Tell Your Employer or Supervisor…Immediately
In rough economic times like the ones we are experiencing right now, many people hesitate to file for workers’ compensation in fear of losing their job and livelihood. This is a misconception that could cost you dearly in the long run. The first thing you need to do when you are hurt on the job or become sick because of your job is to notify your employer in writing within four days. Your employer will then arrange for you to see a medical doctor for care.
If your injury or illness is an emergency, you should seek care at the closest facility possible and notify your employer immediately in writing. It is important that you notify your employer in writing. In Colorado, you can be penalized the loss of one day of workers’ compensation benefits for each day you delay submitting written documentation of your injury to your employer. Make sure you are thorough with the description of your injury so that there are no questions about your injury and how it occurred.
Go to the Doctor
The next step in the workers’ compensation process is seeing a doctor approved by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company. Seeing an approved doctor will ensure that you receive the proper diagnosis for your injuries. This will help to minimize the risk of not receiving proper care for a long-term issue that may not have been apparent at the time of your injury. This is especially true in cases involving a traumatic brain injury. But more importantly, an approved doctor’s diagnosis is often necessary to receive the maximum amount of money in a workers’ compensation case and is the basis for many benefits available under the workers’ compensation system. Insurance companies won’t grant maximum money to those who don’t receive care from an approved doctor. In the event that you see a non-approved doctor, your insurance company may want you to receive a second opinion from an approved doctor of their choosing.
File the Claim
Your employer must file your workers’ compensation claim with 10 days under Colorado law. The insurance company then has 20 days to approve or reject this claim from your employer. At this point, the insurance company will begin requesting the rest of the information about your claim in order to move the process forward.
Talk to a Qualified Attorney
If you’ve been injured at work, you need to focus on healing and not on navigating the complex issues which can arise in any workers’ compensation claim. Call us for a free consultation.