Rice Law Office Blog

From the New Hampshire Department of Labor official website.

How long is my claim open? 

Medical bills related to your injury remain the responsibility of the carrier as long as treatment is required. There are certain time limits for indemnity benefits depending on the circumstances of the case. See RSA 281-A:31.

How soon does Workers' Compensation start?

Workers' Compensation starts on the fourth day of disability (subject to a three day period). The waiting period is waived if the disability continues for 14 days or longer or if an employee returns to temporary alternative employment within five days.

From the New Hampshire Department of Labor official website.

Who pays for my prescriptions?

The insurance carrier will reimburse you for any prescriptions relating to your injury. They have 30 days from receipt of the request.

Can I see my own doctor?

This depends on whether or not your carrier is using a managed care program. If they are, you must choose a doctor within the network. If you are not subject to managed care, the choice is yours.

If you’ve been injured on the job, and especially in cases where there is some level of permanent impairment that limits your ability to work, you need to rely on your workers’ compensation to make ends meet. This compensation is so personal in nature that generally, creditors cannot seek a claim against it as they would a typical asset.

Only claims for medical bills and legal fees associated with the compensated injury may be made against workers’ compensation settlements in New Hampshire. There is another significant exception, however.

Since workers’ compensation is meant to be a safeguard for injured employees AND their dependents, spouses and dependent children are viewed as different from normal creditors in the eyes of the law. Claims for child support, therefore, may be enforced against workers’ compensation awards.

Even following a divorce, your former spouse may have a right to claim some portion of your workers’ compensation. It’s critical that you let your workers’ compensation attorney know from the outset if you might have any debts or obligations related to a divorce and or child support. The more your attorney knows, the more capable she will be in helping you to obtain and keep your benefits.

Image courtesy of Compliance and Safety under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.