Sustaining an injury at work can be devastating. You do everything possible to maintain your position at work, so it can feel defeating to suffer a debilitating injury.
Luckily, injured West Virginian workers have rights. If you’re hurt on the job, you have the right to seek workers’ compensation benefits to help you pay for your living and medical expenses during your recovery.
In order to take advantage of workers’ compensation benefits, there are steps you must take. If you’re hurt at work, be sure to do these three things:
#1 - Tell your employer about the injury right away.
It’s vital to your claim that you make your employer aware of your injury right away. If you wait to do this for too long, your workers’ compensation claim may be rightfully denied. In Charleston, you may have as little as six months from the date of your injury to file a claim.
It’s imperative to your claim that your employer alerts the Charleston Workers’ Compensation Commission of your injury immediately. If you are concerned your employer will not contact the commission in a reasonable amount of time, you may do so yourself.
#2 - Contact an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.
Having an attorney on your side to help with your claim can make all the difference in the outcome. Unfortunately, workers’ compensation benefits don’t always pay claimants enough money to maintain their financial position during recovery.
Luckily, West Virginia allows injured workers to file civil lawsuits against negligent employers for additional monetary damages as long as particular conditions are met.
#3 - Save all documentation related to your claim.
It’s in your best interest to retain all information related to your workers’ compensation claim. This includes any and all fees you pay related to your injury while you are recovering, such as copays, prescription medication fees, over-the-counter medication fees, and any other fees required to pay for your on-the-job injury-related medical expenses.
You may be able to recover the costs related to your travel required to get to and from your medical appointments, so be sure to save your fuel receipts, too.
If you’ve been hurt while working, you may be owed compensation. Let our team see if we can help you recover it.
Contact the skilled attorneys at Berthold Law Firm, PLLC by calling (304) 605-2040 or by filling out our online contact form.