What Is The Process For A Workers’ Compensation Claim?

Suppose you work in hospitality management industry or a factory or other such sector and get injured while at work. You are then liable to get workers’ compensation. Workers’ Compensation is insurance that provides benefits to employees who get injured or fall ill as a result of them performing their duties at their place of work. These benefits include medical care, disability payments, and death benefits. In Workers’ Compensation, employers are liable to pay for the insurance, and employee is not required to contribute to the cost of compensation. It is best to contact professional injury lawyers for getting representation for your worker’s comp claim.

Seven Categories Of Workers' Compensation 

Medical Only

This claim is easy to file. This kind of claim usually relates to minor injuries suffered by the workers that can be adequately treated quickly. The worker can rejoin the same day or maybe the next day, depending on the kind of injury. The cost of a doctor’s appointment can be claimed.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Helps individuals recover from job-related injuries and compensation benefits cover retraining required as a consequence of the injury.

Vocational Rehabilitation is for injured workers who are in the course of rejoining work.

Death

In case a worker succumbs to death as a result of his workplace injuries, then the children and his wife get compensated. The majority of states use a formula based on the worker's wages to determine how much will be awarded as a death benefit to the dependents of the deceased employee.

Permanent Total Disability

When a worker is unable to fully recover from his injury and is unable to perform his usual duties, then he gets compensated under the PTD claim. They will get paid for all medical expenses incurred at the time of the injury, lost wages while seeking compensation, legal fees incurred throughout the settlement process, and a loss-of-earning-ability benefit for the time period specified in the settlement.

Permanent Partial Disability

When a worker has sustained an injury that keeps him from doing his regular duties for life gets covered under PPD. These workers are employed at a place where they can work with their reduced abilities.

Temporary Total Disability

When a worker gets injured to an extent that they are unable to work for some time, they fall under the TTD category. Under this claim, doctor’s appointments, costs of treatment, and rehabilitation are covered.

Temporary Partial Disability

When the worker gets injured and is partially impaired for some time and is unable to carry out routine work, they fall under TPD. Medical treatment and lost wages get covered under this claim.

Process For A Workers’ Compensation Claim

Report the Injury

After an accident occurs, the first step is to file a report with the appropriate authorities. You should immediately notify your supervisor about the incident and provide them with a copy of the report. They will need to fill out a form called a Notice of Injury/Illness (NOI) and submit it to their insurer. Your employer's insurance company will usually send you a letter confirming receipt of the NOI.

Contact your Doctor

You will need to contact your health care provider to make sure that you receive proper treatment. In some cases, you may need to visit a doctor or other health professional at the hospital where you are getting treated.

File the Claim

Once you have received treatment, you will need to file a claim with the Workers' Compensation Insurance Carrier. You can do this online through the carrier's website. You will need to provide information regarding the date of the injury, how long you've been off work, whether you're receiving temporary total disability benefits and other related questions.

Submit Medical Receipts

When submitting your claim, you will need to include copies of your medical records and receipts from your doctors. These documents will help the insurance company determine the extent of your injuries and the cost of your treatment.

Compensation

Once your claim is approved, you will begin receiving payments from the insurance company. Depending on the type of policy you have, these payments could range anywhere from 70% to 100% of your average weekly wage.

Wrapping it up

To qualify for Workers’ Compensation insurance, employers are required to have certain types of insurance policies in place. These policies may cover any number of different risks including general liability, automobile, property damage, and worker's compensation. If you are injured at work, you may be entitled to receive financial assistance through workers' compensation. For an employer, here are seven mistakes they can avoid which can tank their business.