What is preventing a significant portion of the injured worker population from returning to work?
Often times workers develop a secondary disability by becoming reliant on painkillers and other addictive substances costing the workers’ compensation claims industry millions of dollars.
If you’ve been injured on the job and prescribed powerful opioids such as Vicodin or OxyContin to treat the resulting pain, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that anywhere from 55% to 85% of injured workers receive opioids as part of their treatment; in fact, in 2015, workers compensation insurers spent more than $1.5 billion on opioids prescribed for workplace injuries, according to the industry group Comp-Pharma. Unfortunately, opioids carry a very high risk of addiction because they are so potent and easy to misuse or abuse. For many workers, they not only end up having to treat their injury, but their addiction to painkillers as well.
Drug addiction treatment programs are vital in helping injured workers get back on their feet and back on the job. However, those programs cost money, and many employees are left trying to figure out how to cover the costs—or even worse, they decide not to get treatment at all because they don’t think they can afford it. That’s why it’s important to know more about workers comp claims for addiction treatment and how they can help you focus on recovery instead of on your finances. Workers compensation claims can help you get the money you need to help pay for your medical bills and the time off when you couldn’t work; depending on your injury, you may also get benefits if you are deemed permanently disabled. If you enter one of the addiction treatment programs offered by Sheer Recovery, we can help you with the workers compensation claims process so you can be fairly compensated for your recovery.
