Personal Injury Lawyer
In most cases, reporting your injury late could disqualify you from receiving workers’ compensation coverage. The good news is there are some exceptions that could still qualify you to receive what you deserve. The following are four situations in which that’s a possibility.
- Your Employer Witnessed the Accident
If your employer was a witness to the accident that caused your injury or possibly even the person who provided first aid care, you could probably get away with not reporting your injury. Though this is typically the case, it’s sometimes best to write a report anyway. Send one to your employer, keep one for yourself, and send one to the workers’ compensation commission in your state. By covering all your bases, you are protected if your employer comes back and says he or she knew nothing about it and you should have reported it.
- Your Employer Did Not Have Workers’ Comp Rules Posted
Your employer is legally bound to have workers’ compensation rules posted at every job site. If you were unaware you had a certain amount of time to report your injury, you could be late in doing so. If you can prove your employer did not do his or her legal duty to post a workers’ compensation notice, you may still be entitled to coverage, even though your report was late.
- You Were in a Coma
In some cases, you simply can’t report your injury within the amount of time required by law. For example, if you are injured and knocked unconscious and remain in a coma for many months, you couldn’t possibly report the injury on time. In such a case, you would be given a certain amount of time after you were mentally competent enough to do so.
- Your Injury Wasn’t Discovered Until Later
Some occupational illnesses develop gradually and are not discovered until years later. If your doctor can show that a newly discovered injury or illness was directly caused by your job, you could still report it within 30 days after discovery, even if that’s three years after you quit that particular job.
Contacting an Attorney for Help
When you need help navigating the insurance system, contact a workers’ compensation attorney. If you feel you’re out of luck because you couldn’t report your injury in the right amount of time, you could still have the option to do so if your circumstances are just right. Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer in Green Bay, WI, today for more information and for help figuring the situation out.
Thanks to Hickey & Turim for their insight into getting workers’ compensation even if you filed late.
