No matter how careful you are while you’re at work, there is always at least a small chance that you could sustain a workplace injury. Every year, almost 3 million Americans get hurt on the job.
And workplace injuries can cause more than just physical pain for people. They can also force them to cover the cost of big medical bills and even result in lost income.
The good news is that workers compensation insurance can reduce the financial impact that a workplace injury has on you. By learning how to apply for workers comp benefits, you can lighten your financial load and avoid going into debt in the aftermath of a workplace injury.
Filing workers comp claims can be confusing in some instances, though. It can turn into a huge headache for some people and add to their stress levels at a time when they should be steering clear of stress at all costs.
Here is how to apply for workers compensation benefits without driving yourself crazy.
Let Your Employer Know About Your Workplace Injury Right Away
When you first sustain a workplace injury, you should spring into action and get the right medical care right away. Even if you don’t think that you’re hurt badly, it never hurts to take a trip to the doctor to get checked out.
From there, you should then let your employer know about your workplace injury and have them create an incident report. This report will include everything from how your injury occurred to what your official injury diagnosis was when you visited a doctor.
It’s important to do all of this sooner than later since most insurance companies require people to file workers compensation claims within just 30 days of an injury. If you wait too long to make a claim, there is a good chance that it’s going to get denied right off the bat.
Learn About What Workers Comp Does and Doesn’t Cover
Workers compensation insurance covers the costs associated with most workplace injuries. If, for example, you slip and fall at work and break your arm or leg, workers comp covers that injury.
Before you start trying to figure out how to apply for workers comp, though, you should take a look at some of the different types of injuries that aren’t covered by workers comp insurance. This list of injuries includes:
- Self-inflicted injuries
- Injuries that take place when a person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Injuries that occur when a person is not following the specific safety rules put into place by their employer
It’s good to know what kinds of injuries aren’t covered by workers comp. It’ll save you from the surprise of having a claim denied later on because your injury falls into one of the categories we just mentioned.
Fill Out the Proper Workers Comp Paperwork to Submit a Claim
If you feel as though your workplace injury should be covered by workers comp insurance, the next thing you’ll want to do is work with your employer to fill out the proper paperwork so that you can submit a claim. This will most likely call for you to work with your company’s human resources department.
When applying for workers comp benefits, your employer will need to provide their account number and policy number. You, meanwhile, will need to provide a bunch of personal information like your name, social security number, age, marital status, income, and more.
Collectively, you and your employer will also need to set your workers comp insurance company up with as many details about the incident that caused your injury as you can. They’re going to need to know:
- When your injury occurred
- Where your injury occurred
- What caused your injury
- When you reported your injury
- How much medical care your injury required
- When you were able to return to work following your injury
It’s one thing to know how to apply for workers comp. It’s another to sit and fill out all the paperwork that goes into filing a workers comp claim. But it’s all part of the process and needs to be done as quickly as you can.
Wait to Find Out If Your Workers Comp Claim Is Approved or Denied
Once you submit a workers comp claim to your workers comp insurance company, they’ll be able to begin looking into your case. They’ll launch their own internal investigation into your injury and the incident that caused it.
They might ask you to provide them with additional information about your workplace injury. Or they might have everything that they need based on what you included in your initial claim.
Either way, they’ll conduct a speedy investigation in most cases and then tell you whether or not your workers comp claim has been approved or denied.
Hire a Workers Comp Lawyer If Your Claim Is Denied
If, after all this, you learn that your workers comp claim has been denied, it’s probably going to be pretty devastating for you. You might even feel worse than you did when you first got injured.
Finding out that a workers comp claim has been denied by your insurance company might frustrate you beyond belief. But it’s worth noting that you’re not out of options if your claim is denied.
You can call on a workers comp lawyer to lend a hand if your claim is denied or if your insurance company doesn’t cover all the medical costs and/or lost wages that you need them to. Get in touch with a good workers comp lawyer right away to see if it makes sense to take legal action against your insurance company.
Knowing How to Apply for Workers Comp Should Make the Process Less Stressful
As you can see, filing workers comp claims is not a fun process. It’s not something that people enjoy doing at all.
But you can make it slightly easier on yourself by learning how to apply for workers comp. Work your way through the steps that we’ve listed here to get your hands on the benefits that you deserve.
Read the rest of our blog for more insurance-related tips and tricks.
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