 Millions of nonfatal workplace injuries take place every year. If you have found yourself injured on the job, it is imperative that you seek medical treatment immediately. It’s also important that you understand the other various steps that you should take, which will ensure the best outcome possible. Please keep in mind that the company you work for may or may not have rules in place that you must follow after getting injured on the job. Larger companies tend to be more strict about their policy rules, but still yet, here is a brief overview of the basic steps you need to take. Report the Injury The first thing you need to do is report the injury. If it’s a severe injury, simply reporting it to a coworker or supervisor should be sufficient while you make your way to receive medical treatment. Such treatment may be acquired at an onsite nursing or medical office, or if needed, you can call for transportation to a nearby hospital. If you are not in need of immediate medical attention, you should report your injury to your supervisor or manager. This person should be able to direct you toward the office that you need to visit to fill out appropriate paperwork. There will likely be much paperwork to fill out, and it’s pertinent that you write down every detail of the injury that you can remember:
Get a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form Your employer is mandated by law to give you a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form after you have reported the injury. You will need this form to claim your benefits, including loss of wages, funds to cover your medical expenses, etc. If for some reason your employer does not give you this form, you will need to contact the company’s HR department as soon as possible. Once again, it’s important that when filling out this paper that you make it very clear in great detail as to what happened and the parts of your body that have been affected. If you have already been seen by a doctor, make sure to note this on the form, including the name of the doctor and the time and day that you were seen by the physician. After you have filled out the paper, you will then mail it to the HR department, and it’s important that you mail it first-class and ask for a signature upon delivery; this ensures that the form is received. Decide whether or not to hire a lawyer The physician who treated your injury will inform you of whether or not you can return to work. The claims administrator handling your Workers’ Compensation claim will inform you of whether or not your claim was accepted. Depending on what your physician and the claims administrator tell you, this will indicate whether or not you need a lawyer. Most times, if the claim is accepted, then no attorney is needed and you can simply follow the orders of your physician. However, if your claim is not approved, an attorney may be needed. You will also need an attorney if your physician recommends that you go back to work but you don’t feel you have fully recovered from your injury. It’s also important during this time for you to check into any other programs that can be tapped into other than Workers’ Compensation, such as:
The Takeaway Being that tort reform went back into affect in Oklahoma, it is more difficult than it used to be for people to file a lawsuit after getting hurt on the job. This is one of the primary reasons that a lawyer may be needed during this type of situation. And it’s not so much so that a person can receive a large settlement. Instead, it’s so a person can simply get the compensation they deserve in a timely manner, and this involves filing all paperwork the correct way the first time around, which is what Workers’ Compensation attorneys specialize in. Call us today at (405) 703-4567.  Comments are closed.
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