It isn’t often that people see injuries at the workplace. However, that doesn’t mean that they never happen. Believe it or not, there are millions of workplace injuries every year.
The question is, do you know what to do if a workplace injury ever happens to you?
That means you need to know how the workman’s compensation process works in case you get injured on the job. Keep reading to learn how the workman’s compensation works.
Medical Examination
The first step to take after suffering from a job injury is a medical examination. Before you take another step, you need to make sure you don’t have any severe injuries.
Head to the doctor to get a diagnosis of your condition. They’ll do an initial look at your injury and give you a report that you can provide to your employer. Get any treatment needed to make sure all your injuries are taken care of.
Don’t let your employer pressure you into filing a compensation form first. Your health is your first concern.
Workman’s Compensation Form
Once you know how bad your injuries are, you can return to your employer to fill out the workman’s compensation form. There are some essential things you’ll need to note when filling out this information:
- Time and date of injury
- Cause of the injury
- Diagnosis of the injury from a doctor
- Expected medical treatment because of the injury
- Potential accident witnesses
Try to be as thorough as you can when filling out the form. You want to give the insurance company as much information as possible so they can make their decision. If they have to come back to you for more information, it will slow down the process and potentially hurt your chances of a settlement.
Ongoing Medical Care
It’s a waiting game once you send your form to the insurance company. Make sure you keep your treatment up during this time. Your diagnosis might change during the wait, so make sure to keep track of everything that happens during this time.
If something does change, make sure to inform the insurance company. Their payout depends on your injury and expected medical costs. If you don’t keep them informed about what’s going on, they won’t give you the amount you need in your settlement.
Decision From the Insurance Company
It shouldn’t take long to receive a decision from the insurance company. They’re required by law to give you a quick decision. If they don’t, you can end up winning your settlement by default.
You won’t have an issue most of the time. However, that won’t always be the case.
If the insurance company doesn’t award you a settlement or you believe you aren’t getting enough, you’ll have to go through case litigation. You’ll need to consult a lawyer to help you get the amount you’re owed.
Follow All the Stets in the Workman’s Compensation Process
You can’t count on the insurance company having your best interest in mind during the workman’s compensation process. You need to do some work on your part if you want to file your workman’s compensation case with success. Keep the process above in mind during the process so you can get the employee benefits you deserve.
If you want to learn more job tips, head back to the blog to learn what you need to know when you’re on the job.