Yes. Wis. Stat. § 102.42 gives an injured Wisconsin worker the right to choose a treating doctor.

From the insurance company's perspective, they want you to believe the "approved" clinic is mandatory, the employer's occupational doctor controls treatment, and any care outside that network will not be paid.

That is not the rule in Wisconsin.

In reality, if you were hurt on the job in Eau Claire - for example, a tow truck roadside strike on I-94 or a spring-thaw pothole suspension injury while working - you can generally pick your own treating practitioner for workers' compensation care. Your employer and its insurer do not get to force all treatment through their clinic just because the paperwork is in English or the adjuster says "company policy."

What they can do is send you to an independent medical examination under Wis. Stat. § 102.13. That doctor is evaluating you for the insurer. That doctor is not automatically your treating doctor.

Two practical points matter:

• Report the injury to your employer as soon as practicable.
• A formal Wisconsin workers' compensation claim generally must be made within 2 years of the injury or last payment of compensation, under Wis. Stat. § 102.17.

If the insurer denies bills because you treated with your own doctor, the dispute goes through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Worker's Compensation Division. If your doctor keeps you off work or restricts lifting, driving, climbing, or roadside duties, the insurer must address those restrictions based on medical evidence, not just what the supervisor in Eau Claire says is "light duty."

If a non-employer caused the injury - for example, another driver hit your work vehicle on US-53 - you may also have a third-party claim separate from workers' compensation. That does not cancel your right to choose your own treating doctor for the comp claim.