Workers Compensation Attorney: Processing a Job-Related Injury

If you've been injured on the job, you may need to eventually contact a workers compensation attorney. Under the best of circumstances, this won't be necessary. Your workplace will have you fill out the proper paperwork, their insurance company will send you to get the right medical attention, and everything will be paid for without further hassle. Unfortunately, the best-case scenario isn't always the one that plays out. If you aren't certain what to do in the event of an injury, here is a guide to processing a job-related incident.

Injury

After you suffer an injury while on the job, your first move should be to make sure your supervisor is aware of what happened. If you have an HR department, contact them to make sure an accident report gets filed. Having an immediate paper trail will help you tremendously when it comes to getting your injury covered by the proper insurance. If you need medical attention, try to get advise from someone in authority to determine where to go. Waiting to get medical attention is usually a bad idea. You likewise don't want to seek it out on your own, as your employer has the right to send you to a specified clinic or hospital for care.

Benefits

Under normal circumstances, your medical bills should be paid by the company's insurance. If you have to miss work, both your bills and your lost wages should be paid by the benefits. This doesn't necessarily mean you will receive your full salary, however. If you do not, however, receive the benefits to which you believe you are entitled, you may need to get a workers compensation attorney involved. At this point, you are pitting yourself against your employer, but don't let that stop you if you have a legitimate case. There are laws protecting employees from retaliation in these instances.

Legal Assistance

If you have suffered a serious injury (one which will put you on the sidelines or is likely to cause long term problems), you may wish to consult with a workers compensation attorney. You might want to do this even if you don't have any sense that your employer or insurance company is going to balk at paying benefits. There could be complicated situations arising in the future, and it's best to run your case by a lawyer if you have any questions or concerns about how these will play out. It never hurts to remember that the people paying your benefits are primary concerned with getting through this while retaining as much money as possible. That means they are not on your side. You should be able to talk to someone who is.