If you are injured while on the job, or your injury is related to your job responsibilities, you might be eligible to collect workers’ compensation. Workplace injury claims will have to go through your employer and be fully documented. Workers’ compensation is an insurance system that protects both the employer and the employees. Employers are protected because in exchange for receiving workers’ compensation benefits, employers are not legally able to sue their employer or company. Companies would be broke if they faced multiple employee lawsuits. This way, an employee is protected if they sustain an injury, and the employer is protected from potentially disastrous personal injury lawsuits.
Reporting Your Injury
When and if you are injured on the job, you have to report it to your employer immediately. They will fill out a report and file it immediately. You will have to provide a detailed account of how the injury occurred, any witnesses that saw you sustain the injury, and should seek immediate medical attention.
Medical Report
It is not only important to seek immediate medical attention for your workplace injury to ensure you are cared for and to lessen the symptoms of the injury, it is also important for your claim. For a stronger claim, you will want there to be no confusion as to the nature of your injury, how you received it, that you sustained it on the job, and that there is no lapse of time between the injury and your medical diagnosis.
There are some injuries that don’t present symptoms until later, so it is especially important to have the injury documented right away in case you suffer later and decide you want to make a claim, when you initially thought it was not a big deal and wouldn’t affect your ability to work.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
The workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to varies depending on the strength of your case, the nature of your injury, the nature of your work, and how it affects your ability to continue working. Most often, benefits can cover all or some of the cost of your medical treatment and also provide an income while you are unable to work during recovery.
With permanent injuries that change your ability to continue in your job permanently, factors like age and whether you can continue in another field impact the amount of duration of disability you can receive.
Workplace injury claims are complex, and that is why it is highly recommended that you seek the help of a workers’ compensation lawyer to assist you in the process.
