APPENDIX N
PROCEDURES FOR INJURY ON DUTY AND RECURRENCE CLAIMS

An officer who has been certified as injured on duty shall be provided a group of three available physicians for treatment. Groupings of three available physicians will be randomly selected from a pool of physicians who are members in good standing of a network of workman’s compensation physicians qualified to render appropriate medical care for the injury claimed. The groupings of physicians will be rotated on a weekly basis until all members of the pool have appeared in a group which was available for officer selection, at which point the process will repeat itself. The officer will select a physician from the group provided by the Employer. The Medical Services Section will refer the officer to the physician selected by the officer.

An officer claiming a recurrence of an injury on duty will have his/her claim evaluated by a physician from the Medical Services Section. If that physician finds the condition complained of is not a recurrence, the Medical Services Section will provide the officer with a list of three physicians chosen in the manner described above. Should the physician who treated the original injury on duty be a member in good standing of the pool of workman’s compensation physicians from which the group of three physicians was chosen, then that physician will be added to the group of three physicians provided to the officer. The officer will select a physician from the group provided by the Employer. The Medical Services Section will refer the officer to the physician selected by the officer.

Should the officer or the Department not agree with the medical finding, of the referral physician, either party may seek another opinion. The officer will select another physician from a different group of three physicians chosen in the manner described above. The Medical Services Section will refer the officer to the physician selected by the officer. Should that physician’s opinion agree with the finding of the first referral physician, it will be binding on both the officer and the Employer. Should that medical opinion disagree with the first opinion, the parties may accept the second opinion or seek a third opinion. The process for obtaining a third opinion shall follow the same procedure for selection of the second opinion. The finding of the third physician agreeing with either of the previous opinions shall be binding on both the officer and the Employer.