After a work injury an injured worker should make sure they follow these steps. 

1. Report your injury to your employer.

It is very important to report your injury immediately to your employer. Many employers have their own guidelines and rules about reporting work-related injuries. You should make sure to check with human resources or your employee handbook about the appropriate procedure. Regardless of your company’s own policies, under Minnesota Workers’ Compensation law, you are required to report your injury within 30 days of the injury. Only in limited circumstances are you allowed to report your injury beyond 30 days. 

2. Seek medical care or treatment.

While in most cases, cuts and bruises will heal on their own but more significant soft tissue or even traumatic injuries won’t. An injured worker should seek medical care or treatment to evaluate the severity of the injuries. Not only is seeking medical care and treatment important to determine the extent of the injuries, it also allows opportunity for the injury to be documented and memorialized in the medical records. This is important. In some cases, documents get lost, witnesses are no longer available, and employers deny injuries even occurred. By documenting it in a medical note, it allows for others to know that it happened.

3. Speak with an Attorney.

There is no such thing as a silly question. In most cases, this is your first and only work-related injury. Most of the documents and forms that are presented to you are new and can be a lot to try and understand. There are people out there who can assist you in answering your questions. Our attorneys can help you and provide you the legal advice you need. Call us now at 855-354-2667.  It is a free call with free advice

4. Be prepared.

We always like to believe that people and insurance companies will always do the right thing. Again, that is not always the case. In workers’ compensation, things can turn bad really quickly. In other words, an insurance company that has been paying bills and wage loss benefits can suddenly stop paying. It is important to have an understanding of what benefits are available to you and what your legal options are in getting those benefits. When an insurance company stops paying medical bills or benefits most of the time it’s not because they should be. Therefore, you should have a basic understanding of what benefits are available to you, and whether you may be potentially entitled to those benefits. In most cases, it is good to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer to again go over your options.

For every compensable work-related injury there is a reported injury. In other words you must report your injury to the employer. Failure to report your injury in a timely fashion can result in a bar to workers compensation benefits. Regardless of whether the injury is a slip and fall, trip and fall, herniated disc or a Gillette type injury, you should always report your injury as soon as possible to the employer.

To receive Minnesota worker’s compensation benefits, the injured worker must show they provided notice of the injury to the employer, or that the employer had actual knowledge of the injury, with in 180 days as allowed under Minnesota statute 176.141. This does not require that you fill out any paperwork or a first report of injury but instead that you provided notice either verbally or in written form.

Notice must be given when it becomes “reasonably apparent” dad in injury has resulted in, or is likely to cause, a compensable disability. Oftentimes, with cumulative trauma injuries or Gillette type injuries that may be difficult to know when you may have sustained an injury. Gillette injuries require that notice does not have to be given until the injured worker, as a reasonable person, should recognize the nature and seriousness and probable compensable character of their injury or disease. In other words, you believe that you’ve got work-related injury should report it.

A Minnesota worker’s compensation attorney can help provide you advice as to whether notice was appropriately given. If you have sustained a work-related injury would like to discuss whether you provided notice contact today for free no hassle consultation.

Workers Compenation is a specialized area that requires someone with knowledge of how the law works and how it applies to your case. The law changes yearly and sometimes monthly depending on the ever changing legal landscape. It is important to to know your rights. Be empowered. Be educated. The following are reasons you may want to speak with our office and a Minnesota workers’ compensation lawyer now:

1. We offer a free no hassle consultation. We will answer all of your questions, provide you information concerning what rights you have under the law, and what responsibilities an employer and insurer have to you, the injured worker – all for free. Why not educate and empower yourself?
2. To make sure that you are getting the appropriate benefits.  Often times, this can be overlooked as the employer and insurer calculate a certain wage and most injured workers believe that is all they can receive when, in fact, this may not be correct.  A lawyer can help determine whether you are getting what you are owed.
3. To make sure you are on the right track and receiving medical benefits and treatment.  Sometimes a little advice from someone who has been through it hundreds of times can go a long way.  Our attorneys and staff know the best way to guide injured workers through the system in making sure that they get the appropriate treatment that they need.
4. To make sure you are getting the appropriate vocational assistance.  Most insurance companies fail to appropriately inform injured workers about their rights under the rehabilitation laws including services through a qualified rehabilitation consultant and even retraining.  A lawyer can help guide you in obtaining a QRC and getting you on the right track for the appropriate rehabilitation benefits

In most circumstances, you first need to speak with a lawyer to go over the facts of your case to determine whether or not you need to retain a lawyer to represent you. 

Our office, offers a free consultation to all potential clients.  We don’t set any time limits on the conference, and often times we are more than happy to meet with you as long as need be.  We offer in-person as well as over-the-phone consultations.

After a work injury it’s important to receive medical care and treatment. Either emergency room, hospital, medical clinic or chiropractic office.  Not only do you want treatment for your injury but you also want to document the injury, your current condition, and your symptoms. It is important to have documentation to establish that a work injury actually occurred. For example you have an injury at work but you decide to hold off on getting treatment. In fact, you wait several weeks for the symptoms to get bad before you go see a doctor. This delay in medical treatment gives the workers compensation insurer an opportunity to explain her symptoms on other things including possibly activities at home, extracurricular activities, etc.

You have a right to choose your physician in most circumstances.

Under Worker’s Compensation law you have a right to choose your physician. Only in limited situations if it is a managed care program can an insurer direct where you will seek medical treatment. Otherwise you have a right to choose your position.

If you treat with a physician more than two times that physician becomes your “treating physician.” You may be referred to other physicians by your treating physician but typically you’re not allowed to change physicians unless in certain circumstances. Consequently, it’s important that you choose the right “treating physician.”

Workers Compenation is a specialized area that requires someone with knowledge of how the law works and how it applies to your case. The law changes yearly and sometimes monthly depending on the ever changing legal landscape. It is important to to know your rights. Be empowered. Be educated. The following are reasons you may want to speak with our office and a Minnesota workers’ compensation lawyer now:

1. We offer a free no hassle consultation. We will answer all of your questions, provide you information concerning what rights you have under the law, and what responsibilities an employer and insurer have to you, the injured worker – all for free. Why not educate and empower yourself?
2. To make sure that you are getting the appropriate benefits.  Often times, this can be overlooked as the employer and insurer calculate a certain wage and most injured workers believe that is all they can receive when, in fact, this may not be correct.  A lawyer can help determine whether you are getting what you are owed.
3. To make sure you are on the right track and receiving medical benefits and treatment.  Sometimes a little advice from someone who has been through it hundreds of times can go a long way.  Our attorneys and staff know the best way to guide injured workers through the system in making sure that they get the appropriate treatment that they need.
4. To make sure you are getting the appropriate vocational assistance.  Most insurance companies fail to appropriately inform injured workers about their rights under the rehabilitation laws including services through a qualified rehabilitation consultant and even retraining.  A lawyer can help guide you in obtaining a QRC and getting you on the right track for the appropriate rehabilitation benefits

In most circumstances, you first need to speak with a lawyer to go over the facts of your case to determine whether or not you need to retain a lawyer to represent you. 

Our office, offers a free consultation to all potential clients.  We don’t set any time limits on the conference, and often times we are more than happy to meet with you as long as need be.  We offer in-person as well as over-the-phone consultations.