Workers’ Compensation Process
Your job is essential, as you need the income to support yourself and your family. If anything happens and that money flow disappears, you may face dire consequences.
What if you lose that stream of income due to an injury or illness caused by the job? Workers’ compensation benefits may provide you with medical treatment for the injury and help ease financial pressures that often come along with having to be away from work for recovery. Find out what kind of financial support you may receive if you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Workers’ Compensation Laws Vary
If you are unfamiliar with the workers’ compensation process, it is understandable. Unless you have dealt with a work injury before, you may not know how it works. Workers’ compensation rules and regulations vary from state to state, so you need to verify what is covered in your state. Once you confirm your employer has coverage, you can move on with the next steps.
Initial Claim Process
After you get hurt, you must seek medical help to have a foundation upon which to build your claim. You may get this started by seeing your physician, or you may go to the hospital to get evaluated. If you report the injury to your employer before getting medical help, they may refer you to a specific clinic for initial treatment. A doctor’s physical examination and diagnosis will be essential to file a claim for coverage.
Investigation of Claim
Once the injury gets reported by your employer, the carrier will likely conduct an investigation. Through this, they will interview witnesses, your employer, review your personnel file, and obtain medical records. These records may go back years, especially if you suffered another injury at work before. The carrier may want to interview you to get the details of the accident, or the employer’s first report of injury may suffice.
Financial Support
The carrier may start administering financial benefits during the investigation. They may pay for your medical treatment as it is happening or want to reimburse you for what you have already paid. They may also start to pay income benefits. When you can’t work due to an injury, the carrier may pay your salary depending on the severity of the injury, the scope of the policy, and the laws of your state.
Making the best of a bad situation, such as a work injury, takes patience and diligence. A workers’ compensation lawyer, like a workers’ compensation attorney in New Jersey, can provide more insight into the process and even help you get the benefits you need to recover.
Thanks to Rispoli & Borneo, P.C. for their insight into the basics of the workers’ compensation process