Legal Question in Workers Comp in Massachusetts

Re: Workers Compensation

Short answer: No, there is no real time limit for how long a WC insurer remains responsible for paying medical bills related to a workplace injury. Even after a WC case is "settled", the insurer remains responsible for related medical bills.

Though it is good to hear that, for once, a WC insurer "is being pretty good about paying the medical bills", I think it is time that your friend consult a lawyer. Sooner or later, the insurer might start thinking that his treatment should be over by now, and start looking for excuses to cut off his benefits. Often this starts in the form of having him go to a doctor of their chosing for what they call an "Independent Medical Examination." Such examinations are anything but independent. The doctors who perform them make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year doing them, and they know darn well who is paying them. An experienced lawyer can help your frined deal with this properly.

And perhaps more important, since it seems clear that your friend will never be able to go back to the same line of work, he will eventually be entitled to a "lump sum" settlement of his claim for lost wage benefits, and that is one area where having a lawyer can make a big difference in one's recovery.