If you have sustained an injury or illness at work, filing a workers’ compensation claim may provide compensation for your medical bills and lost wages. Unfortunately, the claims process can be frustrating, complicated, and confusing, which is why workers often make mistakes along the way. These common mistakes can lead to your claim being denied or result in you receiving less compensation than you deserve.
Working with a skilled lawyer, like Tad Morlan, can help you avoid these mistakes, and get your claim approved. Tad understands how important it is to obtain workers’ compensation benefits after an injury to take care of your medical bills and ensure you have the income to support yourself while you are unable to work.
Many injured workers are not familiar with the legal system or the workers’ compensation system. They may not know their rights. Despite their best efforts, it is easy to make a mistake than can negatively affect a claim. The top eight mistakes are:
- Failing to report your injury to your employer. You have a limited amount of time to tell your employer about the accident that led to your injury.
- Failing to get medical attention. This is important both to your physical recovery and to your worker’s compensation claim.
- Failing to keep accurate records. If you have suffered a workplace injury or illness, it is critical to your claim that you keep accurate and detailed records. Record the time you missed from work due to your condition as well as any and all expenses for your medical treatment. These records will help ensure you get paid the compensation you are entitled to.
- Trusting the TPA or insurance adjuster is looking out for your best interests. (TPA -Third Party Administrator) The insurance adjuster is looking out for the insurance company and the insurance company profits by paying you as little as possible. They may seem friendly and non-threatening, but they will not hesitate to use anything you say against you. If you must speak to them, offer little information, and stick to the most basic details of your situation.
- Filing an inaccurate or incomplete application. This may cause your claim to be denied or delayed.
- Failing to follow the doctor’s orders. Insurance companies want to profit by paying you as little as possible on your claim. They may visit your personal social media accounts, or they may hire an investigator to follow you around. If you follow your doctor’s orders and you are not engaging in activities that are inconsistent with your work restrictions or injuries, you have nothing to worry about with this surveillance. If you fail to follow the doctor’s orders or you are acting in a manner that is inconsistent with your stated injuries, you could significantly harm your chances of recovering fair worker’s compensation benefits.
- Agreeing to a settlement without having it reviewed by an attorney. Once you agree to a settlement, it is binding, and you will not recover additional compensation in the future.
- Failing to realize you need an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. A lawyer can make sure that all of your rights are protected and that you get the benefits you deserve.
While these mistakes are serious, they are not inevitable. Recovering fair compensation after you have been hurt at work is not just about avoiding certain mistakes. It is also important that you take certain steps immediately after you have been hurt on the job so that you can get the fair and just benefits you deserve.
If you’ve been injured on the job, you need to speak with an experienced worker’s compensation lawyer as soon as possible. KNOW WHAT TO DO, Call Tad Today! 417-865-4400
