In 2008, a settlement was reached between an employee and her employer regarding injuries she sustained in two work-related accidents in 2005. Under the settlement, the employer agreed to pay the employee $75,566.67 for her workers' compensation benefits and was also responsible for any future medical benefits under Alabama's Workers' Compensation Act.
Years later, in 2015, the employee sought reimbursement for mileage expenses related to visits to medical providers in 2014 and 2015. The trial court awarded her $560.51, concluding that only the miles traveled from her home in Gadsden, Alabama to her medical providers were considered reasonable.
The employee contested this interpretation of the Ala. Code 1975, § 25-5-77, asserting the mileage should be covered from her starting point, irrespective of her home. However, the court highlighted the importance of the term "reasonably necessary" in the Alabama Workers' Compensation Act, emphasizing that while the employee has the right to choose her providers, the employer is only obligated to cover necessary travel. The court supported the trial court's ruling, limiting mileage reimbursement to trips between the employee's residence and her medical providers. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's decision.