Being injured on the job can reshape life as you know it. While you struggle to figure out how to get by in your day-to-day life while coping with the pain of your injuries, you’ll also be confronted with the financial hardships that often accompany these accidents.
This includes finding a way to pay your medical bills and keep food on the table when you’re unable to work and earn a wage.
The good news is that you may be able to find financial relief by pursuing a workers’ compensation claim. However, a lot of injured workers who seek these benefits end up seeing their claimed denied for one reason or another.
That’s why it’s important to know some of the common issues that people see when pursuing a workers’ compensation claim and how you can avoid them from being fatal to your claim.
Common pitfalls to avoid in your workers’ compensation claim
There are a lot of missteps that can be made throughout the workers’ compensation process. However, here are some of the most common that you’ll want to try to avoid:
- Failing to report the injury in a timely manner: Under Ohio law, you have to report your injury within a year of your workplace accident if you want to recover benefits. That might seem like a long time, but it can pass more quickly than you expect. You’re better off moving quickly to file your claim so that you don’t miss the window.
- Not following medical recommendations: If you’ve been hurt at work, then you should go to the doctor. After that, it’s critically important that you follow your medical provider’s recommendations. If you don’t, then it’s going to be easy for the insurance company to argue that your injuries aren’t as serious as you’re making them out to be.
- Not providing requested information: As you navigate your workers’ compensation claim, the Bureau of Worker’s Compensation is probably going to request information from you. This might include medical and employment records. The Bureau might also request that you get an additional medical examination. If you fail to comply, then your claim might be denied.
- Providing inaccurate information: Those who assess workers’ compensation claims are on high alert for fraud. Therefore, if you provide incomplete or inaccurate information, then your claim will likely be denied. Making matters worse is that you may be accused of criminal wrongdoing.
- Thinking that an attorney can’t help you: A lot of people think that they can file and pursue their workers’ compensation claim on their own. But the workers’ compensation claims process is more complicated than most people realize. By foregoing legal assistance, you could run the risk of running afoul of the process and having your claim denied. This can prove to be way more costly than securing legal help in the first place.
These are just some of the most common pitfalls that people fall into as they pursue their benefits. There are other issues that you may see, though, such as creating posts on social media that may be used against you. So, make sure that you’re aware of your actions and how they may be perceived by others.
Be ready to aggressively approach your claim
If you want to maximize your chances of recovering workers’ compensation benefits, then you need to know how to navigate the law and competently build a case. Fortunately, that’s not something that you have to do on your own. Instead, you can work closely with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to best position yourself for success.