Injuries and illnesses are inevitable in every working place. However, if any of these result from certain conditions in your workplace or you sustain them while working, you can receive compensatory benefits.
One of these benefits is health care. Your employer caters to all the medical services you might require regardless of whether the case is an emergency.
Read the five things you must do when filing for a worker’s compensation claim. You can also get a second opinion for work injury from a lawyer and have a clear idea of the benefits you are entitled to and how to claim them.
Seek Medical Attention
The first step after a work-related injury is seeing a doctor, especially if you’ve suffered severe injuries that need immediate medical care. Visiting a doctor not only safeguards your health but also prevents any further damage.
If your workplace has a medical officer on site, you must see them immediately. If not, you can opt to visit any medical center you prefer or one you’ve been designated to visit by your employer.
If you have to travel for treatment, you must receive reimbursement and compensation for any other costs incurred. Your doctor does not require the Worker’s Compensation Board’s authorization to attend to you in an emergency.
However, for other cases, your medic must get consent from the board to prove that your case is a work-related injury.
Report To Your Supervisor or Employer
Once the workplace injury occurs, ensure you notify your employer or supervisor within the set deadline or preferably soon after it happens. Every state has a timeline within which you must report your injury. It ranges from 30 days to one year, after which your report becomes irrelevant, and you can’t receive worker compensation.
It’s advisable to report any workplace accidents regardless of whether there was an injury. This is in case an injury comes up after the reporting deadline expires. As with all other legal processes, ensure your report is formal.
Your report should include details such as the time of the accident, the nature of the injury, the location of the accident, and the parties involved.
Fill In the Necessary Paperwork
Notifying your employer of your injury or illness may seem enough, but more is needed. You must fill in a more detailed document explaining the nature of the accident and the extent of the injuries.
This paperwork also includes segments that your employer and insurer must fill in to complete it. Before filling it out, you must go through another document provided by your organization.
This document contains your rights and the worker’s compensation benefits you should get for a workplace injury. These rights and benefits will give you an oversight of what to expect. If this document is not provided, you have grounds to sue your workplace for withholding necessary information.
Ensure Your Employer Files Your Claim
After you’ve submitted your claim to your employer, it’s their responsibility to file it with the worker’s compensation insurance carrier. Your medical doctor also needs to submit a report to the insurance company.
You must ensure this happens as it marks the beginning of your approval or denial of the compensation process. Submission of workplace injury reports is mandatory even when you are not filing for a compensation claim.
Keep Detailed Work and Medical Records
Keeping copies of all the critical documents involved in the compensation claim is advisable. These include doctor’s records, letters from your employer and the insurance company, work restrictions, and the accident report.
Preserving them ensures you have a backup in case these documents get lost or are altered against you. It also helps to keep copies for future reference and as evidence.
Final Thoughts
Accidents and illnesses are inevitable in workplaces. For these incidents, you can get benefits and compensation from your employer.
Several steps are involved in the process, from sustaining the injury to receiving compensation. To be able to file for a worker’s compensation claim, you must understand all the steps.