Workers’ compensation benefits are there to provide help to people injured on the job or in job-related activities. Your time away from work provides you the opportunity to physically heal, and workers’ compensation benefits will help you in the short term provide for your family and pay for ongoing medical bills.
You need these benefits. Otherwise, you and your family likely face financial hardship. That is why you must understand the importance of not jeopardizing your chances of receiving benefits. Some common, yet surprising, mistakes often occur in workers’ compensation benefits cases, and you must do your best to avoid making them.
Report injury, seek immediate treatment
Here are a few things that may hinder you in your efforts to secure workers’ compensation benefits:
- Not immediately reporting your injury. You must do so in a timely fashion, otherwise, it may appear to your employer or doctor that you sustained the injury away from work.
- Neglecting to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. If you are injured, see a doctor right away. If you do not, your employer’s insurance company may attribute the injury to something not related to work.
- Providing initial statements via telephone to your employer’s insurance carrier. It is not looking out for your interests, but rather the interests of your employer. Insurance companies often collude with employers in order to deny workers’ compensation benefits. Be careful.
- Providing a poor medical history to your doctor. Your personal habits and medical history can affect your ability to secure workers’ compensation benefits. Smoking and being overweight contribute to ailments such as heart disease and respiratory ailments. A poor medical history and personal bad habits can obscure the line between your job and your ailment.
- Failing to apply and seek workers’ compensation benefits. Surprisingly, this does occur. Do not miss out on something that is within your right as a worker.
- Returning to work too soon. Your ailment may not have healed. If you return to work too soon, you could aggravate the injury.
By avoiding mistakes, you improve your chances of receiving workers’ compensation in a timely fashion. Do not hesitate to file, report your injury and seek immediate medical attention.