NH Workers’ Comp – If you are an injured employee with a work-related injury, New Hampshire law requires that the workers’ compensation carrier pay your medical bills that are reasonable and related to the injury. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for a New Hampshire workers’ compensation carrier to deny a medical bill, even if it is obvious that the medical treatment to which the bill relates is reasonable and related to the work injury. This blog discusses what you should do if you are an injured employee, you receive medical treatment for your work injury, and you learn that the carrier has denied the bill.
Paying Your Medical Bills
When an employee with a New Hampshire workers’ compensation claim receives treatment for a work-related injury, the medical provider should submit the corresponding medical bill to the carrier for payment, along with the medical records describing the treatment rendered. The carrier has thirty (30) days to accept or deny the bill. The carrier can deny the bill simply by sending the employee a letter stating that the carrier does not believe that the treatment is reasonable or causally related to the work injury. Unfortunately, the law does not require the carrier to substantiate or even explain its statement that the treatment is not reasonable or related to the work injury.
Appealing Refusal to Pay Workers’ Comp Medical Bills
Fortunately, the carrier’s denial of the bill does not mean that the carrier will not ultimately be made to meet its responsibilities and pay the bill. Within eighteen (18) months of the date of the carrier’s denial letter, the employee may appeal the denial to the New Hampshire Department of Labor by requesting a hearing. The employee should submit with the hearing request a copy of the denied medical bill and a copy of the medical records to which the bill relates. The employee must also copy the carrier (or the carrier’s attorney) on the submission to the Department of Labor. The Department of Labor will then hold a hearing on whether the carrier must pay the bill. At this hearing, the employee bears the burden to prove that the medical bill is reasonable and related to the work injury.
NH Workers’ Comp Lawyers
If you are an injured employee and you find yourself dealing with a workers’ compensation carrier denying medical bills that you and your doctor believe are reasonable and related to your work injury, you should consult an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer. Benjamin King at Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, P.C. is an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer and represents the employees in medical bill disputes. The insured carrier must pay the employee’s attorney’s fees if the employee prevails at the Department of Labor in a medical bill dispute.
If you have a workers’ comp issue, it is important to contact one of our employment law attorneys at Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, P.C. Call us at (603) 288-1403 or fill out our online contact form.