Workplace injuries are often unavoidable. You can follow the rules, take every precaution, and still suffer an injury that leaves you unable to work. If you are injured on the job, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under New York law, regardless of who was at fault.
The attorneys of Bangel, Cohen & Falconetti, want you to know what to do in the moments following a work injury, so you can make the right decisions for your future.
Seek Medical Attention
First and foremost, your injury needs to be treated as soon as possible. In treatment, you want to be honest and accurate with the answers to health care workers’ questions. You want to be sure to mention that the accident happened while working so the medical records reflect a proper history. Getting the right diagnosis and treatment at the onset of your problem will simplify your options in the future.
Get Copies Of Your Medical Records
Personally advocating for your health care leads to better treatment. It is a great practice to make sure your diagnosis and medical treatment steps are recorded properly and clearly. Every workers’ compensation claim requires that a medical report be provided in order to pursue benefits. Throughout your claim the evidence used to maintain those benefits are the reports from your doctors. So, maintaining copies of your doctors’ reports is a great step to ensuring you will ultimately get the benefits you deserve.
Notify Your Employer
Notifying your employer is an important step in the New York workers’ compensation process. In most cases, you must notify your employer of a work-related injury within 30 days of the accident. Failing to provide timely notice could affect your right to workers’ compensation benefits. While notice does not always have to be in writing, it is generally best to report the accident in writing, complete an accident report when possible, and keep a copy for your records.
Complete The Workers’ Compensation Forms
There is a great deal of paperwork associated with getting your workers’ compensation benefits. Filling out those forms and filing them properly in the right time frames is an administrative hurdle that people struggling with injuries often have great difficulty with. If these forms are not completed or filed properly you could be barred from benefits in the future.
Get Insight Into The Workers’ Compensation System
Between the paperwork and the deadlines and your injury, there are so many ways that your filing can go wrong. Our lawyers have been resolving workers’ compensation claims for people injured in the five boroughs and the rest of New York since 1997. Contact us at our office in Queens by calling 718-446-4400 today and get insight into what you are facing.
