It is a fact that not every workplace-related injury requires to hire of a lawyer. It is because the workers’ compensation system is an administrative process. It is designed to be relatively easy for workers to navigate. If you have a straightforward claim that is not disputed by your employer or insurance company, you can handle your workers’ compensation claim. Unfortunately, it is also a fact that the process is not always that simple. Several workers need to hire a Workers comp attorney to get help through the aftermath and healing process after a work injury.
Any time you are in dispute with the insurance company, you should need to hire an attorney to represent you. You will need to collect evidence from challenging the insurance company’s position. It will include depositing, requesting medical examinations, and getting expert witnesses. All these will need legal knowledge and skill. Here are some common reasons when do you need to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer.
Your Employer Drags Its Feet With Your Claim:
When you are injured at the workplace, you should instantly inform your employer and start the reporting process. Your company is responsible for giving you the appropriate paperwork, reporting your case to the state workers’ compensation board, and also file a claim with its insurance carrier. However, reporting regulations and deadlines are different in every state, but it should take no longer than 30 days to complete this process.
Your Permanent Disability Rating Is Disputed:
Several workers’ compensation settlements and awards are for permanent disability benefits. However, these advantages are calculated depending on your permanent disability rating. If the insurance company doesn’t agree with the rating assigned by your treating doctor, you need to attend an independent medical examination with a doctor of its desire. The IME doctor will likely assign a much lower disability rating, which the insurance company will utilize to justify paying you very little in benefits. A Workers comp attorney can be essential to getting you a fair settlement or convincing a judge on your behalf that you are entitled to a higher rating.
Overcoming Challenges and Denials:
In some cases, insurance companies didn’t pay certain types of benefits. In others, they make responsible to the workers for their injuries. Some insurance companies deny benefits without giving any explanation. Then, there is the matter of ensuring that the insurance company does not refuse your benefits very soon. Injured workers face several challenges at every step along the way. Overcoming these challenges needs the advice and representation of an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer.
When you want to negotiate with Insurers?
You have to constantly contact your workers’ compensation lawyer if and when your insurers push back on your claim. No matter whether your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance is state-financed or privately funded. Keep in mind that both types of companies face the same pressure to make ends meet. Another important thing to remember is that workers’ compensation companies generate their profit by accepting premiums and not paying out claims. Therefore, you can accept both types of insurers to resist your claim, either by attempting to lower its value or by refusing it altogether.
Don’t forget that the insurance company lawyers will be experts in minimizing the workers’ compensation claims. In addition, they also pressurize you to settle for less money than you need to cover lost wages or outstanding medical bills. In this scenario, you must have someone on your side who has equal capabilities in negotiating and navigating the workers’ compensation system.
Conclusion:
Early consultation with a Workers’ compensation lawyer can help you to get important information. They also provide you with consulting a lawyer and a sense of how complicated your particular claim might be. However, the best time to get a Workers comp attorney is immediate. The moment you get injured, after you inform about the injury to your employer, you should call a lawyer. It is because you will never know if your claim will get refused. A lawyer can advise you against critical mistakes and help you fight for your settlement.
