Injured at Work Questions
Are you feeling overwhelmed after a workplace injury and don’t know what to do? You don’t have to go through this by yourself. Here are some commonly asked injured at work questions that may have been keeping you up at night answered by our personal injury attorney.
Injured at Work Questions | What Should I Do If I Am Injured at Work?
When someone gets hurt at work, it’s always important to report the injury to your employer as quickly as possible. Although every workplace is different, the best approach is to give the employer written notice as soon as possible. However, that notice satisfies only what we call the notice requirement. It does not satisfy the claim filing requirement. To properly file a workers’ compensation claim, you must file a C-3 form with the workers’ compensation board.
To ensure proper filing of your claim, I would recommend that you call a workers’ compensation lawyer, have them properly complete that C-3 form for you, and get it filed. Also, if you’ve been hurt at work, seek medical treatment – and make sure to tell the doctor that you were injured at work. The doctor should then file a report with both the workers’ compensation insurance carrier and the workers’ compensation board. That gets the case up and running.
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Injured at Work Questions | What Medical Bills are Paid if I’m Injured at Work?
The general rule is that the workers’ compensation carrier pays for all medical treatment related to injuries caused by a work-related accident or occupational disease. Specifically, the workers’ compensation board works through certain medical treatment guidelines that set forth what treatment is covered. If your doctor wants to prescribe treatment that is not addressed in those guidelines, the doctor must apply for a variance to those guidelines. Using a form called an MG-2, the doctor explains why the treatment is needed, even though it’s contrary to the medical treatment guidelines.
Injured at Work Questions | Why Do I Need a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?
Navigating the workers’ compensation system on your own can be extremely difficult because so many issues pop up as your case progresses. Are they paying you the right weekly amount, based on what’s called your average weekly wage, and based on your degree of disability? You won’t know that. Are they disputing any of your medical bills? Maybe not yet, but they might as time goes on. You need a lawyer to navigate the system called workers’ compensation. The workers’ compensation board is a neutral party, and they are not going to help you. The workers’ compensation carrier, the insurance company will not help you. They are there for the interest of the insured company. It’s the same with your employer. Your employer’s not there to help you through the handling of your workers’ compensation claim. You need somebody who’s going to bat for you – and only you – and knows how to address your workers’ compensation claim.
If you would like some legal guidance for your injury, please call our Buffalo workers’ compensation lawyers today!