A work accident can change various areas of your life. Because of your injury, you could experience a reduction of income due to the time you must take off from work to recover. You may also find yourself with a significant amount of medical bills and other complications, and you will need some type of financial support. This is why you consider filing a workers’ compensation claim.
While you understand you have a legitimate claim to workers compensation benefits, you may not know what to do to get the support you need. It can be helpful to understand to how the process works and what you can do to maximize the support available to you. It may also be in your interests to understand what you should expect regarding your employer’s responsibility.
What should an employer do?
An employer’s biggest responsibility regarding workers’ compensation is to carry this type of insurance. Employers should also do everything possible to reduce the chance of a workplace injury by establishing and enforcing workplace safety. In the event an employee should file a claim, the employer must not keep the injured worker from pursuing compensation.
If you require medical attention, your employer should help you get it. He or she will have to provide certain types of documentation. You should never face retaliation or wrongful termination because you exercised your right to seek workers’ compensation benefits.
What should you do?
The first thing you should do is report the accident. You also should see that your employer completes an injury report, and you should cooperate with any requests for information from the insurance company. It is also important to keep track of your medical treatment and cooperate with any instructions given to you by your doctor. Keeping track of your bills can validate your claim and ensure you get a fair amount of recovery.
Know your rights
As an injured employee, you have rights. Starting with filing a workers’ compensation claim, you have the right to seek what you need to get better and move forward after a workplace accident. Understanding these rights is important as Missouri employers and insurance companies may not always have your best interests in mind. When it comes to your future after an accident, you do not want to risk not knowing your rights and how to protect your interests.
