If you were recently hurt or got sick at work, you likely have access to workers’ compensation coverage through your employer. This coverage should reimburse you for your ensuing medical bills, a significant portion of your lost wages, and potentially even the loss of future working ability. However, the insurance companies that provide these benefits will not just accept financial liability for your condition without a fight—and as anyone who’s ever dealt with insurers before likely knows, they tend to fight dirty and with no regard for you or your family’s wellbeing.
Insurance companies will never be on your side in a situation like this, so having help from an experienced personal injury attorney can be essential to tipping the odds of a positive case result back in your favor. At OnderLaw, we are proud of our commitment to helping injured workers stand up to greedy insurance companies, and a Webster Groves workers’ compensation lawyer can help you do just that—no matter how bad your injuries are or what benefits you need for them.
One of the most common strategies that insurance companies employ to avoid paying out workers’ comp benefits is accusing an injured worker of not following the proper procedures for their claim. With that in mind, it’s crucial that you have a good idea of what you’re supposed to do after getting hurt or sick on the job and that you know what kinds of errors the insurance company will be looking for.
First, you’ll need to notify your employer in writing of your injury or illness at the first possible opportunity after discovering it yourself. Once you’ve done this, your employer should take the lead in filing a workers’ comp claim with their insurance provider and notifying the state Division of Workers’ Compensation. However, if you need to file a formal claim yourself, the trusted Webster Groves workers’ compensation attorneys at OnderLaw can provide irreplaceable help.
Either way, once you’ve reported your injury or illness, you must immediately seek medical treatment from employer-approved doctors, attend every scheduled follow-up appointment, and follow all of your doctors’ instructions to the letter. Even a slight deviation from their directions could be all the excuse an insurance company needs to claim that your condition isn’t that bad and deny you benefits.
Guidance from a reliable workers’ comp lawyer in Webster Groves can make a huge difference in avoiding procedural errors during the actual workers’ comp claims process. On top of that, your legal counsel can also play a key role in ensuring you get the full value of benefits you deserve by presenting comprehensive evidence to support your claim.
For example, workers’ comp is technically supposed to reimburse you for all your reasonably necessary medical expenses, but what counts as reasonably necessary to an insurance company will be different from the opinion you or even your doctors have on the matter. Likewise, getting benefits for a permanent partial or total disability caused by a work-related injury will require you to establish in specific detail exactly how severe your disability is and how it will affect your life—something our experienced legal representatives can make sure you can do in a compelling way.
Make no mistake: even if the law says you should be eligible for workers’ comp benefits, the insurance company will still try to pressure and bully you into accepting less than you deserve or even dropping your claim altogether. Fortunately, you have help available from committed legal professionals who will not stand for any underhanded or obstructive tactics from the people who are supposed to be helping you through your injury.
A Webster Groves workers’ compensation lawyer at OnderLaw will fight for what is right and stand by your side every step of the way through your claim. Call today to discuss your options.
