Being injured on the job is stressful, emotional, overwhelming and downright difficult to handle. If you’ve never been hurt on the job in the past, a first-time injury can be very scary, even if it is not severe. Any time you spend out of work because of an injury or illness caused by the job is frightening. You start to doubt whether you will return to work in the future. If you have suffered an injury on the job, here is how to start a workers’ compensation claim.
The very first step you must take — and this is imperative — is to report an injury or illness to a supervisor. You can’t just tell a coworker and expect the process of receiving workers’ compensation benefits to begin. A manager or supervisor should always be notified when an employee is hurt or sickened on the job. The longer you wait to inform your supervisor, the likelier it becomes that your claim will be denied.
The second step is to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney about your injury or illness. This must be done even if your employer accepted the blame for what happened and has told you the company will pay for your medical expenses and time missed at work. You want to be well-represented in these cases.
The third step is to seek the proper medical care from a trusted physician. Make sure you follow all of the doctor’s orders and perform the proper therapy or rehab prescribed for your injury. When you ignore the orders of the doctor, you risk losing your workers’ compensation claim before it even gets off the floor.
The fourth step is to officially fill out and file a claim in Pennsylvania. Make sure the form is correct and has all of the required information about the accident, the resulting injury and the medical treatment issued so far.
Visit our page today to learn more about workers’ compensation and how you can file a claim for your injury.