems and delays in receiving benefits, including medical care. If you don’t report your injury within 30 days, you could lose your right to receive workers’ compensation benefits.

Get emergency treatment if needed

If it’s an emergency, call 911 or go to an emergency room right away. Tell the medical staff that your injury or illness is job-related. If you can safely do so, contact your employer for further instructions.

If you don’t need emergency treatment, make sure you get first aid and see a doctor if necessary.

What’s next?

Once you file a claim, your employer is required to provide you with medical care.

Want to learn more? Find it in the guidebook

• Chapter 1: The Basics of Workers’ Compensation
• Want a complete version of the injured worker guidebook?

Did you know?

• You can attend a free seminar on workers’ compensation or contact the Information and Assistance Unit if you have questions. You can also call 1-800-736-7401 for recorded information
• Medical care must be paid for by your employer if you get hurt on the job — whether or not you miss time from work
• You may be eligible to receive benefits even if you are a temporary or part-time worker
• You don’t have to be a legal resident of the United States to receive most workers’ compensation benefits
• It’s illegal for your employer to punish or fire you for having a job injury or for requesting workers’ compensation benefits when you believe your injury was caused by your job
• You can find the definitions of common terms and abbreviations in the glossary for injured workers.
• Fact sheets and claim forms are available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese

Questions workers have:

• What benefits am I entitled to?
  
• Do I need to fill out the claim form (DWC 1) my employer gave me?
  
• What resources are available to me?
  
• How can I find out who provides workers compensation coverage for my employer or another business in California?
  
  
  More FAQs

April 2016

If you sustain a work-related injury or illness, the worker’s compensation program is in place to provide financial coverage for treatment and time lost from employment [footnote (i)].

In the event of a work-related injury or illness, you are responsible for the following:

First things first

1. Seek first aid and/or medical treatment immediately if needed [footnote (ii)].
2. Within 24 hours of the time of the accident or injury:

• Report the accident or injury to your supervisor.
• Complete and submit Employee’s Work Injury and Illness Report to your supervisor. Forms available in sidebar at left.
• Notify your supervisor of any unsafe work conditions.

Be sure to…

1. Tell your medical care provider your injury is work-related.
2. Comply with medical directions and actively participate in your recovery process.
3. Give certain paperwork that you may receive from medical professionals to your supervisor. This will include:

• medical releases,
• medical proof that injury or illness is work related, and
• restrictions certificate of work restrictions.

1. Maintain contact with your supervisor and worker’s compensation coordinator through the course of this claim. Notify your supervisor of any changes such as scheduled surgery, return to work, etc.
2. Respond to Worker’s Compensation Claims Examiner’s information request to expedite claim.
3. Participate in the return to work process Early Return To Work Program and/or alternate duty assignment as directed by your supervisor.

1. If medical treatment is required:

• Complete an authorization form: Voluntary And Informed Consent For Disclosure Of Health Care Information pdf
• If any of the following types of treatment are recommended by your health care provider, promptly notify your worker’s compensation coordinator prior to having the treatment:

• • inpatient hospitalizations
  • surgical procedures
  • MRI and CT scans
  • physical therapy
  • chiropractic treatment

• You must send the original of all medical bills from your injury/ illness to your campus Worker’s Compensation Coordinator.
• Look to receive a prescription payment card in the mail (it is supplied by Mitchell ScriptAdvisor). Use it for payment of medication directly related to your injury/ illness claim.

1. If an injury will result in lost time from work:

• Notify your supervisor and campus Worker’s Compensation Coordinator.
• Provide your supervisor with medical documentation for the lost time injury.
• Report the lost time biweekly as directed by your supervisor or campus Worker’s Compensation Coordinator.

FOOTNOTES

(i)  Seeking treatment does not guarantee medical expense will be paid for through the worker’s compensation program. We would advise that you should stay within the confines of your own personal health insurance to ensure coverage in case the worker’s compensation program turns down the claim and does not pay it. The payment decision is made following an evaluation of the work-relatedness of the injury, and that the treatment relates to the work injury. Lack of complete medical documentation may result in delay of payments.

(ii) Choose a medical care provider licensed in Wisconsin. You may choose a second physician, but you may not be treated simultaneously by two providers. You may not seek a third provider unless referred by your primary provider. Doctors within a clinic are not considered a change of doctors.

What is a Form CA 16?

How does workers comp work in California?

How long does an employee have to file a ca 1?

How do I file for workers compensation in California?