In California, workers’ compensation pays for time off for doctor visits only in one clear situation: when you attend a medical-legal examination requested by your employer, its insurer, the administrative director, the appeals board, or a workers’ compensation judge. For routine follow-ups, physical therapy, imaging, or other treatment visits after you’ve returned to work, workers’ comp does not replace the wages you lose. That split is the whole answer, and everything else is detail around it.
Medical-Legal Exams Are Paid
California Labor Code Section 4600(e)(1) entitles you to one day of temporary disability indemnity for each day of wages lost attending a medical examination at the request of your employer, the employer’s insurer, the administrative director, the appeals board, or a workers’ compensation judge. You’re also reimbursed for transportation, meals, and lodging tied to the exam.1California Human Resources. Workers’ Compensation Administrative Time Off
These paid exams are the ones that come up when there’s a dispute about your injury, treatment, or level of disability:
- Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME)
- Agreed Medical Evaluator (AME)
- Independent Medical Evaluator (IME)
The employer or insurer schedules them, and you’re required to attend. Because the appointment isn’t your choice and isn’t ordinary treatment, the law makes the other side cover your lost wages.
Routine Treatment Appointments Are Not Paid
Once you’ve returned to your job, leaving work for a follow-up with your treating doctor, a physical therapy session, an MRI, or any other regular treatment visit does not entitle you to temporary disability payments for that lost time. A California appeals court confirmed the point, ruling that an employee who returned to full-time work was not entitled to TD for time missed to attend medical appointments. TD benefits exist to replace wages lost because you can’t work, not to bridge scheduling conflicts between your job and your treatment.
The CalHR Workers’ Compensation Administrative Time Off policy draws the same line. QME, AME, and IME evaluations qualify for paid time off. Regular medical appointments, physical therapy, X-rays, and similar treatment visits do not.1California Human Resources. Workers’ Compensation Administrative Time Off
To cover those hours, you’re left with your own paid sick leave, vacation time, or a schedule arrangement with your employer. California’s paid sick leave law provides a separate protected bank of time that can help, and many employers will accommodate appointment scheduling, but none of that money comes from the workers’ comp system.
If You’re Still Off Work Entirely
If your doctor says you can’t do your usual job at all, temporary disability benefits replace a portion of your lost wages for the whole period you’re off. During that time, whether you’re at a doctor’s office or at home recovering, TD is already running, so paying separately for appointment time doesn’t come up. The wages are being replaced because you’re medically unable to work.2California Department of Industrial Relations. DWC Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Workers’ Compensation for Employees
TD comes in two forms. Temporary total disability pays when the injury keeps you from working at all. Temporary partial disability pays the difference when you can work reduced hours or lighter duties but earn less than before the injury. Payments start when your doctor says you can’t do your usual work for more than three days or when you’re hospitalized overnight, and they stop when you return to work, your doctor releases you to your usual duties, or you reach maximum medical improvement.2California Department of Industrial Relations. DWC Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Workers’ Compensation for Employees
Mileage and Travel Costs Are Reimbursed Either Way
Even when workers’ comp isn’t paying your wages for the time, it does pay for the travel to and from your appointment. California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation sets a per-mile rate that is updated annually. Effective January 1, 2026, the rate is 72.5 cents per mile, regardless of when your injury occurred.3California Department of Industrial Relations. Mileage Rate for Medical and Medical-Legal Travel Expenses
Reimbursement covers mileage to and from medical facilities, pharmacies, and therapy sessions. Tolls and parking fees are reimbursable when documented. Keep a log for every trip with the date, destination, and mileage, and send it to the claims administrator promptly.
Federal Laws That Help With Scheduling, Not Pay
Two federal laws can protect your job while you attend treatment, though neither one replaces the wages you miss.
Americans With Disabilities Act
Under the ADA, a modified work schedule can qualify as a reasonable accommodation for a disability. If your work injury meets the definition, your employer may be required to adjust your schedule so you can get to appointments, as long as doing so doesn’t impose an undue hardship on the business.4U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The ADA: Your Responsibilities as an Employer The accommodation protects the job. It doesn’t pay you for the missed hours.
Family and Medical Leave Act
If your employer has 50 or more employees and you’ve worked at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months, the FMLA gives you up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for a serious health condition. The leave can be taken intermittently, a few hours at a time for individual appointments, and the Department of Labor has confirmed that travel time to and from appointments counts toward the protected leave. Again, the time is unpaid, but you cannot be fired or retaliated against for using it.
If Payment Is Denied or Delayed
Claims administrators sometimes refuse or delay payment for medical-legal appointment time or mileage reimbursement. Start by asking the claims administrator, in writing, for the specific reason. Many denials trace back to missing paperwork rather than a real disagreement about your rights.
If that doesn’t resolve it, you can file an Application for Adjudication of Claim with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Cases typically move through a mandatory settlement conference, where a workers’ comp judge helps both sides negotiate, and on to trial if no agreement is reached. You have the right to represent yourself. Disputes about benefits often turn on medical evidence and statutory interpretation, so an attorney’s help can matter; California workers’ comp attorneys typically work on contingency and collect a percentage of the recovery rather than charging upfront.
Keep copies of every appointment confirmation, doctor’s note, mileage log, and message to or from the claims administrator. Good records prevent most denials and win most of the disputes that do come up.