Why You Need a Workers Compensation Doctor

After a work injury, the doctor you choose does more than treat you. In New York’s workers’ compensation system, your treating doctor’s exams and reports are what the Workers’ Compensation Board and your employer’s insurer rely on to approve your care and any lost-wage benefits. A doctor who doesn’t regularly work within the system can leave gaps that slow down your claim.

A WCB-authorized workers compensation doctor will:

• Accept your case under workers’ comp, so you generally pay nothing out of pocket for authorized treatment of an accepted claim. There’s no copay and no deductible.
• Document your injury properly, connecting it to your job in the medical reports the Board requires.
• Report on your ability to work, including whether you’re totally or partially disabled and when you can safely return, with or without restrictions.
• Follow New York’s Medical Treatment Guidelines, which helps keep necessary care approved without unnecessary delays.
• Request authorization for tests, therapy, and specialist care when your recovery calls for it.

In most cases, you have the right to choose your own WCB-authorized doctor. It doesn’t have to be a doctor your employer picks. (The rules can differ for initial treatment if your employer participates in a Board-approved PPO network. Call us and we’ll help you figure out where you stand.) You can confirm any provider’s status through the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board.

Workers Compensation Doctors Services Provided at Our Facilities

Work injuries rarely need just one kind of care. Our network brings the specialists you’re most likely to need under one roof, so referrals don’t send you across the city:

• Orthopedic surgeons for back, neck, shoulder, knee, wrist, and other joint and bone injuries, including fractures and torn ligaments.
• Pain management doctors for chronic or severe pain that keeps you from working.
• Neurologists for head injuries, concussions, nerve damage, numbness, and tingling.
• Physical therapists to rebuild strength and mobility and prepare you for your job’s physical demands.
• Chiropractors for spine and soft-tissue injuries from lifting, falls, and repetitive strain.
• X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to diagnose injuries accurately and support your claim.

We commonly treat injuries from lifting and overexertion, slips, trips and falls, falls from ladders and scaffolding, repetitive motion, being struck by equipment or materials, and work-related vehicle crashes.

What to Do After a Work Injury

1. Get emergency care first if you’re seriously hurt. Emergency treatment is covered even before you choose a doctor.
2. Tell your employer in writing within 30 days. Missing this notice deadline can put your benefits at risk.
3. See a WCB-authorized workers compensation doctor and tell them the injury happened at work.
4. File your claim (Form C-3) with the Workers’ Compensation Board as soon as possible. The legal deadline is two years from the accident, but filing early keeps your care and benefits moving.
5. Keep copies of everything: your written notice, claim numbers, medical records, and any letters from the Board or the insurer.

Was your injury a car accident while on the job? Workers’ compensation usually comes first, but you may have questions about auto coverage too. Our no fault doctors page explains how New York’s auto no-fault system works.

Meet Our Workers Compensation Doctors

Every physician at New York Medical Centers is authorized by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board to treat injured workers. Among the doctors caring for patients at our offices:

Kamal Tadros, M.D.

A WCB-authorized physician at New York Medical Center – East New York, Dr. Tadros treats job injuries for warehouse, construction, sanitation, and transit workers throughout eastern Brooklyn.

Vladimir Onefater, M.D.

At New York Medical Center – Sheepshead Bay, Dr. Onefater is a WCB-authorized doctor caring for injured workers from southern Brooklyn, including home health aides, drivers, and tradespeople.

Miguel Coba, M.D.

Dr. Coba is a WCB-authorized physician at New York Medical Center – Staten Island, treating construction, maritime, and service workers hurt on the job across the island.