You get ready and go to work every day. So, what do you do if you get hurt at work or if your work environment causes you to get sick? How will you pay your expenses and the unexpected medical bills? Below, a maritime accident lawyer will share:
- What you should do if you’re hurt or made sick from your work environment
- Some of the benefits you may be entitled to receive
- What you should do if your boss asks you to not file a worker’s comp claim
Let’s get started!
What To Do If You’re Hurt Or Made Ill On The Job
If you’re hurt on the job or made ill because of your job environment, there are some basic steps that you need to take.
- Notify your supervisor or manager. They need to know not just about your injury or illness but also about any hazard that caused it. By notifying your supervisor, you could be protecting others from the same injury or illness.
- Participate in completing an accident report. By completing an accident report, you’re officially notifying your employer about a potential hazard.
- Get immediate medical treatment. This may be a trip to the emergency room, urgent care, or even a visit to your primary doctor. Go as soon as possible.
- Keep your receipts and all medical documentation and bills. Doing so will help prove the amount of reimbursement that you may be entitled to receive.
Speaking of benefits, here’s what you may be entitled to receive as a result of the injury or illness as our friends at Herschensohn Law Firm, PLLC can share:
Benefits You May Be Entitled To Receive
Some of the benefits you may be entitled to include and may not be limited to:
- Pay while you’re off work. You may be entitled to receive at least part of your salary while you’re off work and recovering.
- Fill out a worker’s compensation claim. The purpose of worker’s compensation is to help injured or sick workers like you survive while recovering. It is an insurance policy that you are not required to pay into.
- Paid medical expenses. When you turn in your documentation of medical treatment, include any receipts from where you paid out of pocket. You may be eligible to have all of your out of pocket expenses reimbursed.
- Attend all required medical appointments and complete all treatments. The medical care you receive and how open you are to treatment may impact your workers’ compensation claim.
- Permanent or temporary disability. If you’re unable to return to work, you may be entitled to temporary or permanent disability.
- Job training. If you’re able to work but perhaps unable to return to your profession, job training may be available.
What To Do If Your Boss Asks You Not To File A Worker’s Comp Claim
There are some bosses who will ask their employees to not file a claim with worker’s comp. They may even tell you they’ll cover all of your expenses. However, without a paper trail such as what is made with a worker’s comp claim and an accident report, there’s no proof of your injury and they will likely not take care of you. Politely decline and complete the worker’s compensation claim. Then contact an attorney near you for help.