A serious injury can be life-changing no matter who you are. A bad injury can make your life go from manageable to very difficult in seemingly no time at all. You may be facing expensive medical bills, physical limitations and be unable to work – all of which can cause financial hardship.
In California, many workers are prone to injury by the very nature of their jobs. Nurses, factory workers, farmers and others with physical jobs can all easily suffer an injury if the right protections aren’t in place or the right training wasn’t administered. Did you know, however, that you can seek compensation for medical bills and other losses if you were injured at work?
4 Steps To Seeking Compensation
In order to file for workers compensation, you need to follow a few steps:
- Seek medical attention. This may seem obvious, but it is important to get the care you need to assess the problem and begin recovering. Seeing a doctor promptly can also help your workers’ compensation claim by showing that medical care was necessary after an injury.
- Report the injury to your employer. It is important to tell your employer that you were injured at work, so they can give you the proper forms you need to seek compensation. You could lose your right to file a workers’ compensation claim if you fail to report your injury to your employer in a timely manner.
- File a claim. Fill out the “employee” portion of the paperwork that your employer gives you, or request a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form from the Division of Workers’ Compensation. When you are finished, give it back to your employer so they can fill out the rest.
- Continue to visit your doctor. As you wait to hear whether your claim was accepted or denied, it is important to keep seeing your doctor. Your doctor will help you determine how much work you can do – if any. Regular visits to the doctor will also help show that your injury has not healed and you still need compensation to recover.
Getting Help With Your Workers’ Compensation Claim
Finally, the process for seeking workers’ compensation can be stressful and complicated. Trying to make sure you handle every step correctly while trying to recover from a serious injury can be overwhelming and too much for some people.
In those situations, it may be helpful to have an attorney on your side. Your lawyer can not only help you fill out and submit your claim correctly and on time, but they can also protect your rights by making sure your employer does not try to take advantage of you.
