Establishing and maintaining workers’ compensation insurance for employees is required of an employer. They should do this not only to protect their employees if injured but also to protect themselves from legal costs. Injured employees should be provided with the appropriate medical attention and care and, in some cases, other workers’ compensation benefits after experiencing a workplace injury. Workers’ compensation is a system that is designed to aid injured workers while protecting employers from expensive personal injury claims. If you have been injured at work, it’s important to communicate effectively with your employer afterward.
The Importance of Communication
Clear communication can help your worker’s comp case in many ways. After experiencing an injury at work, this Allentown workers’ compensation attorney at Munley Law recommends that this should be reported to your employer as soon as possible. Employers who are able to understand how the injury happened and the circumstances surrounding it will often be more inclined and better able to pass that information to their insurance company. Once an employee has notified their employer of a workplace injury, it is important that they attempt to keep the lines of communication open. Keep your employer updated regarding any diagnoses and medical care along with impacts and problems that you have experienced as a result of the injury. This can often create a more personal connection compared to only informing them through paperwork, which may make some employers more inclined to help.
Getting Your Employer’s Help
Most employers do care about the wellbeing and health of their employees and are invested in ensuring that their employees are taken care of at work. A good employer will help you to file a workers’ compensation claim and get the benefits that you require. However, bear in mind that since claims are covered by workers’ comp insurance companies and not your employer, your employer will not be making the ultimate decision of accepting or rejecting your claim. They do, however, pass the information you give them onto the insurance company – so clear communication can improve this and your chance of having the claim accepted.
When Your Employer Isn’t Helpful
While communicating with your employer can be helpful for your workers’ compensation claim and keeping them updated at every step of the way might strengthen your claim in the future, some employers are sadly less inclined to be helpful. Your employer might even make it difficult for you as an injured employee to get the right support and care. This could include actions such as delays in reporting the injury, presenting the information to the insurance company in an unfavorable way, or failing to report the injury at all. In some cases, an injured worker might get a hostile reaction from their employer, intended to try and prevent them from filing a claim. If you feel that your employer has retaliated against you in this instance, or you feel coerced into dropping your claim, you may be able to sue your employer since this is illegal.
When filing a workers’ comp claim, clear and effective communication with your employer can help you get the results that you need.