Accidents are sudden and could be the result of the company not implementing safety precautions or simply because of the workers carelessness but there are other diseases that the worker may contact over a longer period of time at the workplace owing to exposure to chemicals and fumes.
Respiratory diseases and cardiac problems are illness that many workers contract owing to the work they do. More often than not, these diseases eventually become the cause of the workers death.
It’s unfortunate when you injure yourself or fall sick owing to your job. But your workers compensation will assuage part of the pain as it is supposed to cover your medical expenses and compensate for work days lost because of the injury or illness.
Most employers have to buy workers’ compensation insurance. The few that are exempted are those who employ agricultural domestic workers and independent contractors. They are at times excluded from the purview of the workers’ compensation insurance.
The workers’ compensation covers all bonafide employees of the company and to benefit from the insurance, you must be accidentally injured whilst working or get sick from work related activities, exposure to harmful chemicals and other workplace health hazards.
An injury at the workplace does not automatically qualify you for benefits. Workplace violence may not be covered, if workers fight amongst each other, maim or even kill, they may not be covered. However, another worker caught in the crossfire, would be eligible.
Here are ten things that you should keep in mind regarding this insurance that serves a vital need, for more often than not, it will be needed to address an emergency. Here’s how you can make the most of it.
- Understand Every Little Detail About Workers’ Comp
Ask your employer for the details; source your hiring department for hidden nuances. If your company has any literature or brochure, ask for it and peruse it thoroughly. Visit your state’s workers’ compensation office and solicit details. When an emergency arises, you will not be caught unprepared.
- Let No Injury or Illness Go Unreported
If your doctor tells you that the cough you are having is work-related, make sure you report it. Every minor injury, ache or niggle, should be brought to the notice of the management. Don’t just tell your colleague, report it to the HR department, your supervisor or the risk-management department when it occurs. Ensure that they fill out an incident report and arrange for the treatment. If there’s no paperwork nor an enquiry from your insurance adjuster, check out your policy, something could be inherently wrong.
- Ensure The Medical Provider Is Approved
If your injury is serious, you’ll probably be rushed in an ambulance, so who to see is taken out of your hands and your employer will take you there. But incase where you have to make the choice, confirm with your employer where to go and let him direct you to the appropriate hospital, clinic or doctor. Your own medico may not be under your workplace’s workers compensation scheme.
However, if you choose your own doctor, be sure he or she’s approved or certified to do workers’ compensation claims and has agreed to the workers’ comp pay schedule.
- Inform Hospital That You Were Injured At The Work Place
Apprised that you were injured during work, the hospitals will make certain that your medical bills are sent either to the workers’ compensation insurance company or your employer, rather than to you. Most paperwork will have the option of how and where you were injured. Just make sure that you enter it there.
- Include All Details In Your Medical Records
Don’t omit anything, however, trivial you may think it is. The records should include history and circumstances of your injury or illness. List the areas in your body that have been impacted by the injury. Don’t give them the chance to say that this particular injury wasn’t listed. Workers compensation won’t pay to treat body parts that aren’t listed.
- Beware, The Employer May Shift The Blame On To You
There is no reason why the insurance can be denied to you. It’s a no-fault insurance, so if you trip over a footstool and hurt yourself, the management cannot say, it’s your fault, you should have seen the stool. But if the injury has been caused because you were doing something downright stupid, attempting stunts you’d seen in the film you watched last night, or trying to impress the females around with daredevilry, you may miss out on the coverage.
- Stay Off Booze At The Workplace
If your injury can be proved to be a result of your intoxication, you can forget about the claim being cleared. Most claims mandate a drug test after a misfortune; you’d better test negative, failing which, your claim will be denied. You can add the cost of your medical bill to the drink you had on the way to work. Turned out to be pretty expensive, no!
- Don’t Hire An Attorney, Unless You Absolutely Need One
The rule is so clear and flexible that more often than not, there’s not much of a chance that you’ll be under-compensated. An attorney will take away 20 percent of your benefits, so don’t hire one, unless your injury is a permanent disability, or your claim is rather complex, or some debate or dispute has arisen over it. Moreover, most states have a workers’ compensation ombudsman, who is competent enough to resolve issues, without you having to shell out the 20 percent.
- Compensation Is Usually Small
Irrespective of who has filed for the workers compensation claim, whether it is a low wage earning employee or a white-collar officer, the maximum benefit that one is entitled to is not too high. In Texas the compensation for loss of pay is $725 a week. For the low wage earner that could be a windfall, but for an executive it would be peanuts.
- Don’t Cheat. It’s Immoral And You’ll Probably Get Caught
Deceitful ways of seeking workers’ compensation is so frequent, that they have coined a special word for it—malingering. Insurers and employers visit claimant workers at their homes to check out the veracity of their proclaimed injuries. People under scrutiny are put on their surveillance list and their every move is monitored. They will also check if there are other sources that are also contributing to your Social Security. Rest assured that you cannot outsmart them. They have the intent, the wherewithal and the motive for searching for the truth. You will eventually be caught and you can spend all the time tending to your “injury” behind the bars.
