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Getting the Most from Your Worker Compensation Settlement
via www.GetPersonalInJuryHelp.com by Sabah on 3/19/11
When an employee is injured in the workplace, they have the legal right to receive compensation for damages with a worker compensation settlement. All employers who have workman's compensation insurance will need to file some paperwork in order to process the claim, and the injured worker must report the incident right away in order to ensure their claim gets filed appropriately. In most cases, either employer or their insurance provider will pay a lump-sum amount as the settlement, or provide worker's compensation benefit payments over the course of several months.
Maximizing Your Worker Compensation Settlement Amount
Every party has its own set of considerations when a workplace injury has occurred. If the injured employee decides to settle his or her case, the insurance company will require a full release of his or her claim, and the wage loss portion and medical benefits will be lost forever. This is why it is so important to work with a worker's compensation attorney. A qualified and experienced attorney can make sure that the injured worker is being fully compensated for their injuries, pain and suffering, and that they are not settling for an amount that will not cover all the costs related to their injury.
Another way to maximize your worker compensation settlement amount is to provide solid documentation to support your claim. This can include items such as:
- Copies of medical bills and invoices
- Receipts for equipment, supplies and products required for rehabilitation purposes
- Photographs of the incident and damaged areas
- Medical reports
- Witness testimonies
Certain types of injuries have long-term side effects that may require advanced medical treatment and ongoing rehabilitative care. This has to be factored into the worker compensation settlement amount or the injured party will be responsible for paying for these costs out of pocket.
Working with a worker compensation attorney means that all of the short-term and long-term costs associated with the incident will be included in the settlement amount, so you won't have to stress too much about paying an excess amount of out-of-pocket expenses when recovering from your injuries.
It's important to consider the following costs when evaluating your worker compensation settlement:
- Loss of wages and benefits because of the incident
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement
- Emotional suffering
- Rehabilitation costs, both short-term and long-term
- Loss of quality of life
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