Every year thousands of American workers are hurt in workplace accidents. While some of these injuries are minor, like small bumps and cuts, others are serious and may threaten the lives of those who are harmed. When a New York worker gets hurt while performing the duties of their job, they should take quick action to protect their rights to seek workers’ compensation benefits.
One of the first steps that an injured worker should take is to seek treatment from a medical professional for their injuries. Documenting one’s harm through a medical report will help build their claim for workers’ compensation support and may be required to even submit a workers’ compensation request. If possible, the worker should find out if there is a specific doctor they should see for their claim or if they may go to a doctor of their own choosing.
Next, a worker should be prepared to fill out a workers’ compensation claim and submit it to their employer. This should be done in a timely manner, and the worker should be prepared to provide specific information. That information may include, but is not limited to, data on their injury, when it happened, where it happened, what they were doing, and who was present when it occurred.
Staying ahead of a workers’ compensation claim is important to ensure that a person is properly compensated for the harm that they suffer. It is always an option for injured workers to seek the help and support of attorneys who represent workers’ compensation clients. State laws and regulations may require different procedure than those set forth herein, and therefore readers should not rely on this post as legal advice.