After an injury, many employees aren’t aware of their benefits and often lose compensation by not meeting deadlines or having a Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney fighting for their rights. It is estimated that thousands of injured workers lose benefits each year for a variety of reasons.
Steps to take after your accident
First and foremost you need to seek medical attention for your injuries. Emergencies that require a hospital visit will be reimbursed by the employer. The employer may provide the name and information of a doctor or emergency room where to get treatment. When at the medical facility inform the staff that this is a workers’ comp case. Some employees lose benefits by not informing the doctor who has to take additional steps in a workers’ comp claim. California workers’ comp injuries need to be reported within 30 days. Failure to report the injury within the time frame can result in loss of benefits compensation. Contacting a Los Angeles workers comp attorney will help keep you within the statutes of limitations and avoid any discrepancies.
Filing a Workers’ Comp Claim
California workers’ comp claims have two major steps involved. The first step is to report the injury sustained to your employer. They will then give you a workers’ comp claim form to send to the employer’s insurance carrier. The next step is to contact a Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney who will complete the workers’ comp application through the court. These need to be done to get all eligible benefits. Within 14 days of filing a claim, the insurance company will be contacting you denying your claim, stating it is under investigation or issuing temporary disability payments.
Mistakes to Avoid when filing a claim
There are a few common mistakes people make when filing a claim that costs them thousands in lost benefits. The first mistake is not reporting the incident, to begin with, or improperly reporting it. The employer of the insurance company will deny the claim stating the incident was not properly reported. Injured employees feel that disclosing prior medical history can hurt their case but the opposite is true. Even though you feel better, you need to finish and comply with all medical treatment advised. This can easily find you are uncooperative and deny your benefits. The most important mistake people make is failing to hire an experienced lawyer. The attorney is here to protect your rights and benefits. They can instruct you on how to avoid the other common mistakes to get maximum compensation.
How a Los Angeles attorney can help
A Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney can file a claim form and application or review a filed claim and file a new application. It is important to keep in mind that filing a claim and filing an application is very different. Attorneys can identify potential problems with your claim like deadline issues or pre-existing conditions. If you failed to contact an attorney prior to filing a claim and it was denied it can be looked over
