Cases of accidents occurring at the workplace are common phenomena. For instance, you can sustain a spinal injury due to lifting heavy objects or carpal tunnel syndrome resulting from prolonged typing. According to Forbes, a workers’ compensation lawyer can assist you in claiming damages for the injuries, including lost income and medical expenses.
Regrettably, attaining the workers’ compensation benefits due to injuries sustained at work isn’t that simple. The legal processes involved in workers’ compensation cases can be tedious, costly, and complicated. Therefore, you’ll require the services of a workers’ compensation lawyer to fight for what is rightfully yours. So, what duties does your workers’ compensation lawyer need to fulfill to help you recover damages?
Here are five important duties of a workers’ compensation advocate:
1. Advises Whether You Are Eligible for Compensation Benefits
Usually, not all injuries you can sustain while at your workplace are eligible for workers’ compensation. In some cases, your eligibility can be complicated, for instance, if you’re working outside the workplace premises or initially had an injury. A competent lawyer will understand the regulations guiding workers’ compensation proceedings — be it case laws or statutes — and can advise you whether you’re eligible for compensation or not.
2. Assists You to Appeal A Workers’ Compensation Case
Several workers’ compensation petitioners are forced to appeal their petition for damages each year. If you’re facing a similar circumstance, a workers’ compensation lawyer can assist you in the appeal process. It requires extra effort, financial resources, and time to appeal workers’ compensation denials. However, this doesn’t imply that all your chances of getting reimbursed are lost.
That’s why you’ll need a workers’ compensation counsel to help you with your appeal. Your lawyer can help you in:
- The trial, if your petition reaches this stage. Usually, trials are only given priority when other strategies, including arbitration, have failed. This entails providing sufficient evidence to advance your petition against the insurance firm. That’s where your workers’ compensation lawyer comes in to assist.
- Submitting your appeal for damages and ensuring all the required details are appended during the appeal. Often, these details consist of information regarding your tragedy, an income statement to support wage losses, and the damages you’re going after.
3. Negotiates Settlement Agreements
A workers’ compensation counsel has to negotiate a settlement agreement with your organization’s insurance firm on your behalf. Your lawyer can approximate how much you’re likely to get as compensation for damages based on several factors, including:
- If your company is obligated to you for penalties and income loss damages.
- The severity of the injuries you sustained and the subsequent inabilities in the things you can perform.
- The medical expenditure you’ve incurred so far and the expenditure you’ll incur in the coming days.
- If you sustained permanent disabilities and, if so, the severity of your permanent impairment.
Lawyers have what it takes to negotiate and understand the tactics applied by insurance firms. Your lawyer should also make you aware of online worker’s compensation insurance. Therefore, a workers’ compensation lawyer can better negotiate settlement agreements than you.
Additionally, your lawyer will make sure the settlement agreement is documented correctly to prevent other issues from arising in the future.
4. Represents You in A Workers’ Compensation Proceedings or Trial
Some cases don’t settle. Thus, you’ll require a competent lawyer to handle your workers’ compensation proceedings and trials. Your lawyer will give an accord to support your petition to get compensated and avail witnesses throughout the trial period. More often than not, these are duties you can’t perform.
5. Compiles Relevant and Sufficient Evidence
Lack of relevant and sufficient evidence, particularly from a medical perspective — is a typical reason for turning down workers’ compensation petitions. A competent lawyer knows the significance of compiling and developing relevant and sufficient evidence to assist you in receiving a justified settlement.
Your lawyer can also get a vocational specialist to give a testimony regarding your job duties. The specialist will testify how your injuries impact your capacity to carry out your previous duties or any other job responsibilities. Ultimately, your lawyer will gather evidence that will prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, helping you get compensation benefits.
Final Remarks
Are you a victim of work-related accidents? Don’t sit back and suffer emotional distress while you can fight for compensation benefits. Get a competent workers’ compensation lawyer to assist you in getting what you deserve.
