If you are injured on the job in Los Angeles, you should be eligible to get workers’ compensation, but you may find that you have to get an independent medical exam. This may be confusing since the chances are good you already had a medical exam when you were injured. Sometimes, though, the insurance company or someone else wants to have a third-party evaluate your condition to verify what your doctor may have reported.
According to AssessMED, an independent medical exam is conducted by a physician who is not associated with you, your employer, the insurance company or anyone else involved with your workers’ compensation case. He or she is an unbiased third party who will conduct an examination of your injury. He or she will then write up a report to submit to your file. The report may contain details about your limitations and your expected recovery time. The doctor may also make recommendations about when you can return to work and if you could return with certain modifications.
The IME may be used to confirm information already gathered on your injury and to help with the determination of your benefits. It may also be used to set up a plan for your return to work.
The idea behind an IME is to get a clear picture of your physical and mental condition. It protects you and your employer. Even if you have already been under a doctor’s care, having an IME can help to prove you are truly injured and cannot work. This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.
