Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Workers’ Comp Benefits

After getting hurt on the job, you have to deal with pain, emotional distress, and medical bills. Workers’ comp benefits are a way to alleviate these issues. Workers’ compensation insurance covers employees who suffer injuries or illness in the line of duty.

If an injured worker makes specific errors in filing for workers’ compensation, they could jeopardize the claim. Eligibility is an essential factor when it comes to workers’ compensation. However, these errors could render an employee ineligible to receive compensation benefits.

This article discusses four mistakes an employee can make that would ruin their chances of getting workers’ compensation benefits. One way to avoid unnecessary errors in your claim is to contact a North Carolina workers’ compensation lawyer and get help.

Types of Workers’ Comp Benefits

If you get hurt while working, there are four main types of workers’ compensation benefits that you can get, and they are:

Medical Benefits

Your medical benefits are compensation for all the medical costs you have due to the workplace injury. These costs include your doctor visits, hospital stays, medications, medical tests, purchase of medical equipment like wheelchairs, physical therapy, etc.

Disability Benefits

In Charlotte, there are four disability benefits a hurt worker can get. These benefits are:

• Temporary Total Disability
• Temporary Partial Disability
• Permanent Partial Disability
• Permanent Total Disability

Each of these benefits is given to the worker at different stages of their injury and recovery. Also, there are specific criteria they have to fulfill before they get these benefits.

Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits

There is a possibility that your work-related injury might prevent you from returning to the same position at work or place of employment. Therefore, vocational rehabilitation benefits help you while undergoing the essential training needed to go back to work.

Death Benefits

Death is an inevitable yet painful experience. If unfortunately, you die due to your work injury, you can be sure that your family members and dependents would be well cared for. These include your wife, children, aged parents, etc. Also, these benefits cover the funeral or burial expenses.

4 Mistakes That Hurt Your Workers’ Comp Benefits Recovery

Your actions and inactions can have grievous effects on recovering your workers’ comp benefits. Below are some mistakes that could hurt your chances of getting your benefits. These mistakes might seem insignificant, but their effects are far-reaching.

• Reporting the Injury Late or Not at All

Deciding to report your work-related injury late is one mistake that can jeopardize your workers’ compensation claim. You need to report the injury immediately else the defendant might claim the wound did not happen.

There is a Statute of Limitations that gives a time limit for when you can report your injury. Failure to stick to the time limit can have severe consequences for your workers’ comp benefits.

• Getting Treatment From the Wrong Doctor

Some employers choose a specific workers’ compensation doctor that their injured employees must go to for medical examination. If you do not accept getting treated by this doctor, it might hinder receiving your benefits.

If, however, your employer does not give you a particular doctor, you may choose any doctor you like. But, know that choosing the right doctor can facilitate your healing process while also helping you in your claim.

• Failure to Keep Adequate Records and Documentation

Documentation is critical when it comes to receiving your workers’ comp benefits. You need to have a detailed record of all that transpired before, during, and after your workplace injury.

You also need documents such as your medical records as proof of your injury. If you cannot provide these documents and reports, the law may not consider you eligible to receive your benefits.

• Not Hiring Legal Representation

Having a workers’ compensation attorney helping you with your case makes the complicated process less complex. Without the support of legal counsel, your employer might try to trivialize your injury.

When this is the case, you will end up not getting the workers’ comp benefits you deserve. A Charlotte workers’ compensation lawyer would fight for your right and help get enough evidence to boost your claim.

Get a Professional Charlotte Workers’ Comp Attorney 

You can avoid making mistakes that could hurt your workers’ compensation if you have the proper legal representation. At our law firm, we help our clients file their claims, and we stick with them to the end. We offer free consultations to our clients.

Our expert Charlotte workers’ compensation attorneys are available 24/7 to give legal advice to clients around North Carolina. You do not have to pay upfront fees before you can get in touch with us. Contact us now to get started.