If you suffer a work-related injury or illness, you should be entitled to receive payment of all reasonable and related medical expenses for as long as your treatment is needed.
However, if your employer provides you with a panel or list of three doctors, you will be required to get your treatment from one of those doctors. If you do not go to one of those doctors or comply with the treatment they order, you can lose your right to receive workers’ compensation benefits.
Of course, you can change doctors if your employer (or its workers’ compensation insurer) approves the change. If the employer refuses to authorize the change, you can seek an order from the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.
A lawyer can play an important role in seeking authorization or an order that allows you to change doctors. For instance, an attorney can help you to show that a change is needed so you will receive adequate treatment. This is why you should seek legal help if you are seeking a change in doctors.
