If you were injured on the job, you may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation payments. When filing your claim, you should avoid making mistakes that could make you ineligible for workers’ compensation. Here are five common mistakes that may prevent you from getting the workers’ compensation payments that you deserve.
Not Submitting Your Claim on Time
It’s important that you file your claim right away so that you won’t miss the deadline. Waiting too long after your injury may exceed the statute of limitations in your area and make you ineligible for payments. If you’re having trouble filing in a timely manner because of physical or mental limitations that are related to your accident, a workers’ compensation lawyer can help you with the process.
Making Errors on Your Forms
Any errors on your workers’ compensation request forms can delay your payments or prevent you from receiving them at all. All information on these forms should be double-checked for accuracy. If you’re unsure of anything on your forms, ask someone who knows about workers’ compensation at your company to help you. Your attorney can also go over your forms with you to check for errors.
Using Your Health Insurance to Pay for Medical Care
When a serious injury occurs at work, you should let your employer’s workers’ compensation program cover your medical costs instead of using your own insurance plan. Workers’ compensation may cover costs for additional medical expenses that go beyond what your insurance company will pay. Using your health insurance may also make it more difficult to later prove that your injury happened on the job.
Failing to Notify Your Employer
Your employer may not know the extent of your injury and be unaware of your intent to file for workers’ compensation. In addition to your direct supervisor, Newswire recommends notifying your HR director or other members of your company’s upper management. Your employer may even require you to go to a certain doctor or hospital in order to qualify for workers’ compensation payments.
Taking the Insurance Company’s Word
The insurance company that pays your workers’ compensation could end up giving you erroneous information intentionally to try to save money. Representatives of the company might tell you that certain expenses related to your injury aren’t covered or try to convince you to return to work too soon. Any information that the insurance company gives you should be cross-checked with other sources so that you can make sure that it’s fair and lawful.
Avoiding these mistakes can help you get the money that you deserve without any unnecessary delays. These errors might stand in your way to receiving the workers’ compensation payments that can help you put your life together again.
About the Author: Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her husky Snowball. You can find her on Twitter at @LizzieWeakley and on Facebook at facebook.com/lizzie.weakley.
