Have you been hurt on the job in Arizona, and want to report it but don’t know what the next step is? This article is meant to provide a brief overview of the claims process, but you should talk with your employer to make sure everything is in order. Even if your employer is fully cooperative, it is advisable to hire an attorney for workers compensation to guide you through the process and to have someone who will be fighting for you. It’s best if you don’t have to open a job lawsuit, but if you do it’s a good idea to have a lawyer with whom you can consult.
File a claim form
If you’ve been hurt while working in Arizona, the first thing you should do is report the injury to your employer. This means you should fill out a claim form … do not just verbally make a report, because you want to have a copy of any documents you file with your job. After completing the claim form, your employer is required to open a workers’ compensation case. This is the legal process you must go through in order to determine what benefits you are eligible to receive.
Find out what benefits you are entitled to
Workers’ comp insurance provides benefits to you if you’ve been hurt on the job. Some of these benefits include paying for medical care, temporary disability benefits, and reimbursement of other related expenses. Everyone will not be eligible for all of these benefits, so talk to your employer and lawyer to see which ones apply to your case. Getting hurt at work is a serious event, so talk to your lawyer to make sure you get everything you deserve.
Keep track of all expenses related to your injury
In order to be reimbursed for injury-related expenses, it is imperative that you keep every receipt and keep a meticulous record of all expenses. It is a good idea to create an expense log where you keep receipts, summaries of doctors’ visits, personal notes to help you remember the purchase, etc. If you are unsure of whether something should be recorded, make a note of it anyway and your workers compensation attorney can help you go through the expenses later. Without an accurate record of your injury-related expenses, it is much more difficult to be reimbursed by workers’ comp insurance.
Follow up with your employer to make sure they filed the correct paperwork
Some employers may not be very organized or may try to put off filing the workers’ comp claim in hopes that it will go away with time. Your employer is required by law to file your claim immediately with their workers’ comp insurance company, so you should request documentation from them proving that it was filed. If it wasn’t you may have to file a job lawsuit. If this is the case, you should talk to an attorney.
Have you ever been injured at work in Arizona and filed a workers’ comp claim? Have you ever filed a job lawsuit? If so, please share your experience in the comments below.