Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section

Introduction

The North Carolina Industrial Commission Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section employs six registered nurses who are responsible for different geographic segments of the state. They have a vast amount of knowledge in the field of rehabilitation medical management for individuals who have received traumatic injuries as well as facilities or individuals available to provide assistance in the recovery process following injuries. The goal is to assist in recovery through coordination and utilization of professionals, specialized facilities, and community resources in a manner that will help the injured worker advance from disability to ability in a steady, progressive process.

Ongoing rehabilitation case management of injured workers covered by the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act is provided mainly by Medical and Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals employed in private industry. The Industrial Commission Workers’ Compensation Nurse Consultants are available to assist with case management and medical rehabilitation needs in the event difficulties arise in areas such as communication, trust, confusion, misunderstanding, or any other problem that interferes with the ongoing progress of returning injured workers to their maximum physical capabilities. The Industrial Commission Nurse Consultants strive to become temporarily involved in cases to assist with obtaining solutions to problems and prefer that ongoing case management continue to be provided by Rehabilitation Professionals in Private Industry.

The NCIC Nurses Section services are available to anyone who expresses concern for the care they feel injured workers in North Carolina are or are not receiving. Referrals are received from within the Industrial Commission, physicians, insurance representatives, attorneys, patients themselves or anyone else interested in the treatment for injured workers. The service is sponsored by the State of North Carolina and free to those seeking assistance.

Referral forms are available below. They also may be obtained from the NCIC Website: http://www.comp.state.nc.us/ncic/pages/rehab.htm#forms or from the Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section by telephone at (919) 807-2616, fax at (919) 715-8231, e-mail, or regular mail to the N.C. Industrial Commission, Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section, 4341 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4341.

Registry

Click here to view the Workers’ Compensation Registry of Rehabilitation Professionals. For details, see former Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section Director Margaret Dunn’s May 25, 2004 memorandum. (NOTE: This registry will be updated weekly—no later than 5:00 P.M. Friday—with each Friday’s update including all changes received no later than 2:00 P.M. Thursday.)

Forms

You may print and fill out the following PDF (Portable Document Format) versions of Industrial Commission forms, and submit them to the commission in lieu of the NCIC’s preprinted forms. To view or print these PDF files, you must download and install a copy of the Adobe^® Acrobat^® Reader. Click the button below to obtain your FREE copy of Adobe^® Acrobat^® Reader. (NOTE: Please pay close attention to this software’s installation instructions and licensing agreement.)

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The pertinent forms include:

• Form 25C—Authorization for Rehabilitation Professional to Obtain Medical Records of Current Treatment (revised 1/04). Note 1: Please fill out this form completely; sign it; and mail it to the rehabilitation professional named on the form. Note 2: There is also a Spanish version of the Form 25C: 

NOTE:  A Microsoft® Word Form 25C Document File with Form Fields is now available.

Forma 25C—Permiso al Especialista de Rehabilitación Médica para Obtener Reportes Corrientes del Tratamiento Médico (revisada 6/04). Resumen De Las Reglas Que Rigen El Uso De Los Profesionales De Rehabilitación En Los Casos De Compensación Laboral Para Los Trabajadores Lesionados. 

• Form 25N—Notice to the Commission of Assignment of Rehabilitation Professional (revised 8/04). Note 1:  A Microsoft® Word Form 25N Document Template is now available. Note 2: Please fill out this form completely, making sure to include the I.C. Number for the claim. Please fax the completed and signed Form 25N to (919) 715-0282, ATTN: Gina Bunn; mail it Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section, N.C. Industrial Commission, 4341 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4341, ATTN: Gina Bunn or convert the Form 25N to a Microsoft Word or PDF (Portable Document Format) e-mail attachment and e-mail it to 25n@ic.nc.gov.
   

• Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section Referral Form (revised 11/07). Note 1:  A Microsoft® Word Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section Referral Form Document Template is now available. Note 2: Please fax this completed and signed form to (919) 715-8231, ATTN: Gina Bunn; or mail it to Workers’ Compensation Nurses Section, N.C. Industrial Commission, 4341 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4341, ATTN: Gina Bunn.

Rehabilitation Advisory Board

The N.C. Industrial Commission Rehabilitation Advisory Board functions as a resource for the Industrial Commission, the Rehabilitation Professionals, the medical community, and the parties working for the benefit of the injured workers in North Carolina. For a list of the board’s members, click here.

Rules

To view or print the N.C. Industrial Commission Rules for Utilization of Rehabilitation Professionals in Workers’ Compensation Claims, click here. Click here to view or print a summary of these rules (revised April 14, 2008). Click here for a PDF file of the two-page pamphlet version of this summary. There is also a summary of these rules in Spanish: Resumen De Las Reglas Que Rigen El Uso De Los Profesionales De Rehabilitación En Los Casos De Compensación Laboral Para Los Trabajadores Lesionados.

See also Clarification of Role of “Task Assignments” for Rehabilitation Professionals in the Workers’ Compensation System (PDF file of February 22, 2008 N.C. Industrial Commission minutes).