Dec 15, 2021
Mileage Reimbursement in Workers’ Comp Claims
Nate Hansford
Workers’ compensation can provide you with a number of useful benefits to help you recover from the aftermath of a work-related injury. Most people know that they can get medical treatment coverage and might be able to get disability pay if they were seriously injured. However, did you know there are several miscellaneous benefits to workers’ comp that can help pay for some things you might not expect, including the money you spend on gas to travel to and from necessary medical appointments?
Each state has its own mileage reimbursement rate for workers’ compensation, which is calculated based on the average statewide gas price and income. In Georgia, the current effective mileage reimbursement rate is $0.56 per mile. Although, this rate is actually slightly lower than last year’s, despite the increase in gas prices nationwide. The State Accounting Office is expected to soon calculate and announce the reimbursement rate for 2022, which will hopefully be higher.
Keep Track of Your Miles
You can be reimbursed for every mile you drive to get to medical appointments related to your work injury. But no one will calculate your mileage for you. Instead, you have to keep track of your miles driven.
Use a notebook to write down the miles driven. You can also take photographs of your odometer before and after each drive. This method lets you easily keep track of your mileage, and it provides pretty clear proof in case an insurance company wants to try to refute how far you’ve been driving.
How Far Can You Be Told to Drive to the Doctor?
A common point of contention in workers’ comp cases is how far the injured worker has to drive to get to the doctor. The insurance company must make a reasonable attempt to find a medical provider within the claimant’s hometown or county who can see and treat them, which should minimize their driving distance. Yet there is no definitive limit to how far you can be told to drive, so your mileage in relation to your work injury could be significant. There have even been stories of people being told to see specialists in entirely different states.
The other thing to consider is whether or not your injury affects your ability to drive. If you have suffered a bad back injury, for example, then it might be impossible for you to safely drive for more than 10 or 15 minutes. In that situation, the insurance company could be pressed to find a medical provider close to your home or to arrange to have you taken to and from those appointments in an ambulette.
If you have questions about how workers’ comp mileage reimbursement works in Georgia and for your particular workers’ comp case, Hansford McDaniel – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys can help. Contact our firm at any time for more information.
