How Long Does It Take to Get Benefits?

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET BENEFITS?

WHEN SHOULD MY WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS START?

You Have a Right to Get Paid Fast

If you’ve been hurt at work and now you can’t work, the financial hardships you face don’t wait.

The whole point of the workers’ compensation system is to get you monetary help fast.

Workers’ comp is like an agreement between employees and employers. When you’re hurt on the job, you get benefits quickly. And your employer doesn’t get sued.

From your first doctor visit, you should never pay anything out of pocket for health care associated with your workplace injury.

Your payments for lost wages, called indemnity benefits, should start two weeks after you reported your injury and not any later. You should get payments every week.

If you qualify for Permanent Partial Disability benefits, you could receive a lump sum payment no later than 30 days after a doctor determines you have a permanent impairment.

Important:

To get your workers’ comp claim started, make sure to report your injury right away. You have a 30-day deadline after the date of your incident.

Many factors influence whether you receive timely workers’ comp benefits. At Mitchell & Associates, we’ll provide an initial assessment of your case for free.

When Your Checks Don’t Come

While you’re supposed to get help fast, sometimes your employer’s workers’ comp insurance company might agree to pay for lost wages, but take too long to start sending checks.

That’s not acceptable. They’re violating the rules.

Unlike some areas of law, protecting your rights under workers’ comp is not an all-or-nothing job.

You often have to fight a lot of little battles – over issues like a late check – to get the benefits you deserve.

If you have an experienced lawyer working for you, they can stay on top of all the twists and turns in workers’ comp, so you can focus on your health.

A lawyer can keep track of all these details:

• Making sure you meet all the required deadlines
• Making sure insurance pays for your doctor of choice
• Making sure your insurance sends payments for lost wages in a timely fashion
• Making sure your employer submits all the right forms
• Checking that health care providers properly document your case
• Dealing with claims adjusters
• Dealing with human resources and safety officials from your job
• Dealing with hospitals and nurse case managers
• Dealing with vocational rehabilitation case workers
• Filing a “Disputed Claim for Compensation,” which is like a lawsuit, if your benefits get denied

Workers’ comp has its own, separate legal system with its own judges and courts. The attorneys at Mitchell & Associates understand the complexities of the workers’ comp system – and how to get slow payments moving.