Being injured on the job can significantly impact your life. You might have physical limitations and pain to contend with, and your medical expenses may quickly eat away at your savings during a time when you’re unable to work. While you might think that workers’ compensation benefits can alleviate the hardships that you’re facing, and they can to a certain extent, you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that these benefits are easily obtained.
In fact, a lot of injured workers end up seeing their workers’ compensation claim denied. That’s why if you’ve suffered a workplace injury, you may want to educate yourself about some of the common mistakes that you could make during the claims process and figure out how to avoid them.
Commonly made mistakes during the workers’ compensation process
A lot of people haphazardly approach the workers’ compensation process. Don’t let that happen to you. Instead, be on the lookout for these common mistakes:
- Failing to follow your doctor’s recommendations: If you’ve been injured at work, you need to do everything that your doctor tells you to do as far as your treatment is concerned. If you don’t, it’s going to be hard to argue that you need compensation to help you recover from your injuries. It’ll also be harder to claim that your injuries are preventing you from working. So, make sure that you’re following your doctor’s recommendations as fully as possible.
- Going beyond the restrictions placed on you: After your accident, your doctor may place you on restrictions to protect your health, safety and well-being. You then use these restrictions as a justification for seeking workers’ compensation benefits. However, if you’re caught doing activities that go beyond your restrictions, such as going to the gym, carrying a heavy package or even going to the grocery store, the insurance company may deny your claim.
- Not reporting your accident: When you’re injured on the job, you need to report the incident to your employer as soon as possible. Also, make sure that you’re documenting the incident in writing so that your employer can’t later claim that you failed to properly report your injury.
- You agree to rely on your private insurance: After the incident that left you injured, your employer may suggest that you turn to your private health insurance for help covering your medical bills rather than seeking workers’ compensation benefits. But your own insurance policy is no replacement for workers’ compensation benefits. This is because workers’ compensation benefits provide you with support without having to pay deductibles and they may provide other assistance that you otherwise wouldn’t receive from your own insurer.
- You’re tricked into thinking you don’t have a claim: Your employer might even try to convince you that you don’t have a workers’ compensation claim. They may do this by telling you that you wouldn’t qualify or that you can’t claim workers’ compensation because you’ve remained at work. Don’t take your employer’s word for it. Instead, discuss your situation with an attorney who knows this area of the law well.
Don’t fall victim to worker’s compensation pitfalls
If you want to protect your interests throughout the workers’ compensation process, you need to know how to adequately navigate the process. This is easier said than done, which is why you may find it helpful to have a strong legal advocate by your side. To learn more about workers’ compensation benefits and how to aggressively seek them, please consider reaching out to an attorney who you think is right for you.
