What To Know When You’re Too Hurt To WorkTM
You were hurt at work. Now you’re Too Hurt To WorkTM.
You’re dealing with a lot of stress: Your injury. Your medical treatment. Your bills piling up. Your loss of income.
On top of all that, you have to figure out workers’ compensation.
Workers’ comp has its own separate legal system. It has its own rules, even its own courts and judges to handle disagreements.
At Mitchell & Associates, we’ve seen enough people get pushed around by this system that we made it our mission to provide resources for you, to help you through.
On this site, we’ve gathered answers to some of the most common workers’ comp questions we hear from people who are Too Hurt To WorkTM.
We’ll provide an initial assessment of your specific situation for free.
When it came down to my workplace injury, Mr. Mitchell was the one I ran to see. It was easy to get him over the phone line, and he settled my case in little to no time.
– Bobby T.
What is workers’ compensation?
Workers’ comp provides benefits for an employee who has suffered an injury or an illness resulting from job-related duties.
The benefits include medical and rehabilitation costs and lost wages. The tradeoff is you can’t sue your employer for pain and suffering. The idea is that your employer has to have workers’ compensation insurance, so if you are hurt at work you can start receiving benefits right away.
But it doesn’t always happen like that. If your claim is denied and you’re too hurt too work, contact Mitchell & Associates.
We’ll help you get the benefits you deserve.
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1. How Do I Start thE Process?
What’s the first thing you should do when you’re hurt on the job? How do you make a workers’ comp claim? Do you need a lawyer to help you?
It’s always important to tell your employer about your injury right away. That’s what starts the process for you to get workers’ comp benefits.
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2. Am I Eligible?
If you work in Louisiana or Mississippi, and you’re hurt on the job, you’re entitled to workers’ comp benefits.
Workers’ comp is like a compromise between employees and employers: You get benefits fast when you’re hurt at work – and they don’t get sued.
But sometimes it doesn’t work like it should.
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3. When Will I Receive Benefits?
How soon do your workers’ comp benefits start? How long do they last?
All your medical expenses should be covered immediately. You should get paid for some of your lost wages quickly. You should keep getting checks until your doctor says you can work again.
But your employer or their insurance company might try to push you off benefits before you’re ready.
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4. What Will My Benefits Cover?
When you’ve been hurt at work – and you’re Too Hurt To WorkTM – you need financial help to get through a difficult time.
Workers’ comp has three kinds of benefits:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Job reorientation
But not all workers’ comp benefits are created equal.
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5. Do I Have to Pay Any Costs?
Which of your expenses will workers’ comp pay for? How much does a workers’ comp lawyer cost?
You should get reimbursed for costs you have to pay up front in order to receive medical care. Your lawyer should only collect a fee after your benefit checks start coming in.
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6. How Do I Pick a Doctor?
Can you choose your own doctor to treat your injury? How do you find a doctor who understands workers’ comp? How does the doctor get paid? What happens if different workers’ comp doctors disagree with each other?
Just like lawyers need to understand the special legal system under workers’ comp, doctors need to understand special rules for medical treatment.
How Do You Help Me?
At Mitchell & Associates, we’ve seen just about every kind of situation that can come up with workers’ comp.
Getting all the benefits you deserve often means fighting a lot of small battles. We’ll navigate this system for you, so you can focus on healing.
