There is a misconception that if you are injured on the job, you simply need an incident report and doctor's report showing when and what occurred. Ideally, this would be all you would need, but unfortunately there are situations where you may need more. If you need to file a claim, but you want to make sure you are fully prepared for anything that may come your way, consider these three things you will need.
Worker Compensation Lawyer
One of the key things you need have before you file a workers compensation claim is a lawyer. Some people feel that it comes off threatening to the employer if the employee hires a lawyer. The truth is, a lawyer is what you will need to help you receive the compensation you deserve for your injury. A lawyer also ensures that you are receiving what you deserve as quickly as possible. If you handle the process on your own, you could be waiting months and sometimes years to see results.
Medical Files
You may think that your previous medical conditions have nothing to do with your current workers compensation claim. However, there are some employers and legal departments that may try to say your injury has nothing to do with an injury at work.
They may say that it was due to a preexisting condition. Make sure that you have your medical files and records to show that you don't have a preexisting issue that would play into your current injury. If necessary, have your doctor draft a statement saying that your injury is related to on the job injuries and not something in your medical file. The file will serve to back up this statement.
Accident Reports and Notations
When you injured yourself on the job, you likely received an accident report. You may have also received a statement to take to a physician, notation that the injury occurred on the job, or something from your employer and management stating you had to leave work due to the injury. Gather all of these reports, and if you don't have copies, then request them. These will show a date, time, and notation regarding what occurred and will serve to help your case.
If you have your medical files, accident reports, notes, and other information, then give them to your lawyer. Your lawyer can handle the initial steps to move your workers compensation claim forward. They can also deal with any issues that may come up and let you know if there is more that you can do or provide. They can also advise you on any claims that could relate to social security disability.
For more information, contact Ball & Ferrari or a similar firm.
Share2 February 2015
When I started my first small business, I had no idea how much I really didn’t know. I was fully prepared to deal with customers, sell product and even handle complaints and returns. What I wasn’t aware of was that there is so much more to it. I was lacking the legal expertise to protect the company and myself. I wanted others to benefit from my experience, mistakes and lessons learned, so I started this blog. From employment law to the legal business contracts you’ll have to sign when you form partnerships, business law is complex. I hope that the information here will help you to be better prepared when you start your business so that you’ll know when you need to call an attorney and when you can handle things yourself.
