Being injured can be a difficult burden for anybody, especially if the injuries are sustained at work. Some common injuries that occur at the workplace include sprains, cuts, contusions, inflammation, and fractures. Fortunately, if you are injured at work, the law provides a way for injured employees to receive benefits and compensation. Injured employees may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits.
To be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, there are three requirements that employees must abide by. These include:
- You must be registered as an employee
- Your employer must carry workers’ compensation insurance
- Your injury must be work-related
It is important to note that each state has different deadlines for reporting a workplace injury.
Ten Things to Know About Workers’ Compensation
Before filing a claim, it is important to know about the nuances of a workers’ compensation claim. If you’ve been injured at work, here’s ten things to know about workers’ compensation:
- Disclose all injuries. You should report every injury or illness that occurs on the job, even if it is minor. Sometimes an injury or illness that seems minor may evolve into something more serious. When reporting a work-related injury, it is important to tell the Human Resources (HR) department and your supervisor as soon as possible.
- Injuries should be reported within 30 days. In the State of Mississippi, work-related injuries must be reported before 30 days after the injury occurred. If you disclose your injury after this deadline has passed, you may not be eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits.
- Seek medical attention. In a non-emergency situation, your employer may provide you the name of a specific hospital or doctor that you should go to. It is important to check with your employer about where to go or you could risk ineligibility to receive workers’ compensation.
- Inform the doctor or hospital personnel that you were injured at work. It is vital to do so because this will ensure that your medical bills will be sent to the workers’ compensation insurance company or your employer.
- Ask the hospital to see your medical file. You should double-check that your medical records include the history and circumstances of your injury. It is critical to ensure that all injuries are reported in your medical file because workers’ compensation will only compensate employees for accidents that occur while on-the-job.
- Understand what is covered under workers’ comp. Workers’ compensation benefits will cover injuries and illnesses that resulted from the job. The assistance that is provided by workers’ comp will help you cover medical expenses, lost wages, ongoing care costs, funeral expenses, disability benefits as well as mileage reimbursement.
- If the accident was your fault, you may still be covered. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault insurance, so you are covered even if the accident is your fault.
- Go to work sober. If you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol and sustained an injury at work, you will not be covered by workers’ compensation. Many employers will mandate that you take a drug test after an accident.
- Payout limits. In Mississippi, minimum weekly payment is $25, while maximum compensation is 66.67% of an injured worker’s wage. Additionally, an injured employee will not receive more than 450 weeks of payment.
- Do not try and cheat the system. Many people try to cheat in workers’ compensation. Insurance companies will check to ensure that the claim and the injuries are legitimate.
Although this is not an exhaustive list, we find these to be some of the most important things to know when dealing with the workers’ compensation process.
Speak with a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer As Soon As Possible
If you or somebody that you love were injured while on-the-job, contact a legal representative at Lott Law. Our experienced attorneys could help you with your workers’ compensation claims and assist you in collecting the compensation you need. Call today to get started.