How to Protect Your Workers' Comp Case

6 November 2015
 Categories: Law, Blog

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If you hope to be compensated fairly for your workers' comp claim, there are a few things that you must do to protect your legal rights. Unfortunately, being injured on the job is sometimes not enough to get compensation since there are certain procedures that you'll have to follow in order for your case to be evaluated fairly. Here are some of the ways that you can protect your claims and get the compensation you deserve. 

Take Immediate Action

The first thing to do is to take immediate action on your injury. This means opening up a formal claim and documenting the details as much as possible. You'll also need to have a formal medical exam to document your injuries close to the time of your accident. Not only does this show that your injuries were serious enough to warrant immediate medical attention, but it also provides a safeguard in case your employer says that your injuries were caused at a later date. 

Follow Up with Your Doctor Often

As your medical condition evolves, it's important to have a doctor look at your symptoms and document them in a formal medical report. Your word of mouth may not be strong enough to show how your injuries have affected your life; a doctor's report is a solid credential to show the severity of your injuries and how they've changed over time. 

Provide an Honest Account

You may be tempted to exaggerate some of your symptoms in order to get a better compensation package. However, doing this can take the integrity out of your case and the judge will be looking for details that don't match up between your story, the doctor's story, and the eyewitnesses' stories. Be honest about the symptoms you're feeling and how they're healing so that you don't discount your own case. 

Follow Your Doctor's Orders

Another thing that can bite you in your case is failing to follow your doctor's orders. If you don't keep up with your treatments, or you do some activities that your doctor has restricted, then this can discredit the severity of your injury. 

Keep in Touch with Your Lawyer

The laws surrounding workers' comp can be difficult to navigate, which is why it's important to find a lawyer who can walk you through the various steps of the claims process. It's hard to backtrack once you've missed a crucial step of the process, so your lawyer should act as a guide to help you figure out the next steps and potential pitfalls along the way.