When injured at work, you may think it’s just an occupational hazard. Whether this is true or not, ensuring you receive compensation for the work you’ve missed while receiving treatment and healing is vital to staying financially supported. You may be eligible to file for workers’ compensation, so you’ll want to keep reading to learn more about the process and discover how Monmouth County workers’ compensation attorneys can help ensure you get the money you are entitled to.
What Is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a program designed to protect employees while at work. This is insurance that helps cover expenses associated with injuries and illnesses sustained at your job. The payments will cover medical treatment, medication, lost wages, funeral costs, and disability benefits, whether temporary or permanent.
New Jersey does not consider fault when awarding compensation for injuries sustained on the job, meaning your payment amount will not increase or decrease due to your or your employer’s negligence. However, you do lose the right to your compensation if you are injured because you are intoxicated.
What Kind of Injuries Can Happen at Work?
While many assume that blue-collar and manual labor jobs are the only worksites where someone can get hurt, this is not true. There are many injuries someone can sustain while working in an office.
Some of the most common injuries that occur at nearly every place of work are the results of slips and falls. Workers can hit their heads or break a bone when slipping on an unmarked wet patch or tripping over negligently placed materials.
Also, muscle strains can affect both office workers and manual laborers alike. When someone overexerts their muscles to complete tasks, like lifting boxes or using non-ergonomic office equipment, it can cause discomfort and pain. Continued use of these already-strained muscles can lead to chronic injury.
How Do I File a Claim?
If you are injured at work, ensuring you take the proper steps to file a claim to receive compensation is essential.
Immediately following the injury, you must seek medical treatment. If it’s a crisis situation, going to an emergency room is vital to receiving the correct care. However, if you do not require immediate medical attention, you will need to select from a pre-authorized list of doctors from your employer. If you do not choose a healthcare provider from this list, worker’s compensation most likely will not cover the visit.
After you’ve received the necessary medical treatment and followed the doctor’s orders, you will need to file a report of your injury. You should put it in writing and keep a copy of the report. You only have 90 days from the date of the injury to report, so be sure you do so as soon as possible. Your employer will use this report to submit a form to the New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation, and you should receive benefits within three weeks.
If your employer does not file or refuses to submit the report or the compensation board denies your claim, you’ll need to ensure you speak with an attorney. At the Wilton Law Firm, we are dedicated to fighting for the rights of employees to receive the compensation they deserve for injuries sustained at work. Reach out today to discuss the details of your case with our seasoned lawyers.
