DWC Adopts New Travel Reimbursement Form
The Division of Workers’ Compensation has adopted a new version of DWC Form-048, Request to Get Reimbursed for Travel Costs. The form is available for immediate use. The agency advises that injured employees should begin using the adopted form by November 1, 2021. Insurance carriers may continue to accept the prior form after that date.
The adoption of this form is necessary to prevent delays in reimbursing injured employees for travel expenses by making it clear that they should submit the form to the insurance carrier, not DWC. In response to feedback received during the comment period, instructions were added to clarify that additional pages may be submitted, if necessary, and to encourage injured employees to communicate with the adjuster before they submit their reimbursement request.
The most important proposed change in this form is that the Division has created space for the insurance carrier’s response on the first page of the form just below the claimant’s explanation of the requested reimbursement. This is important because the carrier’s response used to be on the second page of the form. Many times claimants only provided carriers with the first page of the form and, not infrequently, carriers failed to respond to the request because they did not know that there was a second page that required a carrier’s response.
FOL suggested this proposed change to the Division last year. The change will have a salutary effect of reducing the opportunity for carrier error by failing to respond to the request in a timely fashion.
Rule 134.110(d) requires carriers to reimburse injured employees for qualified travel based on the travel rate for state employees on the date travel occurred. The IRS has published reimbursement rates for 2021. Effective January 1, 2021, the reimbursement rate was adjusted to 56 cents per mile.
An injured employee may request reimbursement from the insurance carrier if the injured employee has incurred travel expenses when: (1) medical treatment for the compensable injury is not reasonably available within 30 miles from where the injured employee lives and the distance traveled to secure medical treatment is greater than 30 miles one-way; or (2) the distance traveled to attend a designated doctor examination, required medical examination, or post designated doctor treating or referral doctor examination is greater than 30 miles one-way. The employee must submit a request for reimbursement to the carrier within one year of the date the employee incurred the expenses.
The carrier must reimburse the employee based on the travel rate applicable on the date the travel occurred. The carrier and employee should calculate the mileage owed using the shortest reasonable route. Total reimbursable mileage is based on round trip mileage.
Travel mileage is measured from the actual point of departure to the health care provider’s location when the point of departure is: (A) the employee’s home; or (B) the employee’s place of employment. If the point of departure is not the employee’s home or place of employment, then travel mileage shall be measured from the health care provider’s location to the nearest of the following locations: (A) the employee’s home; (B) the place of employment; or (C) the actual point of departure.
If you have any questions, please contact James R. Sheffield, III at (512) 435.2169 or JRS@fol.com.
FOLIO
