Tips For Getting Started With Workers' Comp

If you were injured on the job, then one of your options is to file for workers' comp. However, you should also know a bit about the process, since such knowledge can increase your chances of winning your claim. Here are some rules and laws that apply to workers' comp in most states:

The Procedure

As soon as you are injured, you need to report the injury to your employer. You should then seek medical attention, making sure that everything is documented. You will usually be provided with some forms that you need to fill out and submit, either to your employer or directly to the workers' comp provider.

Your claim will be reviewed and you may be asked to get an examination from a new healthcare professional at the behest of the reviewers. Furnish any documents that are asked of you, and you will be notified whether your claim has been rejected or denied within approximately 30 days.

What You Should Do

You need to make sure that you document every step of the process and that you act proactively. You want to go through the process quickly, while simultaneously taking great care to ensure that you abide by every rule.

This will help you maximize your chances of winning and reduce the odds that you make a mistake. Such mistakes can potentially lead to a rejection, even if you have a strong case, which would mean that you would need to go through the appeal process or give up on your claim altogether.

What You Should Not Do

A failure to immediately report your injury can sabotage your claim's chancing of being accepted. You want to make a report as quickly as possible, which means that you don't want to wait more than a few months to file. Exceptions can arise when you didn't discover your injury until much later, in which case you want to file immediately after discovery.

What Happens If Your Claim Is Rejected

In the unfortunate event that your claim is rejected, you will have the chance to appeal. This allows you time to gather more evidence that you might have forgotten or seek a second opinion from another healthcare provider.

Once you have assembled your strengthened claim, you want to file your appeal. However, you only have 70 days to do so, which means that you may need to schedule things very quickly.