When you sustained a workers injury in Virginia, your first and second priorities should be to your health and your financial future. Speak with a Workers’ Comp attorney who has handled Workers’ Compensation cases similar to yours and who will ensure that your Workers’ Compensation application is fully intact, so as to minimize any obstacles to your claim’s acceptance.
Top 5 Tips on How to Maintain Control of Workers’ Compensation Cases
First, report your injury immediately. Even if you don’t think that you will require medical treatment, you should immediately notify your supervisor of your injury. You should try to get your supervisor to write up an accident report – if he or she does draft a written accident report, secure a copy for yourself.
Your job may be physically demanding and you may find yourself encumbered by regular aches and pains from those exertions, but if you write it off as a minor injury and fail to report it to your supervisor, then when it turns out to be something more serious, your insurance adjuster may have traction with which to deny your claim.
This will force you to go through several more steps, including a hearing, at which you will have to defend the legitimacy of your claim and explain why you didn’t report it in a timely fashion.
Second, protect yourself through the resources that are made available to you via the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. The best way to secure your rights is to file a formal Claim Form and retain an award order.
You can do this by either drafting a simple letter, by filing a claim form provided by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, or by filing the form online via the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission’s website. Be sure to fully complete this form, and list all the body parts that have been injured.
Your arm does not include your shoulder, and your shoulder does not include your neck. It’s advisable that you list everything that has been affected. If you fell and struck your head, list both head injury and brain injury, as they are considered separate. Be sure to include:
- the specific date the injury occurred;
- the time your injury occurred; and
- your average weekly wage.
Third, keep your medical documentation well-organized. This should go without saying, but carefully organization of your medical records will be of immense benefit to you in your claim, particularly in determining that you receive the correct Workers’ Comp settlement amounts.
Fourth, seek your mileage reimbursement. A condition of Workers’ Compensation is that you are reimbursed mileage necessary to travel to and from your doctors’ appointments. The easiest way to demonstrate that you went to your appointments is to call the medical provider’s billing department and request your bill payment history.
Find the exact distance between you and that medical provider via Google Maps or MapQuest by typing in your home address and that of your doctor’s office. Double that mileage to account for the round trip, and multiply that value by the number of doctor’s visits you can demonstrate with your bill history.
Fifth, be sure to get your cost of living adjustment. COLA happens every year, and accounts for changes the price of basic amenities. Even if the COLA change only gives you an extra $50 or $60 per week, that can add up to several thousand dollars if you’re on Workers’ Compensation for an extended period of time.
Ultimately, the best way to protect Workers’ Compensation cases is with the assistance of an attorney who focuses on matters pertaining to workers injury in Virginia, one who can help you from your first step – filing your workers compensation application.
An attorney knows what factors are taken into account when determining Workers’ Comp settlement amounts, and will aggressively defend your and your family’s financial future against any of the Workers’ Comp insurance provider’s tactics.
Contact an Attorney Who Handles Workers’ Compensation Cases
When you have difficulties after a workers injury in Virginia, a Workers’ Comp attorney can bear some of your burden. To get back on your feet, whether it means getting back to work or getting the workers comp settlement amounts you deserve, order a copy of our free book, the Ultimate Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Virginia, and contact a workers’ comp attorney at the Injured Workers Law Firm for a no-cost consultation – 877-755-7744.
The Injured Workers Law Firm is a Richmond, Virginia based firm solely focused on serving clients with workers' compensation claims in Virginia. If you have questions about your benefits or if you would like more information on the Virginia Workers’ Compensation system, order our book, “The Ultimate Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Virginia” , or call our office today (804) 755-7755.