As adults, people develop a bad habit of overlooking injuries and illnesses and they act in the same irresponsible manner at the workplace as well. This is a poor practice and must be relinquished. One should immediately report a work-related injury and seek medical treatment right away. Immediate reporting a work injury to the concerned authorities is important for various reasons.
Work-Related Injuries can be Serious
Shrugging off a work injury just because you think that it will go away by itself in due time is a serious miscalculation. A medical professional can’t even make an opinion right away about an injury without a thorough checkup. Even if you have incurred a minor work-related injury, immediately report it and seek medical treatment under workers’ compensation claim.
Expired Deadline Means no Workers’ Compensation
Any work-related injury or illness can turn into a hefty medical affair. If you remain careless in reporting the injury in due time, then there are chances that you will lose out on availing the facility of workers’ compensation. There is no state-sanctioned deadline for workers to report their work-related injuries. Every employer makes its own rule in this domain.
For instance, some employers only accept the employee’s right to workers’ compensation if the first report has been filed within 24 hours of the injury. This time duration can vary. So, you must be well-aware of workers’ compensation regulations of your workplace. And regardless of how long or shot is that deadline, a best practice is to report and seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
Suspension and Termination
This might sound bizarre but if you are not reporting a work injury in time, then it can lead to a warning, suspension, and eventual termination as well. Late applications for work-related injuries can upset the employers and their associated insurance carriers. Therefore, many organizations put strict clauses in their employer’s policy regarding the reporting of work-related injuries. So, a delay in seeking medical treatment can literally add insult to injury.
Where to Seek Medical treatment
Well, it depends on the type of injury that you have incurred. In case of a serious injury, it is advised to directly head to the emergency. Besides that, follow the rules prescribed by your state to avail workers’ compensation. It is imperative to act in compliance with them if you want to make the most of the worker’s compensation claim.
Consequences of Failing to Report Work Injury
A work injury can turn into protracted health conditions. This means the affected person would require professional medical services for a long time. This scenario can turn into a financial nightmare if the treatments are not being covered by workers’ compensation. Keep in mind that your regular health plan doesn’t provide coverage to work-related injuries. So, without workers’ compensation, you just have to resort to expensive private treatments.
Dealing with workers’ compensation claims on your own can be really challenging, particularly when you are contesting against an organization and its associated insurance carrier. For that matter, the wise approach is to get a seasoned lawyer on board to sail through these legal proceedings without any trouble.
Work Injury | Attorney Javier Marcos
If you or someone you know has a work injury, do not let time pass by, call Attorney Javier Marcos immediately. A work injury attorney can help you with your case. The sooner the call, the best for your case. Call 24 hrs at 713.999.4444 for a free consultation. No payment unless we win the case.
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Lesion de trabajo y buscar tratamiento médico a tiempo | Abogado Javier Marcos