After you sustain an injury at work, you need to start weighing your options and think of hiring an attorney if your condition is so severe yet the company isn’t cooperating. Most of the time, the management and their insurance board might be trying to outsmart you and pay less to nothing as benefits. You can then end up getting way less than you are supposed to. This article gives you important information you need to know to ensure that you don’t get cheated by your employer and their insurance company.
Can you represent yourself?
Yes. You can if your boss agrees that you were injured at work and you didn’t miss work because of the minor injury. Though, it is still advisable in some cases to check with professionals like Bryan Ramos, workers compensation lawyer for advice. They can help you avoid issues while guiding through the claim process.
When you should get a Lawyer
There are times when your compensation process might get difficult and complex. You need an attorney in cases such as:
- Slow or no processing of your benefits
It is very common that claims are rejected by the company’s management and insurance. Most workers don’t appeal when their claims get rejected. If you have a case like that, you should seek a lawyer’s assistance to get what you deserve. Most attorneys don’t ask for payment prior to taking such cases. So they will help even if you might not be sure of winning the case.
- The offered settlement seems too small
In the event that you don’t know if the offered settlement will be sufficient for your bills and the recovery time, get a lawyer. It shouldn’t stress you even though a judge has signed the agreement. Read this: https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/tips-getting-best-claim-settlement.html
- The injuries won’t let you get your old or any other job
If your illness or injuries are so severe that you become partially or completely disabled, you may qualify for a lump sum or payments weekly for life. Insurance companies dislike expensive claims so they might look for ways to avoid paying you a settlement.
- You get disability benefits from Social Security
An ill-structured settlement might result in you not getting anything from Social Security. A lawyer can draft your agreement to make sure that this does not happen.
- The management is trying to punish you after you filed for the claim
You need an attorney right away if your manager demotes you to a lower position, cut your pay, fire you, prevent you from working for the normal hours or discriminate against you because you filed the claim.
- Sketchy doctor
Is the doctor recommended by your company trying to force you to go back to work even though you have not recovered fully? Or is he completing incorrect info about your illness in your file? It is a bad sign and you should transfer to another doctor. If you aren’t getting the best care and you aren’t allowed to transfer elsewhere, you should consider hiring a lawyer. So you get enough time and care to recuperate completely.
- There is an impending claim by a third party
The system for workers’ comp was created to deal with cases that are resolved from the civil wrongdoings. In any case, you can sue the company or insurance for carelessness if it added to the damage. Usually, the civil damage compensation much more than that of the employees’ comp since they allow claim emotional trauma.
- You have disabilities prior to the accident
Sometimes, employers might utilize your previous condition to demonstrate that you should get less or no remuneration even though your prior conditions might have been exacerbated by the work-related injury.
Once you have completed every essential document and they did likewise, your lawyer will sort out medicinal proof to demonstrate that you were without a doubt harmed to the point that you require a lot of compensation. This is the best approach to ensure that your workers’ comp installments are greater. The aim of the Workers’ Compensation program is to ensure the rights of the workers are not taken for granted and their needs are taken care of. But as it is currently today, insurance companies and bosses have figured out how to tune the rules to their advantage. A competent workers’ comp lawyer in Atlanta can help you get the benefits that you deserve.