Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Workman’s Compensation Claims

A worker gets injured at work every 7 seconds.

Injured workers should report the incident immediately to their employees. After that, they should proceed to initiate a claim.

However, the claims application process is not always easy. One can easily make mistakes that could interfere with the claims approval or the compensation amount.

Here are the common mistakes which could hurt your workman’s compensation claims. Read through to know how you can avoid them.

Failing to Hire an Attorney

Workers’ compensation lawyers help injured employees get justice. They help them by following up on the issues and using their knowledge and expertise to represent them. The right lawyers can also advise you on your options and comfort you during this difficult time. 

Failure to hire the lawyer means that you may lack the compensation. The stringent procedures, rules, and hefty paperwork can easily discourage you from following up on the compensation.

Besides, you might make a costly writing mistake and mess up the entire claim. To prevent this, hire a reputable lawyer immediately to represent you. You will come across many lawyers, and so, you should do a background check on their reputation.

Failing to Report the Accident

You should report the accident to your employer or supervisor immediately when the accidents happen. Many organizations have an accident policy that outlines the reporting process. The policies differ between firms, and thus, you should follow the procedure on your manual.

Ideally, the reporting should take place within 48 hours. However, some situations allow you to report the accident within 30 days. 

The report should be in written form unless the employer was at the accident scene. Take action on any employer or supervisor who prevents you from initiating a claim.

Failing to Seek Medical Attention

It’s imperative to seek medical help for both minor and major accidents. Many people ignore the minor mistakes, and eventually, get more health complications. Even worse, people who don’t seek medical help don’t get the best compensation.

Therefore, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. The doctor will scan your injuries, and give you the right medical records you will use for the claim.

For best results, work with an experienced doctor. Ensure that the doctor is reliable and is willing to offer medical and emotional support during that period.

Failing to Brief Your Medical Team Well

The doctors need to know what happened so that they may treat you. Unless there are witnesses who can help, it’s your responsibility to tell out the truth about the accident.

When you explain the accident, the medical team will know how to handle you. They will also know the right treatment to initiate on you. 

For instance, if the accident was terrific, the medical team will enroll you for a physiotherapy program. Do not fear to explain the events if you can still talk. In this way, you will get the ideal treatment and get the right compensation for your medical expenses.

Taking Too Long to Initiate the Claim

As mentioned above, you should initiate the process immediately after informing your employer. 

The Workers’ Compensation Act requires employees to initiate the claim within two years. The duration varies greatly depending on the type of industry, and the insurance agents you are dealing with. 

Keep them informed as early as possible so that they can start processing your compensation. You may check these workers compensation claim mistakes to learn more about the claims applications.

 

Failing to Give the Correct Information

Your insurance agent will send you an insurance claims form to fill. The form will require you to give out the right details of the accident. This information could include the date of the workplace injury, the witnesses, what you were doing, and so on.

Insurance firms do background inspections to unveil the truth of your claims. Therefore, untrue information could land you into a serious problem, including the denial of insurance.

For this reason, you should provide the right information regarding the accident. You should also keep a copy of the form you present to them.

Failing to Keep Records

It’s normal to get tired, bored, and stressed after an accident. However, you should not allow the accident fatigue overwhelm you and interfere with your documents.

If possible, you should buy a claims file and keep all the documents related to the case. The various documents should provide evidence of what you did after the accident.

These records could include your medical checkups reports, the medical receipts, doctors’ appointments, and so on. 

Besides the medical papers, you can keep a small diary. List down all the symptoms and how long they persist. Also, write about how the accident has affected your life, your family, and your work.

Going Back to Work Too Soon

It’s wrong to resume work when you have not recovered. You should first heal physically and emotionally, mainly if you suffered a traumatic event.

The period you stay at home entirely depends on your situation. You can stay for months at home if you have serious injuries. However, you can continue with the work after a few days if the case was not serious.

Upon resuming, your employer should give you light duties. Too much hefty work can easily deteriorate your health and possibly, affect your worker compensation claim.

Posting the Injuries on Social Media

Insurance firms can do anything to reduce your compensation or deny your claim. A single innocent post on your social platforms can, therefore, affect the authenticity of your case. 

Do not post anything regarding the case online. Handle the case professionally through your lawyer, and do the posting when you get your compensation.

Increase the Success of Your Workman’s Compensation Claims 

Avoid the above mistakes to avoid denial of your workman’s compensation claims. Also, follow your workplace policies regarding the injury claims. Observe your lawyer’s advice to increase the chances of success for your workman compensation claim.

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