It is imperative that employees understand the complex nature of workers compensation benefits, which is why they often rely on the experience of an on the job injury lawyer in Elizabeth, New Jersey at Rispoli & Borneo for assistance. We encourage employees who have been injured or come down with an illness due to work consults with a legal professional promptly. There are many ways an employer may not take care of the situation correctly, including discouraging a worker from applying, failing to send them to the doctor within a reasonable time-frame, or intentionally mishandling the claim to increase the chances of a denial.
What Workers Compensation Does
Workers compensation programs help safeguard companies from lawsuits, while also providing support to an employee was injured or became ill due for a work-related reason. The intention of this program is to help a worker pay for medical expenses associated with the work injury or illness, regardless of who was at fault for the incident. However, there are factors that can cause an employee to get denied workers compensation benefits.
If any of these variables were found to be true regarding the workplace accident, that employee is likely to be denied coverage:
- The employee was drunk or under the influence when the accident occurred
- The employee had intentionally caused the incident to happen
- The employee was violating a state and/or federal law
- The employee sustained injuries due to a fight that he or she instigated
- The employee was purposefully misleading or had falsified information to receive benefits
If you filed for workers compensation benefits but believe you were wrongfully denied, please contact an Elizabeth NJ on the job injury lawyer at Rispoli & Borneo without hesitation.
How to Respond if Injured on the Job
Employees who get injured while at the workplace or when performing a job-related duty should report what happened to their immediate supervisor. Every state has established different requirements as to how long an employee has to report the injury. But, it is recommended that employees report the incident that same day.
When reporting the incident on paperwork, an Elizabeth NJ on the job injury lawyer at Rispoli & Borneo suggests ensuring there is a date, time, statement as to what happened, and then request a copy for your own records. When filing a workers compensation claim, the following details are likely to be gathered:
- Company details (policy number, location, account number, supervisor at the time of the accident)
- Employee information (full name, address, date of birth, social security number, gender, phone number)
- Factors of the accident (body part injured, symptoms, date, time, cause, approximate number of days employee may be out of work, estimated return date, witness names)
Employees can feel more empowered to take action with help from an on the job injury lawyer Elizabeth NJ clients recommend from Rispoli & Borneo, P.C. if they have a better understanding about what workers compensation benefits are all about. If you feel that something wasn’t right with how your claim was handled or processed, please contact us to book your free consultation with a member of our legal team. We hope to hear from you today!