Injuries at work can be a significant inconvenience. Fortunately, most states have laws in place to provide a compensation plan when you have to take off time from work after a terrible injury. Around 3.5 out of 100,000 workers get injured every year. If you were recently injured, you could receive the help you need to stay financially stable while recovering from your wounds.
The average injury and illness rate is about 2.8 cases per 100 workers. When this happens to you, you need to begin documenting the damages to have evidence for your workers’ compensation case.
Once you have been harmed while at work, you should report the injury to the human resources department or an authority figure in charge of these reports. Lawyers recommend that you report it as soon as possible, as the statute of limitation for filing a workers’ compensation claim in California is one year from the date of the injury. You should also take pictures of your injury, the machinery involved, defective tools, and the area.
Before you file a claim, you need to know exactly what injuries you received. Then, your doctor can review your wounds and give you the treatment that you need. Employers commonly pay for the treatment before the workers’ compensation is filed because the insurance policy will later cover it. However, this means that the employer gets to choose where you go for your initial treatment. Make sure that your treating physician knows that the injury was work-related. Your doctor can also supply a letter that details how your injuries impact your capacity to work. You’ll be able to include this in your claim and show your employer.
A workers’ compensation insurance company protects your employer to provide you coverage for your medical bills. Typically, you and your employer will file the claim together. If there are any witnesses, make a note.
If your workers’ compensation was not high enough and you are still struggling while recovering from your injuries, you can apply for adjudication of the claim. This will allow you to resubmit your claim to the board for review. You will need to edit any errors or mistakes that you made on your application in this case. Also, you have to include additional information that will improve your chances of receiving the correct amount.
If you are unhappy with your claim amount, a knowledgeable lawyer can intervene and increase your award amount. This is because lawyers know what common errors people make on their applications. They can also advise you on what additional information you should include in increasing your claim amount. Then, by submitting your claim error-free, you’ll likely receive the amount you deserve.
You should get the compensation you deserve after getting a terrible injury. When you cannot recover quickly enough, you miss work and lose money in the process. Work with talented legal advisors to help prevent application errors.