If you are a machinist in St. Paul, you more than likely know how dangerous your job is. You may haven seen a colleague or two suffer a serious injury while on the job. In reality, it only takes a second for something to go wrong on the machine shop floor and cause someone to lose a finger or a limb, or end up with some other catastrophic injury.
If you have a work-related accident that results in an injury, do you know what to do? While you might be eligible for workers’ compensation, you still have to follow certain procedures to file a claim. In fact, by making one of these common mistakes, you could actually blow your chance of receiving the benefits you deserve.
Not telling your boss
One of the first things you should do if you suffer an on-the-job injury is to notify your boss. If you skip this step or take too long to provide notification, you could end up with a workers’ compensation denial instead of the medical care and lost wages that you need.
Taking too long to see the doc
Another step you should take in the immediate aftermath of a workplace injury is to get medical treatment. Be sure to ask the doctor to perform a thorough exam so that you have medical documentation of the full extent of the injury. You may need this in order to support your claim for workers’ compensation benefits. If you delay too long in seeking medical attention, the workers’ compensation insurance provider might decide that your injuries are not serious enough to qualify for benefits.
Not filing your claim on time
Minnesota, like other states, has certain deadline for when it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim. If you fail to meet these deadlines, it could cause an automatic claim denial and you could find yourself going through a lengthy and complicated appeals process. Take the time to find out the deadlines for notifying your employer of the injury and when you must submit your claim to the insurer. And, if you receive a denial and plan to appeal, be sure you adhere to those deadlines as well. When it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim, sooner is always better than later.
If you have suffered a work-related injury and need to file a workers’ compensation claim, be sure you are following the correct procedures in a timely fashion. Even a slight misstep can end up costing you the benefits you deserve.