As a working mom, you have multiple obligations – each with extremely high priorities attached to them. When something like a workplace injury occurs, you don’t have the flexibility to sit back and hope that everything works out. Instead, you must proactively pursue all options to ensure the needs of your family are met.
Understanding Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation is nothing more than an insurance policy that insures employees for injuries and illnesses that arise as a result of normal duties on the job. These insurance programs are mandated and overseen at a state level, with each state establishing its own requirements, rules, and regulations for when an employer must acquire and use such insurance.
“Employees benefit from the program by receiving medical care after sustaining an injury or illness that is work-related,” HG.org explains. “Injured employees receive a certain portion of their wages while they are off work for the treatment of such injury or illness, depending on state rules. States also establish their own rate of compensation when an employee loses a member, is permanently disabled or dies as a result of the work-related accident.”
From the employee’s perspective, the no-fault nature of workers’ compensation is what makes it so attractive. When injured, the employee doesn’t have to go through the traditional legal process of proving negligence in order to recover. In exchange, the employee typically forgoes her right to sue the employer.
5 Tips for Maximizing Your Claim
Unfortunately, workers’ compensation claims aren’t always as straightforward as they should be. To maximize your claim, here are a few tips, suggestions, and thoughts to consider.
1. Immediately Report the Injury
Don’t delay in reporting the injury after it occurs. While each state has different timelines, all require employees to report injuries to their boss by a certain deadline. If you miss this deadline, then you may permanently lose your rights to collect any workers’ comp benefits that are owed to you. (In some states, you’ll also be required to file very specific workers’ comp forms to validate your claim.)
2. Get Medical Treatment Right Away
You’ll be hard-pressed to receive workers’ comp without seeking out medical treatment and getting a doctor to diagnose and treat your injuries. Be sure to see a medical professional as soon as possible.
3. Follow the Doctor’s Orders
It’s not enough to see a doctor after your injury. You also need to listen to what they have to say.
“Always follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations,” one Akron, Ohio-based attorney advises. “If you are instructed to go to physical therapy, do it. If you are advised to avoid lifting, listen. Failure to follow your doctor’s advice can put your claim in jeopardy.”
4. Explain How You Were Injured
When you visit the doctor, interact with healthcare providers, and speak with insurance companies, do your best to explain how you were injured. It’s your job to establish a clear connection.
“You don’t need to elaborate; you just need to tell them the basics. But make sure that you say that it happened at work,” AllLaw.com explains. “The simpler you make your patient history, the better the chance that your health care providers will write it down correctly.”
Sometimes your injury doesn’t occur from a single traumatic event, but be honest. Even in these cases, it’s possible that an injury resulted from repetitive stress or overworking – both of which could still qualify you for workers’ comp.
5. Contact an Attorney
If you’re having trouble getting your workers’ comp claim pushed through, then it may be helpful to hire an experienced attorney who specializes in workers’ compensation claims and workplace injuries. They typically know all the right steps to take, questions to ask, and people to contact. If nothing else, a consultation with one of these attorneys will help you clear up some questions and find a few answers.
Adding it All Up
As a working mother with responsibilities to earn an income and provide for your children, an injury or illness can be devastating. Thankfully, workers’ compensation laws provide you with some protections to continue earning money during your recovery. By paying attention to the rules and making intelligent choices, you can maximize your claim and avoid falling behind.