In workers’ compensation, transportation and translation are often viewed as routine tasks. Schedule a ride. Book an interpreter. Check the box and move on.

But these decisions are more than administrative.

They are ethical decisions, because they directly affect safety, understanding, dignity, and outcomes for the injured worker.

Transportation Is About Safety

If an injured worker cannot safely get to medical care, then access to care does not truly exist.
Selecting the right type of transportation matters:

• An injured worker who can walk independently may be fine in a standard sedan.
• Someone using a wheelchair requires a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
• A worker experiencing severe pain, dizziness, post-surgical limitations, or mobility restrictions may need a stretcher, medical escort, or additional assistance.

When transportation does not match the injured worker’s physical condition, the consequences can be serious. A worker may struggle getting in or out of a vehicle, risk reinjury, or ultimately miss appointments altogether. These missteps delay recovery, increase claim costs, and, most importantly, put the injured worker at risk.

Transportation is not just about getting from Point A to Point B.

It is about ensuring the injured worker arrives safely, with dignity, and ready to receive care.

Translation Is About Understanding

If an injured worker does not fully understand their medical provider, they cannot fully participate in their care.

This is not simply a language issue, it is a safety issue.

Medical conversations involve complex instructions: medication dosing, wound care, activity restrictions, therapy schedules, and follow-up timelines. Without professional interpretation, critical details can be misunderstood or missed entirely. An injured worker may unknowingly fail to follow instructions, misunderstand risks, or consent to treatment they do not fully comprehend.

Relying on family members, friends, or untrained interpreters introduces additional risks. Information may be filtered, altered, or incomplete, and privacy can be compromised. Professional medical interpretation protects accuracy, confidentiality, and the injured worker’s right to informed care.

Access to Care Is About Fairness

True access to care means removing barriers that prevent injured workers from receiving timely and appropriate treatment.

Common barriers include:

• No transportation: The injured worker may not have a reliable vehicle, may be unable to drive due to injury, medication, or restrictions, or may live far from providers.
• No interpreter: The injured worker may speak limited English or none at all, making communication with providers difficult or unsafe.
• Long wait times: Delays in scheduling transportation or interpretation can cause appointments to be postponed or missed.
• Missed appointments due to logistics: When rides arrive late, interpreters are unavailable, or coordination fails, injured workers may miss visits through no fault of their own.

When these barriers exist, injured workers can appear “non-compliant” when they are actually unsupported. This misunderstanding often leads to disputes, delayed treatment, extended claims, and frustration for everyone involved.

Why This Is an Ethical Issue

Ethics is about doing what is right, even when the decision seems operational or routine.

Transportation and translation decisions directly affect:

• Safety
• Understanding
• Dignity
• Medical and claim outcomes

If an injured worker cannot safely get to care or fully understand their treatment plan, the system is not serving them fairly. That is why logistics decisions are ethical decisions.

What Adjusters and Nurse Case Managers Can Watch For

A few proactive questions can prevent significant downstream issues:

• Does the scheduled transportation reflect the injured worker’s current physical condition, not how they were weeks ago?
• Does the injured worker truly understand their diagnosis, restrictions, and care plan?
• Are missed appointments the result of non-compliance or a logistics breakdown?
• Is the injured worker’s privacy protected during transportation and interpretation?

Identifying these issues early supports better outcomes and reduces unnecessary delays.

Real-World Example

An injured worker underwent back surgery and was cleared to return home. For follow-up appointments, a standard sedan was scheduled. Each visit required the worker to twist and lower themselves into the vehicle, causing significant pain. After missing two appointments, physical therapy was delayed, extending recovery time and increasing claim duration.

Once transportation was changed to a vehicle with appropriate assistance, appointments resumed as scheduled. Therapy progressed. Recovery moved forward.

Nothing medical changed.
The logistics did and the outcome followed.