1. If I am unable to work due to a job injury and I am receiving my weekly compensation, can the insurance company stop my checks?

Yes. If you have been receiving weekly compensation checks for temporary, but total disability for 150 days or less, the insurance company can stop your checks if they have reason to believe you can work. If you have been receiving weekly checks for more than 150 days, the insurance company cannot stop your checks unless a workers' compensation commissioner orders it or you sign a form which allows the insurance company to stop them.

2. Do I have to go to the insurance company doctor?

Yes. In the State of South Carolina, there are only two groups of citizens who cannot chose the doctor who treats them: inmates of the Department of Corrections and workers who are receiving workers compensation benefits.

3. What happens if I refuse to go to the insurance company doctor?

The insurance company may ask the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission to terminate your entitlement to any benefits on the ground that you are refusing medical treatment.

4. Can I get a second opinion from a doctor of my choice?

Yes, but the insurance company most probably has no obligation to pay for it.

5. What happens if the insurance company doctor certifies that I can return to work and I know I cannot?

The insurance company will immediately try to stop your benefits. The burden will be on you to prove through medical evidence that you continue to be disabled.

6. What happens if the insurance company doctor releases me from his care, but I know I need additional treatment?

The insurance company will stop paying for any further treatment. You will have to prove that under the law, you are entitled to additional medical treatment.

7. Will the insurance company doctor be fair with me regarding his opinions about my work capabilities?

Some will, some won't. You must remember that medicine is a big business and the insurance company sends certain kinds of injuries to specific doctors. The sole goal of the insurance company is to pay as little as it must on any case. That is why it is in business.