Make Sure You Qualify For Workers' Compensation Benefits

Accidents happen, and many of these accidents can lead to serious injury. If you are injured while you are work or engaged in work-related tasks, then you may be eligible to receive financial help through your employer's workers' compensation insurance plan. It's important to recognize that there are some things you can do that will void your access to financial help through workers' compensation.

Here are three things that you need to pay careful attention to after you sustain an injury to ensure that you can access workers' compensation benefits in the future.

1. Employer Recommendations

If your employer recommends that you visit a specific doctor or hospital immediately following your accident, you need to heed their recommendations. If you don't go where your employer tells you to receive initial treatment for any injuries sustained in a work-related accident, then your injuries may not be covered by workers' compensation.

You can always visit your own medical provider for a second opinion after you have been treated by your employer's recommended physician.

2. Hospital Intake Forms

You will likely have to fill out a lot of paperwork when being admitted to the hospital for treatment. It's important that you take the time to carefully and thoroughly fill out these forms, since the information you provide will be used to determine if you qualify for workers' compensation benefits in the future.

Ensure that you check the box asking if your injuries occurred at work, since this alerts the hospital that they need to forward your medical bills to your employer's workers' compensation insurance provider. You should also provide a detailed accounting of how the accident occurred, and any symptoms that you are feeling. This will help clarify your injuries and make it easier to process your workers' compensation claim in the future.

3. Medical Records

You should ensure that the doctor treating your injuries knows that you will be filing a workers' compensation claim. Knowing that your medical records will be used as evidence allows your doctor to thoroughly note each and every body part treated after your accident.

Since injuries can appear at a later date or cause complications, your doctor needs to document the progression of your injuries and the treatments provided. This will ensure you are able to be fully compensated for your medical costs.

Knowing some of the mistakes that could jeopardize your access to workers' compensation benefits will allow you to avoid making these mistakes if you are injured at work. For more information, contact a business such as Berger & Zavesky.