This article is from Chaleigh Glass. Chaleigh is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in the amazing city of New York. When she isn’t writing Chaleigh loves to travel and explore all that the big city has to offer.
How will you determine if your injury can be filed as injured on the job? Well, any injury that you acquire while performing any scope of work can be classified as injured on the job. It can be as simple as falling from your chair while working to getting into a car crash while delivering products for your company. If you happen to have pre-existing conditions like heart problems or back pain, the law in some states are still willing to give you a workers’ compensation claim if the action of you working made the “pre-existing condition” worse, which may have caused further complications and new injuries. There are different cases and solutions for each circumstance. If you happened to be injured on the job here are the four people you should talk to immediately:
Talk To Your Supervisor
If you manage to get injured on the job the first person you must talk to is your Supervisor and let them know what is going on. If your supervisor is not around then speak to your corporate nurse because she will have to notify your supervisor of the situation. Fully explain the cause of the injury, when it happened and where. Ask for a written note or orally notify them, then you can notify the next person in the chain of command.
Speak With Your Employer
You must talk to your employer about being injured on the job. Bring the written note you were given (or made) to inform the employer of your injury. Be aware of your health since there is a time frame to file a notice. To protect yourself, you should act promptly to avoid missing the vital deadlines of these type of injury claims. Each state is different, so you should inquire about the time period in your specific state. Do not wait to long before asking these questions! Once your employer is informed of the injury you will need to visit a basic Doctor.
Company Doctor or Medical Examiner
Usually your employer will give a list of doctors for you to choose from. If they do not give you a list of doctors to see, you can easily see a medical examiner. This might be a better option than a company doctor. With an unbiased opinion, the Independent Medical Examiner in Jackson MS might be able to help you cover more in compensation. They’ll provide a diagnosis on the injury and the plan of care. If you do go to a company doctor you must discuss with them what happened so they can help distinguish who was at fault and if any compensation should be granted. Once the company is informed of the diagnosis, you are given a choice to pick your treating doctor.
Once notice is given to the employer, most states require that the employer give you a doctor or a panel of doctors to choose from that you will decide upon as the doctor that will provide your diagnosis and plan of care. If no choice is given, then you are free to go to your own doctor. Your company can offer a choice of doctors at a later date.
An Accident Attorney
An accident attorney can help you navigate your way through this long, tedious, and most of the times, very complicated process. Unfortunately because of workers comp fraud, and other scams that people have done, to milk their company for as much money as possible, the legal process can get very exhausting and overwhelming, so consulting with an attorney who is specially trained and knows the ropes would be a good idea.
After talking to these basic four people, your employer will inform you of the compensation you will be receiving. I am hoping that you will never become injured on the job, but it definitely pays to be informed and prepared! Not only will it help you during any type of injury, but it will also help provide for your family if you do get injured on the job.
