What is a Commissioner's Exam (CME) in a Workers' Comp Case in Connecticut?

If you are injured on the job, your goal is to receive all the benefits to which you are entitled, and to receive payments quickly so you can meet medical bills and other expenses. Unfortunately, when an employer or workers’ compensation insurer puts saving money over your health, a battle for benefits can result – making it harder for you to get the compensation you need and thus to heal from your injuries.

Connecticut workers’ compensation law is based on nearly a century of legislation, case law, and administrative decisions. Navigating all this information can seem overwhelming when you’re fighting to heal from a serious workplace injury. Meanwhile, your employer and their workers’ compensation insurer will prepare themselves with experienced legal representation.

At Kocian Law Group, our goal is to level the playing field by providing each of our clients with well-informed, well-directed representation when pursuing workers’ compensation benefits. No matter where you are in the workers’ compensation process, we offer attorneys with long experience handling workers’ compensation claims. We’ve helped thousands of individuals get the compensation they need.

When you’re injured on the job, our Connecticut workers’ compensation attorneys can:

1. deal with the insurance company on your behalf;
2. fight for you when payments are late or treatment is withheld;
3. ensure you get your full benefits even when insurance companies seek to impose cost-saving measures;
4. secure all the benefits you’re entitled to receive by law, including little-known benefits like mileage payments for trips to doctor’s appointments and insurer penalties for late payments;
5. establish a fair award amount that covers all your compensable injuries; and
6. litigate your case in court.

Your initial consultation with Kocian Law Group is free and confidential. We provide our services with no up-front fees: you only pay when we secure your benefits. Our goal is to help clients navigate complex workers’ compensation laws and to help all our clients secure the benefits they deserve.

What is a Commissioner’s Examination?

Disputes over workers’ compensation benefits often center on an injured workers’ medical diagnosis and care. Insurance companies may try to block an injured worker’s access to treatment or benefits by denying or refusing a medical examination, called a “respondent’s examination”, or by disputing the findings of an independent medical examiner.

To overcome this obstacle, Kocian Law Group attorneys will often request a Commissioner’s Examination at a hearing. The Commissioner does not perform the medical examination. Instead, the Commissioner orders the insurance company to pay for another examination, known as a Commissioner’s Medical Examination (CME). The doctor who performs the CME is chosen by the Commissioner, and the injured person may provide previous medical records and other information so that the physician chosen has the fullest possible picture of the injury and the care the injured worker will need to recover.

Kocian Law Group attorneys exercise the legal right to request a Commissioner’s Examination on behalf of their clients in order to overcome insurance company medical examinations that block necessary treatment. Simply requesting an examination is not enough, however. The Commissioner ought to be properly informed, and the case should be fully prepared so that a Commissioner’s Examination can be of help. Kocian Law Group attorneys have helped thousands of injured workers obtain necessary medical treatment through the use of our hearing process and through Commissioner’s Examinations.

Obtaining Access to Needed Care

Injured workers deserve to be treated and to heal – but when cost-saving measures interfere, an injured worker may be denied access to this needed care. A Commissioner’s Examination can be used to level the field by ensuring an injured worker gets the examination they need. However, insurance companies may prefer not to have a Commissioner’s Examination, and they may object to it. They will not usually suggest that an injured worker request a Commissioner’s Examination. Kocian Law Group attorneys can help overcome this resistance.

If you are an injured worker who has been denied necessary medical treatment, Kocian Law Group attorneys may be able to help you by asking for a Commissioner’s Examination. There is no charge for a consultation to discuss how a Commissioner’s Examination may be obtained in your case. Do not leave your medical treatment up to the insurance company’s hired physicians. Schedule an appointment with the Kocian Law Group to discuss how a Commissioner’s Examination can help you.