Workers comp is a shortened form of workers’ compensation. This is a type of accident insurance for a business that many states mandate for businesses with employees. Some states require it if you have a certain number of employees, and others mandate it for all businesses with any number of employees. When you have a work injury lawyer, they can help you to navigate a lot of workers comp issues.
When an accident does happen and someone gets injured, there is an accident fund worker’s compensation audit report form that needs to be completed. An accident insurance company worker’s compensation is there to pay for certain expenses for workers who become injured while they’re working. It often depends on the state as to what insurance is required to have as far as coverage.
According to the standard worker’s compensation and employment law, the policy often pays for other expenses along with the injured party’s medical bills. This may be the wages they lost while recovering from the injury. It may also include attorney and other legal fees, and in some states, it includes disability payments when they are necessary. Make sure your business has this important type of commercial insurance.
Have you been injured at work? If you have, you may want to consider talking to some workers compensation lawyers about your case. In 2013, there were 327,060 sprains, tears and strains suffered at work and there were 229,190 injuries from slips, trips and falls and 170,450 back injuries. In 2011, payments for workers’ compensation totaled $60.2 billion. That represented a 3.4% increase from 2010 when the payouts totaled $58.2 billion. These payments took care of the medical bills for the injured people and averaged payments for between three and seven days of missed work.
Workers compensation law is very complicated. Finding competent workers compensation lawyers may seem like a daunting task but does not have to be.
Start with the people you know. Ask your friends, family members and colleagues. Good workers compensation lawyers often do not advertise, they do not have to. They rely on word of mouth advertising to get new clients. When people have a good experience with a workers compensation lawyer, they usually want to let people know.
Talk to state and local bar associations and local legal aid offices.. They may be able to point you in the right direction for finding a workers compensation law firm.
Check online. Many cities and localities have set up Facebook pages and groups dedicated to supporting local businesses. You can check on Yelp! And most attorneys have websites where you can look for testimonials and that sort of thing. Their websites may also offer information and articles that can help you learn about workers compensation law. You can also see if they specialize in workers compensation cases or is that is just something they dabble in. They may have information from past cases to give you a sense of their track record.
Take advantage of the free first consultation. Law firms offer a free first consultation to prospective clients. This a chance to get to know the law firm. You should talk to several workers compensation lawyers. It is extremely important that you have a lawyer that specializes in workers compensation law. The legal system is a complicated system. You want an attorney who has a lot of experience in your kind of injury. Bring a list of questions with you to get answered. Some questions that you should definitely ask are:
- How long have you been working in workers compensation law?
- What made you pick this specialty?
- What is your board certification status? Do you belong to any workers compensation professional organizations?
- What percentage of your practice is devoted to this kind of law?
- Will you be able to see this case through to the end?
- Do you have any past or present clients that I can talk to? What about legal colleagues?
- Who at your firm exactly will handle my case? When I call will I be able to talk to you or will my calls be handled by other workers compensation lawyers or paralegal staff?
- Do you handle cases for the side of insurance companies or do you limit your cases to workers who have beeb injured?
- Will you take the time to explain the process and the different steps?
- Can you provide medical experts to look over my case?
- What kind of experience do you have with similar cases to mine?
Another important thing to talk to workers compensation lawyers about is their fee structure. Some law firms expect to be paid for their time whether you win or lose. Others will only charge clients when they win cases for their clients. Others expect a lump sum to start a case but others can work out a payment plan.
The last thing is that you need to find an attorney who respects you and with whom you can talk freely. You are going to spend a lot of time with them and share very personal details. You will only hurt your case if you hire a workers compensation lawyer who makes you uncomfortable or you feel does not respect you. When you speak to workers compensation lawyers get a feeling for what kind of person they are and think about whether you will be able to work with them. If you do your research and spend some time, you will find the right workers compensation lawyer.