The Top 5 Ways To Improve Your Workers Comp Claim

If you’ve been injured at work, you may not know where your next paycheck will come from. A personal injury can lead to expensive medical bills, as well as lost wages at work. To protect their financial future, many employees file workers comp claims.

Workers compensation claims are meant to protect employees while on the job. However, employers and insurance companies often try to everything possible to avoid paying you what you are owed for your injuries.

Filling a successful workers comp claim can be challenging. But there are some easy steps that you can take to boost your case and increase the value of your claim.

1. Get Medical Care

If you’ve been injured at work, you should make sure that the accident is reported as soon as possible. But your main priority is your health. Go to the doctor and get treated for your injuries. The longer you wait to get medical care, the greater the chances that your injuries become even more serious.

Employers and insurance companies may also use your delay in seeking medical care as a way of downplaying the severity of your injuries. They can claim that your injuries weren’t that serious, and that you should not be fully compensated.

Insurance companies already have an advantage. Don’t give them another one by delaying your visit to the doctor.

Tell your doctor that you were injured at work, and ask them to clearly document your injuries. You will need proper documentation for all medical visits and procedures when filing a workers comp claim.

2. Document The Accident

After you’ve been injured, you need to make sure that the incident is properly documented. The main form for this is the First Report of Injury. This will be crucial for the claims process, and is the foundation for your case. That’s why it’s important that you file this report out as soon as possible.

Do be careful when filling out your report, however, as any mistakes could compromise your credibility and hurt your case. Never exaggerate, and let the facts speak for you.

Some employers may try to block you from filling out your report. This is illegal, as you are within your legal rights to pursue a workers comp claim. If your employer is trying to prevent you from reporting an injury, you need to contact a workers comp attorney to help protect your legal rights.

3. Obtain Written Statements From Witnesses

Once you’ve reported the accident, you’ll also want to make sure that you get statements from witnesses. Cases that involve just your word against your employers are often difficult to win. However, if you have other people to support your account of events, you are more likely to get the compensation you deserve.

When getting witness statements, you should ask for a written account. This is regarded as more trustworthy than a verbal statement.

4. Carefully Read Any Medical Authorization Requests

When you file a workers comp claim, insurers may try to gain access to your medical records. This is perfectly normal and well within the insurance company’s rights. They will need this access to estimate the value of your claim and the payout that you should get for any injuries caused at work.

That being said, you need to be careful with medical authorization requests from insurance companies. They may try to access more information than what they really need for the case. That’s why you should carefully review any request for information from an insurance company.

The best way to protect yourself from insurance company snooping is a skilled workers comp lawyer. They can review any request for information that come from insurance companies, ensuring that you never disclose any more information than you need to.

5. Hire A Montana Workers Comp Attorney To Protect Your Rights

The best way to successfully file a workers comp claim is to hire a skilled Montana workers comp attorney.

At Glacier Law, we have years of experience fighting for employees. A personal injury at work can devastate you and your family. That’s why we fight to protect your legal rights and get you the payout you need to pay for medical bills and lost wages.

We offer free case evaluations, where we walk you through your legal options and estimate the potential value of your claim. Contact us today to see how we can help your case.