Workers' Compensation Attorney: Expediting Your Claims
Posted on: 3 November 2020
Workers' compensation claims can take weeks to file and process. If you're depending on workers' compensation insurance to keep you afloat after you're hurt on the job, hiring a workers' compensation attorney can drastically expedite the process.
Here are some tactics workers' compensation lawyers use to get your claim file and get a hearing quickly.
Building Your Claim
Workers' compensation arbitrators (judges for workers' comp claims) are busy people. Getting your claim filed correctly will prevent you from getting a rejection that can send you to the back of the line.
- Financials: Workers' compensation claims are predicated on your employment history, your net income, and your benefits package. In addition to sharing your paystubs with your workers' compensation lawyer, you should also include your most recent W-2s. Providing both sets of financial records will provide a clear picture of your earning power. Once these documents are organized, you'll need to provide detailed records of the benefits package(s) offered by your employer. If your employer terminates your health insurance or other benefits, your workers' compensation lawyer can petition for access to public or subsidized insurance options with your workers' comp claim.
- Medical: Linking your injury to your employment is another key to building a strong workers' compensation claim. In addition to providing every bill, correspondence, and other data related to the injury you sustained on the job, you'll also need to prove that the injury wasn't a preexisting condition. This is particularly true if your employer attempts to contest your workers' compensation claim. Most workers' comp lawyers can put you in touch with medical experts that can diagnose and provide sworn statements to help prove that your injury was sustained on the job.
- Employment: every document, email, text, phone call, memo, and other data sources related to your employment can be critical in workers' compensation claims. For instance, if your boss sent you a text message or left you a voice mail about the injury you sustained on the job, your workers' compensation lawyer can enter that as evidence with your claim.
Jumping the Line
After building a strong workers' comp claim, your attorney will file and schedule a hearing with an arbitrator. However, if a vacancy pops up because someone else misses or cancels a hearing, your workers' compensation lawyer can jump into these vacant spots. In some cases, jumping the line can expedite your workers' compensation claim by weeks.
For more information about working with a workers' compensation lawyer, contact a local law firm.
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