What Happens If You Delay Medical Treatment After a Work Injury in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, workers’ compensation laws are designed to protect employees who suffer injuries or illnesses related to their work. But that still leaves workers sometimes asking “How long do I have to see a doctor after a work injury?” It’s an important question, because your choices here can make a big impact on your case, your recovery, and your legal rights.

How Long Do I Have to See a Doctor After a Work Injury in Minnesota?

Technically, there is no requirement to immediately see a doctor or go to the hospital after you’ve had a work injury. However, you should not let that stop you from getting the medical care that you need as soon as it is possible. There are quite a few good reasons why you need to get seen quickly.

1. Your Health and Welfare

Let us be the first to remind you that your own health and welfare are the most important reason to get the medical care you need without any delay. When you delay treatment, it’s possible for injuries to get worse. It’s also possible for injuries to be hidden by the adrenaline of the moment, only to manifest later and with more severe symptoms.

It’s not too much to say that there’s always a possibility with injuries of suffering a permanent disability or serious complications if you delay treatment. For instance, even a simple fracture can heal in the wrong way if it’s not set correctly, forever compromising your ability to use that limb as freely as you used to. A wound that’s not treated properly can become infected and become life-threatening a lot faster than you might think.

2. To Protect Your Workers’ Compensation Claim

Here’s the problem: insurance companies are businesses that are out to make money, as all businesses are. If there’s a way to deny your claim or at least to minimize what they have to pay, you can expect that insurance companies are looking for this actively. If you don’t get medical treatment quickly, the insurance company may make several types of claims.

First, they might try to claim that the injury really wasn’t that significant. After all, if it had been, surely you would’ve gone straight to the hospital, right? They aren’t thinking the same things that you might be thinking in that moment, like “can I afford to take the time off work to go to see a doctor?” or “what if this medical visit costs more than I can afford to pay?” Both of those are valid questions, but you can afford to take off work, and you can afford the medical costs, if the insurance company is paying for it: and getting treatment right away helps to guarantee that they will fulfill their responsibilities.

Another big risk is that the insurance company could claim that you weren’t injured at work at all. If you don’t get medical treatment quickly, they may try to claim that you were injured outside of work and are now trying to cheat the system and get worker’s comp benefits that you’re not entitled to. Finally, if you have any pre-existing conditions, delaying treatment can sometimes make them worse, and this may spark a disagreement between you and the insurance company over what parts of your medical care they should have to pay for. You can expect them to always balk at anything they think might be related to a pre-existing condition.

3. So You Have No Delays or Complications

When you were injured, you need your compensation as soon as possible so you can start paying off those bills that are piling up while you recover. If there’s any dispute about your compensation, it will mean a delay in getting the money that you need, including wage replacement benefits. If you get medical treatment right away, you greatly reduce the risk of experiencing delays of the sort. Remember, too, that the longer you delay in bringing a claim, the more difficult it can be to get what you deserve. It tends to get harder to prove what happened the longer you wait.

According to Minnesota law, your employer or their insurer has only 30 days from the time you submit a compensable bill to get that money to you. Imagine this scenario: you aren’t sure you’re hurt too badly, so instead of going to see a doctor, you just go home to rest. You figure you’ll be fine the next day, but instead, you wake up realizing that you just don’t feel up to going to work and won’t be able to fulfill your responsibilities.

This goes on for several days before you finally realize that you need to go to see a doctor. You’ve now lost several days of work already, but instead of being able to submit a bill and start claiming your wage replacement benefits right away, everything is pushed back by a week. That’s an extra week tacked onto the 30 days that the insurer has to get back to you with your compensation in the first place, and for many of us, going that extra week without pay is a serious thing. This is a largely avoidable situation if you get medical treatment quickly.

Minnesota-Specific Considerations

According to the law, your employer is required to provide whatever treatment is required at the time that you were injured. The law basically requires them to give you what is considered “reasonable.” The problem is how to define that word, and the longer you delay treatment, the more likely an employer is to argue that certain things aren’t reasonable.

Also, your employer is required to report your injury to the state within 10 days, but that means there could be up to a ten-day delay from the time you report your injury to your employer to the time that the process even gets started. If you haven’t yet gotten medical treatment, you may find it hard to start the process at all.

Things to Do to Maximize Your Compensation

Get a Lawyer Right Away

It’s always in your best interest to work with a qualified lawyer on these matters. A lawyer can help you get everything filed on time and properly, so there will be no delays. More importantly, when you have a lawyer involved right from the beginning, there’s a lot less chance you’re going to have any issues with your employer or an insurance company.

Keep Copies of Everything

If you are not in the habit of keeping copies of important paperwork, there has never been a more important time to start. If you report to your employer, make note of this. If it was done in writing, get a copy. Keep copies of all your medical bills, reports, and receipts. When your employer files the First Report of Injury, they should give you a copy. Follow up every day after you first inform your employer to find out whether they have filed this report and to get your copy: talk to your lawyer if you need help with this or have any concerns.

If you need help with a Minnesota worker’s comp claim, contact the Atkinson Gerber Law Office in St. Paul and Minneapolis right away.