When you get injured at work, you must file for workers’ compensation. If your employer doesn’t provide it, you should do this process independently. Make sure that the medical provider is authorized to submit bills on your behalf and that they submit all necessary paperwork to ensure that your claim goes through without problems.
Still unsure how to properly file a workers’ comp initial claim? Here’s how:
Steps for Filing Workers Compensation Initial Claim:
1. Involve a Lawyer
Although you can file a workers’ compensation initial claim yourself, it’s best to involve an attorney. The lawyers at www.dsslaw.com will ensure that the process is done correctly and within the optimal time frame. Don’t worry about having to pay them upfront either. Most attorneys will not charge if your case is turned down or they cannot secure any money for you during the settlement discussion stage.
The best thing about involving a lawyer is that they know what you need to provide for the case to get started. They’ll make sure that your claim gets filed within a few days of you getting injured, ensuring that it doesn’t get denied due to being filed too late.
2. Contact Your Employer’s Insurance Provider
When making a workers’ compensation initial claim, it’s essential to quickly contact your employer’s insurance provider. They should be listed on your website or in your employment contract and should have their phone number available as well. This ensures that you have an open line of communication from the very beginning, and both parties know how to proceed with the claim filing process. You can also seek assistance with your employer’s insurance provider, especially if you feel that the claim is continuing to move forward in a direction that isn’t favorable.
3. Gather Any Necessary Documentation
It is best to have any documentation that supports your claim readily available when filing a workers’ compensation initial claim. This should include items such as:
- Your pay stubs from the last 90 days
- The state unemployment compensation award letter (if applicable)
- A list of all relevant paperwork such as W2’s from the previous year
- Any timesheets from your employment with that company
These items should be kept in a safe place if you need to produce them for your claim. If you have missed any paychecks, then go ahead and print out a copy of your paycheck stubs or contact payroll with your questions about missing wages.
4. Fill Out the Form
Once you contact your employer’s insurance provider, they’ll give you a form to fill out regarding your injury. Ensure that all required questions are answered truthfully and submit them quickly. Providing false information can result in penalties for lying on an official document. Some forms ask difficult questions about how exactly the accident happened; if this happens, make sure to collect any evidence you can find (photographs of the scene or objects involved, witness testimony, police report) and submit it with the rest of the paperwork.
5. Submit documentation
Along with submitting the provided documentation from your employer’s insurance provider, send medical bills related to treating your injuries or getting work done to return yourself to normal. These documents will be used to determine the severity of your injuries and how much time you’ll need to take off work.
All required forms must be submitted within sixty days, or the insurance company can disregard them. However, this also applies to any claims you make during the filing process, which means that if an injury gets worse after submission, it can be detected later.
6. Prevent Delays and Problems
When filing a workers’ compensation initial claim, it’s best to submit all forms and required documentation as soon as possible. The insurance company may still deny the claim if it is filed too late, even if no valid reason exists for doing so. This could end up costing you more money in legal fees later on down the line.
For this same reason, always sign any paperwork or forms with your full name rather than using initials or any other variation of your name. You don’t want to be signing documents with an altered signature because doing so can delay your case proceedings by weeks at a time while someone reviews what was submitted to see that it matches up against your existing records.
Do not ensure that all of these steps are correctly completed on the first attempt. Take it slow, take care of yourself physically, and make sure you’ve done everything right. This is one instance where speed isn’t necessary; all steps should be completed to overlook nothing. If you’re injured at work, seek out an attorney immediately for help filing a workers’ comp initial claim.
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