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When you are injured while at work, performing your normal job, you are usually entitled to some form of compensation. This is particularly true if you have a boss or company who are partially liable for failing to provide safe working conditions for you.
When things go wrong and you are forced to seek that compensation, you will have to file an L&I claim. However, it is not always plain sailing. There will be attorneys on the opposite side who are fighting against you. When seeking compensation for l&i medical care, you need to avoid anything that will ruin that claim.
The 6 Things Likely to Ruin your L&I Claim
With all this in mind, here are the top 6 things that are most likely to destroy any chance you have of a successful claim. If you want to make sure you have the best chances at getting compensated, try your best to avoid the following.
1 – Not Visiting the ER/Doctor
If you do not visit the emergency room, there is no real record of you having been injured. If you wait until the injury is old before you go to your doctor’s office to report it, you have no proof of when it happened.
The court needs that record as firm evidence that this is what happened to you, and this is when it happened. Without it, any old injury could be claimed as being work related.
2 – Not Getting a Lawyer
Representation allows you to maneuver through the world of L&I cases more fluidly. Your attorney knows your case, the loopholes you can use, the average amount you will be entitled to – and a whole host of other facts that you are not privy to. A lawyer makes your case easier, will represent you in court, and knows how to handle your employer’s lawyers.
It is just a question of common sense.
3 – Forgetting Appointments
If you need physical therapy, sports injury care, or further treatment from any kind of doctor or specialist, you ought to go. The more detailed the record of your injury and recovery, the better the chances of you claiming back what you are owed.
Claims will take both the physical and the mental effects of the case on your person. Compiling an accurate overview of both will help you win your case. It will not hurt for you to see a psychotherapist about any residual trauma you have.
4 – Forcing your Recovery
Although you may be eager to rush back to work to avoid boredom, or even to make your injuries seem better than they are so you can head back to work, do not. This is a sure-fire way for your employer to use your recovery time against you. If it takes a year, it takes a year. You are still due compensation.
5 – Talking During Meetings
Your employer will likely call you in to discuss your recovery. It is vital that you do not say too much during these meetings, and/or that you try to have someone with you throughout the process. Try to take your attorney if you can. The more you downplay your injury or illness, the less of a case you have. If you do talk, it ought to be to say how much pain you are in.
6 – Accepting the First Offer
There is an old fable about not accepting the first offer the employer makes you, and it is true for 80% of cases. The firm that injured you will often try to offer less than what your case is worth. Do not accept anything until you have consulted an attorney of your own.
Stick to these tips and your L&I decision is sure to go in your favor.
