If The Insurance Adjuster Asks You To Sign A Records Release After A Work Injury – Should you do it?
No, don’t give a worker’s compensation adjuster access to all of your medical records unless you don’t care who is reading your confidential medical records and history (sometimes family history) since birth. The forms insurance companies use will allow them or anyone they see fit, total access to all of your medical records and deny your claim if they see anything they think would have contributed to your work injury. They will do this even though a pre-existing injury doesn’t mean that you can’t get workers’ compensation benefits in DC. They will use it to deny or delay your claim for benefits after a work injury, especially if you have ever injured the same body part before or have a pre-existing condition that was affected by this injury at work.
The bottom line is that they don’t need your medical history. What does a back injury playing football 10 years ago have to do with the ankle fracture that happened at work last week? Or a positive drug test 20 years ago? Or a family history of diabetes?
They Will Make Signing The Agreement A Condition of Receiving Workers Comp Benefits – You Can Count On That
Despite what the adjuster will tell you, there is no requirement that you sign any forms giving away all of your confidential medical information. You can send the workers comp adjuster or nurse case manager the medical records that they actually need. If you hurt your shoulder at work, have your doctor send the records for treatment of the shoulder. Anything that doesn’t have to do with the actual injury at this point in time is irrelevant and they don’t need access to it.
If Your Adjuster Or Nurse Case Manager Is Asking For A Medical Records Release After A DC Work Injury?
If you are dealing with an aggressive adjuster or nurse case manager you need an experienced, aggressive workers’ compensation lawyer. Have questions or need more information? Call us today and we’ll send you a free, no-obligation book on workers’ compensation that you can use to make the best decisions about your case – decisions that will be best for you and your family, not the insurance company.