Workers’ compensation pays for many of the damages associated with workplace accidents, including compensation for your medical costs and 2/3 of your wages while you recover from your injuries. However, you may already have noticed that other expenses continue to pile up while you attempt to deal with severe workplace injuries, including the cost of transportation to all of your medical appointments.
Mileage reimbursement in a Greenville workers’ compensation case can cover the cost of transportation and make it easier for you to manage your bills.
Costs Covered by Mileage Reimbursement
South Carolina workers’ compensation law lays out specific amounts that will be covered for the cost of transportation to and from medical treatment. These numbers are set in January of each year. Mileage reimbursement in a Greenville workers’ comp case includes:
- The actual cost of using public transportation services, including the bus, to reach a medical treatment provider
- Predetermined mileage reimbursement for driving your own vehicle, or having someone else drive you, to a location more than 5 miles from your home for medical treatment
- Mileage reimbursement as assessed by South Carolina workers’ compensation for traveling to a pharmacy more than 10 miles from your home for medications and other medical supplies needed to treat workplace injuries
- Lodging and meal costs due to medical treatments that require an overnight stay away from home
South Carolina workers’ compensation acknowledges that those costs add up and includes them under the reimbursement offered for expenses that go along with workplace injuries.
How to Claim Compensation for Mileage and Travel Expenses
Many workers’ compensation benefits are paid out automatically. Workers’ comp will take care of the cost of medical treatment directly, for example, rather than you having to submit reimbursement claims for most of those expenses. Checks for wages will also arrive regularly throughout your recovery.
Mileage and travel expense reimbursement, however, will require workers to keep records of their costs. Injured workers should keep the receipts for all travel costs associated with the injury and note mileage each time they travel to and from their medical appointments. Then, they should submit their records directly to the employer’s representative for reimbursement. This strategy will allow workers to get the compensation they need for those losses.
When an Employer Denies Coverage for Mileage
Sometimes, a Greenville employer or their workers’ comp representative may try to deny mileage reimbursement in a workers’ compensation case. Injured workers who have their claim denied, whose employers fail to pay out compensation for mileage traveled in a timely manner, or who struggle to get full reimbursement for travel expenses related to a workplace injury should reach out to a local workers’ comp attorney as soon as possible. A lawyer could make sure that workers understand their rights, including what expenses count toward workers’ comp claims, and fight to recover the compensation they deserve.
Contact a Greenville Attorney to Discuss Mileage Reimbursement in Your Workers’ Comp Case
Dealing with mileage reimbursement in a Greenville workers’ compensation case—as well as the other challenges that often arise when dealing with a serious workplace injury—can be incredibly frustrating. Working with a lawyer could help you make sure that you understand your rights and how to fight for compensation and coverage for all your expenses.
If you want to learn more about mileage reimbursement for your workplace injury or have any other questions about your workers’ comp claim, reach out to Eller Frye Law Firm today.
(864)-686-4827