Do You Know What to Do if You Are Injured on the Job?

Workers’ compensation in California is designed to provide you virtually immediate medical care if you are injured on the job. It will also provide you with a portion of your wages while you recover as well. However, you must follow some very specific guidelines and restrictions to receive these benefits.

Although your employer is supposed to help you through this process, employers may not always have your best interests in mind after an on the job injury. Getting an experienced attorney that you can trust and who also known California workers compensation can be essential to get the benefits you deserve. The following information provides a general overview of a workers’ compensation case, including what you should do after a work accident. However, it is a good idea to talk to a Los Angeles workplace injury attorney to get specific information for your case. Get emergency care if you need it.

You will need specific instructions from your employer about how to get medical care. However, if you need emergency medical attention, do not wait to see a doctor or other medical professional. Your employer will cover any emergency medical care you need after a work accident, regardless of who you look to for help.

Report the injury to your employer.

You should let your employer know about an accident as soon as you can. If your injury developed over time, you must still report it within 30 days of when you realized that your condition was work-related or was likely to affect your ability to work moving forward. The sooner you report your injury, the faster you can get medical attention as well.

Follow the doctor’s orders.

Continuing to follow up with treatment is important, but often-overlooked part of your workers’ compensation claim. If you do not attend appointments or do your physical therapy as instructed, that can undermine your ability to receive benefits or even go back to work. Of course, continuing regular treatment as directed by your doctor is good for your overall health as well.

Reach maximum medical improvement.

Unfortunately, you may never fully recover from a work injury. Instead, the best you can hope for is “maximum medical improvement.” Under this term, you may not be fully recovered, but you are essentially as good as you are going to get with regard to this particular injury. Once the doctor determines that you are at maximum medical improvement (or MMI), then he or she can assign you an impairment rating.

Get your impairment rating.

Your impairment rating is the percentage of loss of the functional use of your body because of your work injury. It will vary significantly depending on the part of your body that was harmed, how well you have recovered, and other factors. Your functional impairment rating is provided by a doctor. Then, you can use that rating to determine your industrial disability rating. This number represents the effect the injury has had on your ability to earn money in the future.

The last few steps can be tricky, but they are a necessary part of the workers’ compensation process. The Los Angeles workplace injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach can help you every step of the way through your case. Call our team today to set up a free case evaluation: 818-609-7005.