If you are injured at work, it can be a very stressful experience. You will obviously be concerned about your health and well-being, but you will also be concerned about your employment. In most cases when you are seriously injured at work, you will be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. In order to preserve your claim, however, you need to make sure you handle the situation properly from beginning to end. The following are some essential steps that you need to take to ensure you will qualify for workers’ compensation and protect a claim for your work related injuries.
1. Follow Company Policy on Reporting Injuries at Work
While the first thing you need to do is get the medical attention you need, it also needs to be a priority to report the incident to your supervisor and human resources. Most workplaces will have an official policy on how accidents and injuries need to be reported, so make sure you follow these policies precisely to avoid potential problems.
2. Document Everything about Your Work Related Injury
As soon as you are able, write down or record your memory of what happened before, during, and after the injury. If there were any witnesses to the incident, ask them to write down their memories as well and make sure you get their names for potential interviews or comments as the case progresses. The sooner after the incident you document what happened the better your memory will be, so don’t put this off.
3. Follow Doctor’s Orders
After you’ve seen a doctor, they will likely give you instructions on how to recover from the injury. This may include taking medicines, going to physical therapy, or any number of other things. It is imperative that you follow their instructions. This is not only so you will recover properly, but also to protect your workers’ comp claim. If someone can show that you aren’t cooperating with doctors’ orders, they may try to say that your injury must not be very serious, which can hurt your claim.
4. Talk with a Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you will automatically qualify for workers’ compensation after being injured in the workplace. Your employer and the workers’ compensation insurance provider may attempt to deny a claim in order to reduce their costs. This is why you should have an experienced workers compensation attorney working on your behalf right from the beginning. Contact one of our attorneys at the Feldman Legal Group to discuss the specifics of your case and get the help you need to qualify for the benefits that you are entitled to.
