How To Help My Las Vegas Workers Compensation Lawyer
Your Las Vegas workers compensation lawyer is not a miracle worker. If you have not done your part to ensure that your claim is paid out, he may have to take extraordinary measures to possibly get your claim accepted. When you are hurt on the job, you should start thinking from that point on about how you can ensure your claim is paid. The more things that you do right, the better your lawyer's case is for the insurance company.
Your responsibilities start even before the Las Vegas workers compensation lawyer comes onto the case. You should have reported the injury as soon as it occurred. If you have not already reported it, now is the time to do just that. The longer you wait to let it be known that you were hurt, the more likely it is that your claim will be denied by the insurance company. Ideally, your injury is reported within the first 48 hours after it happened. Legally, you usually have up to 30 days to report the injury. Whatever the case, ensure that you report it and that your supervisor has documented that you were hurt on the job.
When you are hurt on the job, there is a good chance that another person saw it. If that was the case, give your Las Vegas workers compensation lawyer the names of everyone who saw what happened. Their testimony could become vital if the insurance company denies your claim because it does not believe that you were injured at work. The witnesses could testify for you that you were hurt at the job and that it was immediately made known.
If you are filing for workers compensation benefits, that means that you were hurt and you need time to recover. It is crucial that you seek medical treatment and follow the treatment plan that your doctor outlines. If you do not seek medical treatment, there is very little your Las Vegas workers compensation lawyer can do to get benefits for your injuries. If you never see a doctor for your injuries, there is a good chance that the insurance company will not believe that you were hurt.
When you get treatment, inform the doctor of what happened. It is imperative that the doctor document in your medical records that you were hurt in an accident at work. Without this documentation, the insurance company could claim that you were not hurt at work. Your doctor does not need to write a dissertation on how you were hurt, but he needs to at least note you stated that you were hurt at work.
There is a great possibility that your employer or the insurance company will ask you to make a recorded statement regarding what happened. Although it may seem harmless to tell your side of events and allow the company to record you, this can severely hurt your case. The insurance company will compare what you say in the statement to everything else that you have said about the accident. They will also compare it to what witnesses have said. If there is just one discrepancy, your case could be lost. Instead of giving a statement to the company, refer them to your lawyer. Your lawyer will handle issuing any statements that need to be made.
When you sign a medical authorization for the insurance company, do not do so until your lawyer has looked at it. The authorization form that you sign needs to be a limited one that restricts the insurance company to only your recent medical records, as anything else could put your case in jeopardy.
