No matter how careful you are at work, you may wind up with an injury doing the same duties you perform every day. When that happens, you’re likely worried about losing your wages while taking the time off you need to recover.
Workers’ compensation insurance is provided by your employer from the first day of your employment to help you with injuries. While construction jobs see the most injuries, it is possible to suffer workplace injuries in an office and other work settings. Regardless of your type of job, if you are hurt at work, you will need to file a workers’ comp claim.
However, there may be some challenges ahead. Here are the most common ones and how you can overcome them to get the benefits you deserve.
Late or Improper Claim
As the injured employee, you will need to inform your employer immediately after your injury and file your claim. Most employers follow the rules and submit the paperwork for your claim after you report it. However, some may delay the claim or inflate the claim costs, causing you to miss out on your claim. Keep detailed documentation of everything when it comes to filing and follow up to make sure everything is done according to procedure.
Not Having Witnesses
If no one saw what happened to you, it doesn’t mean you will be denied your claim. It could make things more challenging for you. Still, by reporting the incident immediately to your supervisor and keeping your story consistent, you’ll likely avoid issues.
Inconsistencies in the Paperwork
Medical records are important for backing up your workers’ compensation claims. You should never exaggerate your injuries, or conversely downplay them when filing for workers’ compensation. Keep things consistent across the board because if there’s a discrepancy, they may dismiss your claim.
Review Your Claim
Take the time to truly review everything in your claim first. Make sure all information and evidence is accurate. Additionally, make sure you do it in the right amount of time to prevent missing out on your benefits. In Georgia, you have one year, though you need to inform your employer as soon as possible following the accident.
Getting Laid Off
If you are injured at work, you want to file your workers’ compensation claim as soon as possible to prevent your employer from laying you off. By getting the paperwork in immediately, your employer can’t fire you for your injuries.
Best Way to Overcome Workers’ Compensation Challenges
For many that are hurt at work, workers’ compensation claims turn out just fine. But for many more, there may be problems with the paperwork, either due to an honest mistake or an unscrupulous employer.
The best thing you can do when injured at work is to document everything, report it immediately, and gather evidence to support your claim. If your employer isn’t handling the paperwork or the workers’ comp insurer they use is unfairly denying your claim, you can learn more by speaking with an attorney.
