The Vermont Department of Labor has reiterated that an employer/carrier is entitled to deduct mileage for the normal commute distance from the mileage to and from physician visits. Myrick v. Ormond Bushey and Sons, Op. No. 07-14 WC (April 25, 2014).
A worker who travels to receive medical treatment is entitled to mileage reimbursement for "mileage beyond the distance normally traveled to the workplace." Id., (citing Workers' Compensation Rule, 12.21). Such a rule denies reimbursement for regular commuting expenses but serves to "make the worker whole by providing compensation that he or she would not have incurred but for the work injury." Myrick v. Ormond Bushey and Sons, Op. No. 07-14 WC (April 25, 2014)(citing, Fosher v. Fletcher Allen Health Care, Op. No. 11-11 WC (May 5, 2011). The deduction of mileage for the commute occurs whether the injured worker is employed or receiving temporary benefits at the time of the medical service.
