Korean Medicine Treatment for Workers' Compensation — Coverage Guide
Table of Contents
Workers' compensation insurance and Korean medicine treatment
Under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, Korean medicine treatment is covered for injuries and illnesses caused by work-related accidents. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, chuna manipulation, pharmacopuncture, physical therapy, and all other Korean medicine modalities fall within the scope of medical care benefits. Once the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service (COMWEL) approves your claim, you can receive treatment with no out-of-pocket cost.
COMWEL approval procedure
- Step 1 — Employer confirmation: Report the industrial accident to your employer and obtain the employer's confirmation form for the workers' compensation application
- Step 2 — Prepare the medical care benefit application: The Korean medicine clinic prepares the application together with the doctor's initial medical opinion
- Step 3 — Submit to COMWEL: Submit the application to your local COMWEL branch (the clinic can submit it on your behalf)
- Step 4 — Approval: Approval after COMWEL review — typically takes 7–14 days
- Step 5 — Start treatment: Full treatment begins after approval (emergency treatment received before approval can also be retroactively covered)
Required documents
- Medical care benefit application (COMWEL form)
- Initial medical opinion (issued by the Korean medicine clinic)
- Employer's confirmation form (confirming the accident)
- Accident report (detailed circumstances of the incident)
- Employment contract or proof of employment
Scope of inpatient and outpatient treatment
After workers' compensation approval, you can receive both outpatient treatment (3–5 times per week) and inpatient care. For severe musculoskeletal injuries, intensive inpatient treatment can shorten the recovery period. The treatment duration depends on the severity of the injury and is determined through consultation between the Korean medicine doctor and COMWEL's advisory physician.
Workers' compensation applications can feel complicated, but our clinic helps with paperwork and submission to COMWEL — please feel free to consult with us.