An injury at work that was not your fault can affect your life in a number of ways. For one thing, your injury may keep you out of work and prevent you from earning money. Your injury could cause you to be on medications or walk with assistive devices for the rest of your life. Whatever the severity and inconvenience your injury has caused, you are likely to benefit from a workers' compensation claim, also sometimes called a workman's compensation claim. Use these suggestions to get a settlement that is appropriate for your injury.
File in a Timely Manner
With an injury, most of your time is likely spend recuperating and trying to feel better. However, if you plan to file a claim or bring a lawsuit against the company, you'll need to make time to do so as soon as you possibly can. That's because there is a time limit, or statute of limitations, that dictate how long you have to file a claim or report the injury to your company. Every state has different laws, so it is important to get in touch with your state's Department of Labor to determine how long you have to get the entire process started.
Be Prepared to Be Investigated
Many insurance companies are now starting to hire private investigators to ensure that those who file a claim have legitimate injuries. A neighbor may tell you that someone was asking about your recent activities, or you may notice someone parked on your street observing you bringing in the groceries from the car.
If you use social media, that can be a great tool for insurance investigators. Take care to avoid conversation about your claim and make sure you aren't posting pictures or status updates that disprove your claims. You might want to change all your settings to "private" so that no one can see what you're putting up except those who know you personally.
Use an Expert in the Field to Represent You
While you can certainly make time for filling out the appropriate documents to file a workers' compensation claim at your job, you can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a professional who has worked on many similar cases. A good workers' comp attorney knows the process inside and out and can help you to be fairly compensated.
With the suggestions above, you can be confident that you will receive a fair settlement as a result of being hurt while you were at work. Meet regularly with your attorney so that you can take all the steps you need in order to ensure that you are satisfied with the outcome.
