A work injury attorney knows that a serious job-related injury or illness can have a major impact on a worker’s life. Whether it was an industrial accident, repetitive stress injury, slip and fall accident, or a vehicle crash while performing job duties, injured workers are often left stressing about not only the physical toll of the injuries, but also the financial one.
Whatever the circumstances of your job-related injury, a Milwaukee work injury lawyer can help you pursue a workers compensation claim and make sure you receive all the benefits you are entitled to under the workers compensation laws of the state. Call our office today to find out how we can help.
Filing a Claim
No matter how the injury occurred, if you are injured at work or while you were performing work duties, the accident is covered under workers’ compensation laws. There are limited exceptions to this rule. For example, if you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the injury occurred, your claim would likely be denied. Your work injury attorney can determine if you have a valid claim.
If you are injured, here at the steps you want to take:
- Immediately report the injury to your supervisor or manager. Many companies have a procedure in place for reporting accidents and injuries. It is critical you notify your employer right away because if you fail to do so, your claim could be denied. Although many companies accept an oral notification, it is in your best interest to follow that up with a written and/or electronic notification in order to have proof that you did report the accident.
- File a claim with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Some injured workers think that by notifying their employer that also takes care of filing a claim with the state, but it does not. These are two separate actions. Although it is possible to file a claim yourself, it is at this step that many injured workers contact a work injury attorney for assistance. Mistakes in filing your claim could result in delay or denial or benefits. Having an experienced attorney handling this for you can ensure that all proper procedures and requirements are being followed.
- Your employer or insurance representative will have a list of the approved doctors they will pay expenses to for treatment. In the majority of cases, you are not allowed to choose your own doctor if they are not on the list. If you do, the medical costs can be denied by the insurance company.
Receiving Benefits
If there are no objections or issues with your claim, you should begin receiving benefits within three to four weeks. Unfortunately, there are many cases where the employer or insurance company disputes the claim and that result in the necessity of filing an appeal hearing with the state board. Your work injury attorney can prepare all documentation and argue your case to the appeals board.
Thank you to Hickey & Turim SC for providing great insight on workers compensation.