8 AAC 45.430 - Assignment of rehabilitation specialists

For an injury occurring on or after July 1, 1988, and if required under AS 23.30.041, the administrator shall assign a rehabilitation specialist as follows:

(1) If the employee lives in this state, the first rehabilitation specialist on the list in the employee's geographical area shall be assigned. If there is no rehabilitation specialist on the list or if refusals under AS 23.30.041(g) eliminate all the rehabilitation specialists on the list for that geographical area, the administrator shall assign a specialist from another geographical area. To minimize expenses and delay, the assignment from another geographical area must be based on the rehabilitation specialist's proximity to the employee, and not necessarily to placement on the list.

(2) If the employee lives in another state or country, the administrator shall assign the first certified insurance rehabilitation specialist or certified rehabilitation counselor on the list from the city nearest the employee. If the nearest certified insurance rehabilitation specialist or certified rehabilitation counselor on the list is more than 100 miles from where the employee lives, the administrator may locate a rehabilitation specialist nearer the employee to assign. If the administrator is unable to locate a rehabilitation specialist nearer the employee, the administrator shall select the first certified insurance rehabilitation specialist or certified rehabilitation counselor on the list from the city nearest the employee. To reduce expenses and delay in providing services, the administrator's primary consideration in assigning a rehabilitation specialist must be the specialist's proximity to the employee. The administrator may assign a rehabilitation specialist in this state to oversee the providing of reemployment services under this paragraph.

(3) Except as otherwise provided in this section, once a rehabilitation specialist receives an assignment, that results in rehabilitation fees, the administrator may not make another assignment to that rehabilitation specialist until assignments have been made to all other rehabilitation specialists listed from the same senate district if the rehabilitation specialist business address is in this state, or from the same city if the rehabilitation specialist's business address is not in this state.

(4) A reassignment of an employee to a rehabilitation specialist under 8 AAC 45.530, 8 AAC 45.540, or 8 AAC 45.542 may not be made to a rehabilitation specialist in the same or an affiliated firm.

Notes

8 AAC 45.430

Eff. 7/1/88, Register 107; am 7/20/97, Register 143; am 3/13/2004, Register 169; am 4/16/2010, Register 194

Authority:AS 23.30.005

AS 23.30.041