After a workplace injury, a workers’ compensation claim can provide much-needed financial assistance. Avoid these common mistakes, however, to maximize the likelihood of success with your workers’ compensation claim. This blog post lists five common mistakes. Stay tuned for a second article listing five more common workers’ compensation claim mistakes.
- DO tell your doctor you got hurt at work.
You may think your doctor doesn’t need to know, or that it complicated things unnecessarily. Your doctor needs to know so that he or she is prepared when the workers’ compensation insurance company calls. - DO report your injury even if you think your health insurance will cover all your expenses.
Health insurance definitely does not cover lost wages, which is one of the major categories of expenses covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation is better than health insurance coverage for workplace injuries for other reasons, too, including lack of a deductible and coverage of expenses that most health care policies do not pay. - DO report even if you didn’t miss work.
Workers’ compensation pays more than missed wages. A properly filed and qualifying claim will also pay other costs like medical care, travel costs to receive care or fill prescriptions. Furthermore, a seemingly minor injury can worsen with time, and you could miss out on critically important benefits if you don’t report the original injury. - DO report even if you think the incident was your fault.
First of all, you might be wrong. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney reviewing your claim and the incident may determine that responsibility lies elsewhere. Also, the very purpose of the workers’ compensation system is to allow employees to get financial compensation for on-the-job injuries without having to prove fault, except in cases where the employee’s extreme negligence or purposeful misconduct caused the incident. - DO report even if the workplace injury “just” worsened an existing condition.
Workers’ compensation may cover injuries that make an existing injury or medical condition worse. These are legally and medically complex cases and it is wise to seek guidance from a knowledgeable workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible after the incident.
What are the next five most common workers’ compensation claim mistakes? Stay tuned.
Contact Shaffer & Gaier
To set up a free initial consultation regarding a workers’ compensation claim, contact our office online or call our foreclosure hotline at 855-289-1660. Or, call our Philadelphia office location at 215-751-0100 or our New Jersey office at 856-429-0970.
