Workers compensation is an insurance program that guarantees that employees hurt doing their job will get medical care. In addition to paying medical bills, it also pays two-thirds of their salary while they are recovering. All businesses are required to have workers compensation insurance. On its face, it sounds like a very simple program. The business owner certifies that the injury is work-related and the worker then receives medical care and compensation to help them recover. However, this is often a contentious process and the injured worker should hire a Workplace Injury Lawyer.
The employee has to follow many rules in order to keep his claim in good standing. When they are first injured, they must go to one of the doctors on an approved list. The business and insurance company get to select these doctors. So there’s a good chance that they will always try and see things from the business’s point of view. The doctors must be conveniently located near the place of business and the list must be displayed in a public place for the employee to see. If the worker needs emergency treatment, they may visit a nearby emergency room. Failure to use an approved doctor can get a workers compensation claim rejected.
It may be obvious when a person working in a warehouse falls off of a ladder that his injury is work-related. However, a manager who worked in a building with mold in the air ducts may have harder time proving that his COPD is caused by mold in the air. A Workplace Injury Lawyer will work with doctors to confirm the relationship between the air and the disease. He can petition that the sick worker be allowed to see an independent doctor. However, the business may refuse to certify that the illness is work-related.
If the insurance company denies the worker’s claim, they must send the worker written notice by certified mail. It must inform him of his right to appeal. At this point the lawyer will fill out the complex appeals form and send it to the state agency overseeing the process. They will schedule a Conciliation meeting, which is the first step in the appeals process. Law Offices Of Burton J. Hass handles this type of application and appeals for injured workers.
