If you have sustained an injury at work, you will need to protect your legal rights. These rights include claiming workers’ compensation. Almost every employer in the country needs to have workers’ compensation coverage, by law.
If you have been injured in the workplace, there are some things you should do:
Report the Accident
You need to report the accident as soon as you can. This is because your state might have a short deadline. If you fail to report within the deadline, you might not be covered by workers’ compensation. This is why it is so important that you make the claim, even if you’re not sure you were injured at work. Some people don’t experience any symptoms until a few days or weeks after the accident.
If Alcohol or Drugs Were Involved
If you were intoxicated or high at the time of the accident, your injuries will not be covered by insurance. This is why a lot of employers ask their injured employees to take a drug test.
Did you know that if you were fighting at work or engaging in horseplay at the time of the accident, you might not be covered by the insurance? Any Personal injury lawyer will tell you this.
Speak to a Doctor
One of the most important things you can do is to speak to a doctor. Go to the emergency room if you think you need to. If you did not sustain any serious injuries, ask your employer if you can choose which doctor to see.
If your employee asks you to see a specific doctor, make sure you’re satisfied with the visit. If you’re not satisfied, ask to see another doctor, preferably one you have chosen.
Let’s imagine that the workers’ compensation will not pay for you to see another doctor. The good news is that you could see someone else. However, you might have to be prepared to pay for the visit. This will ultimately depend on how serious your injuries are. If they’re not serious, it might not be work seeing another doctor.
Report Your Injuries ASAP
It’s absolutely vital that you report your injuries as soon as possible. Your employer is the person who needs to file the workers’ compensation claim on your behalf. Please note, your employer will not know that they need to do this until you tell them about your injuries.
If you didn’t know you were injured, please tell your employer about your injuries as soon as you discover them. You should have already reported the accident so it’s on file.
Please make sure you follow up with your employer about the workers’ compensation claim as it needs to be filed. You can also request a copy of the claim.
If you have been injured in an accident at work, please make sure you report it. Follow all of the above steps to help you make the most of your compensation claim. It’s always worth filing a claim if you were involved in an accident.
