Becoming injured at work no longer makes a person a prisoner of the State of New Jersey. Now the workers’ compensation insurance company will be required to provide medical treatment no matter where an injured worker chooses to live.
In a recent case, a woman who was recovering from surgery for a work-related condition, moved out of state to attend to a family emergency. She requested follow up physical therapy from the insurance company to be done in the state to which she moved. The insurance company refused and her condition worsened. The matter was taken to the Workers’ Compensation Court where the Judge ordered the insurance company to provide the medical treatment out of state. The Court also held the insurance company accountable for the worsening of her condition on a permanent basis from their refusal to provide treatment and awarded penalties assessed against the insurance company for their delay. This means that although the workers’ compensation insurance company has the right to have an injured worker examined by a physician in the State of New Jersey, medical treatment must be provided no matter where the worker moves.