If you have been hurt at work, it can be hard to know where to turn. Suffering an injury can affect every aspect of your life, leaving you with medical bills to pay and impacting your ability to do your job and earn an income.
When you find yourself facing this difficult situation, it’s important to know you have legal rights – and important to find an advocate who can help you to protect those rights and obtain the benefits that you need and deserve.
Workers’ compensation laws ensure that anyone hurt at work has the money and benefits necessary to recover as fully as possible and to avoid financial worries in the process. But, it is up to you to make your claim for benefits.
A workers’ compensation attorney at the Law Offices of Mark C. Wagner can provide the help and support you need as you navigate a complicated system to fight for benefits that will enable you to get better.
Contacting an attorney after getting hurt at work is one of the best ways that you can protect your right to receive benefits. Some of the key reasons you should hire an attorney include the following:
You may be eligible for benefits even if you don't have an acute injury from an accident. Injuries off-site can sometimes qualify you for benefits, and you can also get workers' comp for illnesses. If you aren't sure if you're covered, you should talk with a lawyer.
You have a limited amount of time to report your injury to preserve your claim, and a lawyer will help you to understand and comply with deadlines.
Navigating the process of reporting an injury and keeping track of deadlines and documentation can be a challenge at a time when you need to focus on recovery. With help from an injury lawyer to guide you through the legal steps you need to take, you can focus on recovery without worrying that your claim isn't proceeding.
When you miss work time, you can obtain lost wages benefits. An attorney will help you to make sure you're receiving the appropriate amount of benefits based on what you were actually earning before getting hurt.
If you are refused coverage for care that you need, an attorney can assist you in fighting the insurer so you can get your costs covered.
Because you're entitled to lost wages and disability benefits, insurers sometimes try to force you back to work. Returning to work too early could undermine your recovery efforts, but it is in the insurers' best interests to try to force you back on the job so they don't have to pay as much in compensation to you.
Demonstrating how badly you were hurt is essential so you can get the full benefits you deserve. The amount of disability benefits you receive can be based in part on how impaired you are considered when you make your work injury claim.
While you cannot sue your employer, you may be able to sue others responsible for hurting you. For example, if you got hurt because of malfunctioning equipment, an attorney can help you to determine if you have a claim against the equipment manufacturer.
If your claim for benefits is denied, an attorney can help you go through the appeals process and fight for your rights.
The workers' compensation system may be your only option for pursuing a claim from your employer to obtain compensation due to your injuries. In most cases, suing your employer is not an option so a successful workers' comp claim is essential.
At The Law Offices of Mark C. Wagner, you will be represented by a compassionate, knowledgeable, empathetic attorney who is truly invested in helping you to thrive after a work injury.
Our firm’s focus is on listening to the needs of our clients, understanding your story, and helping you to make the legal system work for you. To find out more about the help we can offer, give us a call today to talk with a workers’ compensation attorney who will be your advocate after you’ve been hurt on the job.