Injured At Work? 4 Mistakes That May Cost You
When it comes to workers' compensation, there's a right way and a wrong way to obtain benefits. The right way ensures that your rights are protected and that you receive the benefits you're entitled to. However, the wrong way often leads to lost benefits and difficulties once you return to work. Here are four mistakes that can lead to serious problems with your workers' compensation claim.
Starting With Your Own Doctor
If you've been injured on the job, you may have the right to choose your own doctor. However, before you make that choice, you do need to start with the doctor that your employer specifies. Failure to see your employer-approved doctor first may result in your claim being denied or your injuries not being properly assessed. To make sure you don't have problems with your claim that could affect your benefits, you need to start by scheduling an appointment with your employer-approved doctor. If you don't like working with that doctor, you can request to have a new one appointed or request to see your own physician.
Sticking With The First Opinion
If you're suffering from work-related injuries, you can't settle for the first opinion you receive. Once you have your initial doctor's report, it's important that you request a second opinion, especially if you don't agree with the findings of the first doctor. If your personal physician has come up with findings that conflict with those obtained by your employer-approved approved doctor, you may request to have your doctor's findings submitted into the final report. That way, both sets of results will be considered by the workers' compensation board.
Refusing Job Modifications
If your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous job duties, but your employer offers to provide job modifications, it's important that you attempt to work within those modifications. If you continue to have problems even after the modifications, you can notify your doctor. However, if you refuse to at least try to work with the new modifications, you may jeopardize your workers' compensation claim.
Failing To Ask For Vocational Training
If you find that you can't work with the modifications, you need to ask for vocational training. You might not realize that vocational training is available to you if you can no longer perform your original tasks. Unfortunately, most employers won't volunteer information regarding vocational training. If you've been injured at work and can't perform your previous duties, talk to your attorney about adding vocational training to your workers' compensation benefits package.
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