There are some actions you can take before an injury happens to make sure your odds are good of having your worker's compensation claim approved. When an accident does happen, there are additional steps to take to get your claim accepted and paid with the initial submission. Here are some tips to make sure you get the most from any worker's compensation claim you file.
1. Make sure you have a reputation for reporting all accidents and injuries to your supervisor.
Whenever an on-the-job accident happens, file a report with your supervisor. No matter how minor the accident is, and even if there are no injuries, the mishap needs to be reported. This shows that you take safety on the job seriously, which is important when you do need to file a claim due to an injury to yourself.
2. Make note of anyone who may have seen or heard the accident.
The insurance company will want to verify the events leading up to and during the accident. They will talk with all witnesses, including those who may have only heard something. This is one of the most important steps you can take after an accident. The insurance company will not just take your word for what happened at the accident. If you can't remember who else may have been around, your claim may be rejected.
3. Seek treatment from your doctor or the company's health services group as soon as you can after the accident.
Even if the injury was minor and you feel like you can take care of it yourself, you need to have it on record that you were examined by health professionals. If you don't seek help, the insurance company may view that to mean that the injury isn't serious enough to approve your claim for compensation.
4. Know what you are going to say before being questioned by the insurance company.
This is when there's a benefit to working with workers compensation lawyers. They will help you put together a concise story of the accident which includes all of the relevant details and little more. They will make sure that what you say to the insurance company about the accident matches what is in your employee and medical records. Any discrepancies can cause the process to bog down as the insurance company tries to determine what the right details are.
5. Complete the benefits application fully and correctly.
Missing, incomplete or inaccurate information will get your application rejected. Your worker's comp lawyer will see that everything is filled out properly before it is submitted.
For more information, contact a company like Ball & Ferrari.