Anyone could suffer an injury while working that leads to more than three days away to recuperate. When a workplace injury causes a worker to miss at least three days of work, that worker could file a workers’ compensation claim.
The workers’ compensation process starts with immediately notifying a supervisor of a workplace injury or illness and getting medical help. If an injured worker cannot notify a supervisor before obtaining medical care, that is fine. But the worker needs to notify the employer as soon as possible and preferably within 24 hours of the accident.
Workers’ compensation health benefits will cover the medical costs. That is especially useful for construction workers comp claims because the construction industry has the most injuries.
There is a deadline for filing workers compensation claim damages, which often is 45 days from the date of the injury, but could be longer. It can vary greatly from one state to the next. Workers must stay aware of filing deadlines so that they can obtain coverage for medical costs and any ongoing treatment.
The employer or an insurance adjuster might deny a valid claim. If so, an experienced workmans compensation lawyer could help to challenge that decision.
Have you ever been injured on the job or seen someone hurt while at work? Often times employees aren’t aware of their workers compensation rights when they are injured on the job and it can costs them quite a bit of money. That’s just one of the reasons that you should know the basics about workers compensation law in your state. Workers compensation lawyers are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, but knowing some basics ahead of time will help you know what questions to ask. Here’s a few of those basics:
1. Who Is Covered By Workers Compensation Laws? – There were over 125 million employees covered by state and federal workers compensation laws in 2011. That statistic may be a few years old, but it still paints a pretty good picture. Nearly every employer in the country is required to offer workers compensation coverage for their employees. Do you know what yours are? If you are curious about what your employer offers or want to know if you are covered in general find a few local workers compensation lawyers to consult with.
2. How Does Workers Compensation Pay Injured People? – You probably know that the benefit of workers compensation is that it pays 100% of medical costs for workers who were injured on the job, and pays cash benefits for lost work time after a certain waiting period. Of the costs paid out by workers compensation claims, around 70% of it is wages and salaries and the other 30% is made up of benefits. Workers compensation exists so that if an employee is injured on the job while performing their normal duties, they can rest assured that their medical bills will not be a burden on them or their family.
3. How Often Is Workers Compensation Used? – You may find this hard to believe, but there were over 300,000 job-related sprains, strains, and tears in 2013 alone. That’s not counting all of the other types of workplace injuries such as slips, trips, falls, back and neck injuries, etc. Workers compensation attorneys specialize in making sure your claim is such that your medical bills are completely covered and that you receive the salary you deserve while you recover.
When you are injured on the job your focus should be on recovery, not making sure that your bills are paid. That’s what workers compensation lawyers are for. They are experts for a reason and they want to help you be stress free on your road to recovery. Ask your employers human resources department to provide you with information on the workers compensation coverage you currently have. If you have questions once you look over this information, just ask the experts!