Atlanta Workers Compensation Tips

Insurance companies do not like to pay on workers’ comp claims any more than they should; they’re always looking for ways to reduce the amount paid on legitimate claims. The trouble with workers’ comp claim only adds insult to your injury. Without workers’ compensation benefits, it will be challenging to make ends meet after a work-related injury. Unfortunately, most injured workers make simple, but grievous mistakes during the workers’ compensation claims process. If you are injured at work, it is essential to understand your legal rights and the related responsibilities. To minimize the chances of having your benefits prematurely terminated or being wrongfully denied benefits, here are 8 practical Atlanta Workers Compensation Tips on how to get the most out of your claim.

1 Report Your Injury as Soon as Possible

Here is the first of Atlanta Workers Compensation Tips. Workers’ comp laws require you to report your work-related injury within a short period, often 30 days or less. Although failure to report your injury immediately may not legally bar you from filing a workers’ comp claim, you shouldn’t wait.

Workers’ compensation insurance companies would deny a workers’ comp claim if a worker didn’t report the injury immediately. If you get injured at work, and you think that your injury may cause you to miss work, report it to the employer or supervisor immediately. That’ll comply with Georgia workers’ compensation laws and increase your chances of getting compensation as soon as you need it.

2 Get Names of Witnesses

The second Atlanta Workers Compensation Tips. Ensure that you get the names if anyone witnessed your unfortunate accident. In a close case, you might require witnesses to prove that you were hurt at work, and not elsewhere.

3 Get Treatment If You Need It

If you get injured at work, make an immediate appointment to visit a doctor. If it’s an emergency, go or ask someone to take you to a walk-in clinic or an emergency room. Do not wait. Insurance companies assume that, if you didn’t seek immediate medical attention, you were not that hurt.

4 Explain How You Got Hurt

Insurance companies would deny workers’ comp claims if your first medical records didn’t describe your accident and injury adequately. This can be a serious problem since your health care providers prepared the medical records, not you.

Always do your best to explain clearly to your health care providers how you got injured. You do not have to elaborate; tell them the basics. But ensure that you say that it occurred at work. The simpler you describe your accident and injury, the higher the chance that the health care providers will write it down correctly.

Describe what happened accurately when you report to your employer how you got injured. Sometimes you can get injured without a traumatic event that caused your distressing symptoms. In such a case, it’s likely that overuse or repetitive stress caused your symptoms. If you’re hurt, you do a job that requires long hours or repetitive motions, and you think that overwork caused your injury, you should report it.

The insurance companies and the workers’ compensation system place significant weight on the employee’s initial report of his or her injury. Ensure that you describe what occurred as completely and as accurately as possible.

5 Fill Out Accident Report Forms Accurately

Employers often require injured workers to fill out and sign accident report forms. Once again, ensure that you fill out the forms accurately. If you feel too medicated or ill to fill out the form when your employer wants you to, then do not fill it out. Fill it out later, when you’re feeling better and able to concentrate.

6 Be Consistent in Your Statements

Insurance companies often deny workers’ comp claims if the statements of an employee about how the accident and injury happened are inconsistent. If you inform your supervisor that the accident occurred one way but tell your physician that the accident occurred differently, that will hurt your case a lot. Ensure that your statements are always consistent.

7 Sign a Limited Medical Authorization to the Insurer

The insurance company may ask you to sign an authorization allowing them to get copies of your medical records. This is a reasonable and legitimate request, as long as the request is limited to your medical bills and records relating to your injury.

The insurance company is entitled to see your records and bills. However, you shouldn’t sign authorizations allowing the insurer to access other medical bills or records without discussing that the authorization with your Atlanta workers’ comp attorney.

8 Consider Hiring a Workers’ Comp Attorney

The next Atlanta Workers Compensation Tips. You might not need an attorney if your workers’ compensation claim is very simple or if the insurer voluntarily pays your claim. However, consider hiring an experienced Atlanta workers’ comp attorney if the insurance company:

denies or reduces your benefits
makes a settlement offer, or
ignores your requests for information or your claim.

Atlanta Workers Compensation Tips

It can be challenging to navigate the workers’ compensation system, including when to accept a settlement offer and for how much. An Atlanta workers’ comp attorney can value your claim, negotiate with an insurance company, and represent you in an appeal, if necessary.

If you’re looking for a reliable and experienced workers’ comp attorney in Atlanta, contact Bobe & Snell, LLC. Call us today at 470.268.5802 or use our online contact form to schedule a FREE consultation.