If you were injured on the job and the insurance company has stopped paying for your medical treatment, then the insurance company may be claiming that you have reached what is called “maximum medical improvement.” Under South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law, maximum medical improvement is the point at which an injured worker has reached such a plateau that, in their physician’s opinion, no further medical care or treatment will lessen the degree of impairment. However, even if you have reached maximum medical improvement, you may still be entitled to medical care or treatment which would lessen the period of your disability. In that case, your employer may still be required to provide you with treatment even after you have reached maximum medical improvement.

If this all sounds a bit complicated, it can be. Many times, the insurance company will try to cut your treatment short. Whether they do so as a result of their own economic reality (i.e. you are costing the insurance company “too much money”) or because the insurance company believes you are no longer in need of treatment, the result of their actions for you is the same: you are unable to obtain medical treatment through the insurance carrier.

Whether you are determined to have reached maximum medical improvement or to have not reached such a plateau, The Miller Law Firm, P.A., may be able to help. It is also important to note that if you are currently receiving temporary total disability benefits and are determined to be at maximum medical improvement, then this may signal the end of your weekly benefits.

If you have been injured on the job and are unable to return to work after a period of seven (7) days, then you are entitled to weekly temporary total disability benefits. One of the most common fears of injured workers is that they will not receive their weekly benefits after their authorized treating physician writes them go out of work. Unfortunately, insurance companies can sometimes be slow to approve benefits. Meanwhile, injured workers can be stuck without compensation and unable to provide for their basic necessities while they are out of work.

Once you are released at “maximum medical improvement” by your treating physician you are entitled to permanent disability benefits if your work-related injury is determined to result in permanent impairment. However, in many instances, the treating physician’s impairment rating may not take into account all of your work-related injuries. In many cases, it may be help to get what is called an Independent Medical Evaluation to help the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission determine the extent of your permanent impairment resulting from your work injury. These impairment ratings may in turn be used by the hearing Commissioner assigned to your case to help him or her determine the extent of permanent disability caused by your work-related injury.