Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
If the insurance company sends you to physical therapy too far away, you could have options for treatment closer to home or work. New York workers’ compensation rules give injured workers rights when it comes to choosing medical providers.
A New York workers’ compensation lawyer can help determine why the insurer selected that location and if you actually have to use it. Your options can depend on your employer’s use of a preferred provider organization (PPO).
Shulman & Hill Injury Lawyers can review the treatment arrangement and explain what choices you have. A long trip for physical therapy can create a real burden when pain, limited mobility, work, or transportation already makes appointments difficult.
Can a New York Insurance Company Choose Your Physical Therapist?
In many New York workers’ compensation claims, you can choose a Board-authorized provider for your care. Workers’ Compensation Law § 13-a protects an injured worker’s ability to select an authorized medical provider and change providers during treatment.
The insurer does not get unlimited control over where you receive therapy. You still need a Board-authorized physical therapist, and another authorized provider must refer you for that care before treatment begins.
That rule can keep you from assuming an adjuster’s instruction leaves you with no other choice. Shulman & Hill can check the insurer’s authority to require that location and help determine if another authorized therapist could treat you instead.
What if Your Employer Uses a PPO in New York?
A preferred provider organization (PPO) can limit your choice of medical provider at the beginning of a workers’ compensation claim. If your employer uses one, you should receive written notice about the PPO, and your initial treatment generally must come from a provider in that network.
After 30 days from your first treatment, New York allows you to choose another Board-authorized provider outside the PPO. You must notify the insurer or self-insured employer in writing that you plan to leave the network.
Shulman & Hill can review when treatment began and confirm if the 30-day period has passed. A distant PPO location does not necessarily have to remain your physical therapy location for the rest of your recovery.
When a Physical Therapy Location Creates a Real Problem
Distance can become a serious issue when the trip adds pain, takes hours, or makes regular therapy difficult to manage. Shulman & Hill can help show how the location affects your ability to get to treatment as prescribed.
Problems can include the following:
- Several buses, trains, or transfers
- Pain during long car rides
- Therapy appointments that interfere with work
- No reliable access to a car
- Mobility limits that make public transit difficult
- Several therapy visits each week at a distant office
New York does not set one statewide mileage limit for routine physical therapy. Instead, the distance issue can depend on the circumstances of the trip and the availability of a closer Board-authorized provider who can offer the care you need.
How a New York Personal Injury Attorney Can Address a Distant PT Location
A New York personal injury attorney can first look at the insurer’s authority to require that particular location. From there, the next step could involve identifying an authorized therapist closer to you or asking for a change through the proper channel.
A written request can explain how far you have to travel, how frequently your doctor prescribed therapy, and why the trip causes difficulty. Shulman & Hill can help document those problems in a way that creates a clear record.
If the insurer later questions missed visits or a break in treatment, that written request can help explain what happened and when you raised the transportation issue.
What Should You Do Before You Stop Going to Physical Therapy?
Before you stop going to physical therapy, tell your medical provider and raise the transportation problem with the insurer or your attorney. That gives you a chance to ask about a closer provider and explain why the current location is interfering with treatment.
A few steps can help document the problem:
- Tell your medical provider that distance or transportation is interfering with therapy.
- Keep notes about missed work, travel time, or transportation problems.
- Save messages about the assigned location.
- Ask whether a closer Board-authorized therapist can take over your care.
- Keep records of appointments you could not attend and why.
Shulman & Hill can help address the location issue and explain what to do if therapy becomes difficult to attend. That can help prevent confusion later about missed visits or changes in treatment.
Can Workers’ Compensation Cover Travel to Physical Therapy?
New York workers’ compensation can reimburse qualifying transportation costs for travel to medical treatment. The Workers’ Compensation Board tells injured workers to keep records of mileage, public transportation fares, and other necessary travel expenses related to care for the work injury.
You can request reimbursement with Form C-257, Claimant’s Record of Medical and Travel Expenses and Request for Reimbursement. The form lets you document treatment dates, destinations, mileage, fares, and other eligible medical travel expenses.
Reimbursement will not make a long trip easier, but it can address some of the cost. Shulman & Hill can also explain what records to keep when physical therapy requires repeated travel.
How Can You Find Physical Therapy Closer to Home in New York?
You can use the New York Workers’ Compensation Board’s provider directory to look for physical therapists in your area. Once you find a few nearby options, call the office and ask if it handles workers’ compensation cases and offers the type of therapy you need.
A closer physical therapist still needs board authorization, and you will need a referral from an authorized medical provider. Finding an office near home does not automatically mean the carrier must pay for treatment there.
Shulman & Hill can help check that a closer provider meets the requirements of your claim and determine if PPO restrictions still apply. That gives you a specific alternative to raise with the insurer.
Call Shulman & Hill About Problems With Physical Therapy in New York
If the insurance company sends you to physical therapy too far away, you do not have to assume that location is your only option. Your right to choose another provider can depend on the type of workers’ compensation network involved and how long you have received treatment.
A New York personal injury lawyer can review the treatment arrangement and help you address the issue without leaving an unexplained gap in care. That can help you find out if a closer Board-authorized provider is available and what steps you need to take to switch.
At Shulman & Hill, we bring over 200 years of combined experience to cases involving injured New Yorkers. If travel to physical therapy has become a problem, contact us to discuss your treatment, your claim, and your options.
