Being involved in a workplace accident is tough to overcome. Not only has an employee suffered an injury and harm, but they may not be able to work while they recover from the injuries suffered. This can be a difficult situation to cope with, as a job is a person’s ability to pay for their basic needs. Thus, an injured worker may be dealing with much more that the immediate injuries suffered in the work accident.
A rule has been proposed, which the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Joint Committee Agency Rule Review is considering, where they will set up reimbursements for the Bureau for their payments for counseling and coaching sessions that are designed to help injured workers. These programs would help workers that need help overcoming issues, such as negative thinking, lack of motivation, improving coping skills and addressing other behavioral barriers to their recovery.
This rule would allow an injured worker to be compensated for health and behavior assessments and intervention. Certain criteria will need to be met. This include a worker’s physician determining that the worker is not progressing with their injury after an initial course of treatment and their healing seems to be delayed because of behavioral barriers. However, one should note that this is not referring to mental illness or psychological disorders, but rather normal emotional responses that one typically experiences following a serious injury.
This proposed rule would help cover one health and behavioral assessment. It would also cover six hours of intervention session in a 12-month period. Health care professionals that may provide treatment include physicians, psychologists, chiropractors, social workers and counselors.
Suffering a workplace injury can be a difficult event to cope with. It is not easy going from being able to work one day and being unable to work the next. Thus, it is important for injured workers to consider their rights and options, such as seeking workers’ compensation. These benefits could help address medical bills, lost wages and other losses.