I was hurt on the job and my employer is trying to send me a long distance to see a treating physician. Can I be reimbursed for the mileage and cost of traveling to the doctor?

When an employee is hurt during the course and scope of his or her employment, the employer is required to provide a panel of three (3) physicians so that the employee may choose a treating physician. In some cases, the selected treating physician is not in the employee’s immediate community.

In this case, Tennessee law provides a mileage reimbursement to an injured employee that is required to travel more than fifteen (15) miles from his or her residence. The reimbursement rate is a “per mile” reimbursement rate. This rate must be equal to or greater than the mileage allowance paid to state employees. This rate was .47 cents per mile as of August 2011.

Keep in mind that in some cases a treating physician may be within a fifteen (15) mile radius of the inured employee’s residence, but the injured employee may be required to travel longer distances for required medical treatment, such as physical therapy or surgery. This type of travel, regardless of how infrequent, should also be reimbursed.

If you have questions about an on the job injury, contact the Memphis, Tennessee workers’ compensation attorneys at Bailey & Greer. Call us toll free at 888-470-4193.