What Happens After I Reach MMI Under Florida’s Workers’ Compensation Law?

If you have been injured at work, under workers compensation regulations, your employer is obligated to provide free medical care plus weekly wage loss benefits until you can return to your job. However, once your doctor states that you are at “maximum medical improvement” (MMI), your employer and insurance carrier will most likely attempt to significantly slash, reduce or terminate your benefits, whether you are able to work or not, and whether you are really at MMI or not.

Insurance carriers and employers attempt to manipulate your treating physician to declare you at a state of MMI and then notify you that your benefits have ceased in whole or in part. Rarely does an insurance carrier or employer tell you that you may not be at overall MMI. Nor do they often tell you that you have the right to challenge the MMI with another opinion by selecting a change in physicians or having an independent medical examination (IME) with a physician of your own choosing.

GET HELP WHEN YOU TAKE ON INSURERS

Delays in authorizing an IME, a second opinion or billing a one-time charge of the treating physician are part of the games insurance carriers and insurance claims adjusters play to purposefully frustrate and harm injured workers. You need an attorney to protect and enforce your rights and, where needed, to file a Petition for Benefits on your behalf. The insurance carrier and employer need to be held accountable if they do not act timely, quickly and per the requirements of the law.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS?

If you suspect you may have been treated unlawfully, get a free assessment from one of our skilled workers’ compensation attorneys to find out if you have a case.

The experienced trial lawyers of the Feldman Legal Group are committed to protecting the rights of injured workers in Tampa and throughout Florida. We understand that your employer and their insurance carrier will use every tactic to deny or minimize your claim and force you back to work as soon as possible.

Prior to opening our practice, attorney Mitch Feldman spent 15 years defending insurance companies in workers’ compensation litigation. He knows their tactics and how to beat them. Call the Feldman Legal Group to schedule a free initial assessment.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I REACH MMI IN FLORIDA?

If the authorized doctor has decided that you are at or getting close to MMI, then crucial decisions need to be made about how to proceed. Time is of the essence so that you explore your options and are not left without any income. Remember, the insurance company is not interested in you and neither is your employer. All they want is to pay the least amount possible in benefits and get you back to work, whether you are physically capable or not.

IT’S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CASE TO ACT NOW

At this stage in your case, making the wrong decision about how to proceed could deal a fatal blow to your case. Let us fight the insurance company on your behalf and make sure you receive the benefits you need. There is also a set time during which you must file within the Statute of Limitations pertaining to workers’ comp.

Contact us today for a free initial assessment. We have offices in Tampa and Atlanta, Georgia.