Medical benefits under the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act are available for as long as necessary. So long as a claimant can demonstrate the medical care he requests is reasonable in amount, related to his accident, medically necessary and rendered by an authorized physician, the employer must pay for such care.
In addition to paying the injured worker’s routine medical bills, the employer must provide necessary prosthetics and the like when his injured limb cannot be saved. (Incidentally, if the worker already had a prosthesis at the time of his accident, the employer is responsible for repairing or replacing it if it is damaged in a compensable accident.) Furthermore, the injured worker is entitled to provision of wheelchairs, walkers, canes and crutches (and training in the use thereof) as the nature of his injury may require.
If the treating physician and the Commission determine that it is medically necessary, the employer will be responsible for furnishing bedside lifts, adjustable beds, and modifications of the employee’s home (ramps, handrails, doorway alterations, or other appliances). Currently, this entitlement has an aggregate limitation that was last set at $55,000.00 for the life of the case. A 2022 amendment to the Act, however, provides that the limit shall increase annually at the same rate as the cost-of-living adjustments that apply to wage loss benefits.
Finally, a claimant’s mileage to and from his medical appointments is considered a medical expense under the Act for which he is entitled to reimbursement. (As of January 1, 2025, the reimbursement rate is $0.70 per mile.)