If you’re hurt on the job, and your workplace is required to have worker’s compensation, you may be able to use this benefit in your injury case. Worker’s comp is a resource paid for by your employer and is required in most workplaces. This benefit can pay for medical care and treatment, as well as some lost wages.
Will You Get The Best Medical Treatment?
First, says personal injury lawyers Melbourne residents should consider the type of medical care they receive, and from who you will receive it. In a worker’s compensation injury case, the insurance company gets to select a medical provider and is not particularly concerned whether you have a full recovery.
The insurance company adjuster’s main objective for the worker’s comp care is to see that you are provided the minimum care that the law requires them to pay. Your overall health and welfare are not necessarily a consideration. In fact, insurance adjusters in a worker’s comp case can micro-manage the type of care that their selected doctor provides. This could actually become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the doctor may limit the amount of care they provide if he or she knows the insurance company is not going to approve the type of care or treatment requested.
The insurance adjuster may even control what prescription your doctor will give you, what test the doctors will order for you, and what procedures the doctor may provide. They may even ultimately decide if the doctors will provide any more care and treatment for you, whether you continue to suffer from injuries or not.
Therefore, a careful review of the worker’s compensation insurance company and doctors provided is essential when making decisions about which resource is available and how it will be used. Attorneys point out, in situations where there is no health insurance, and you have no other means of obtaining care and treatment, you should make the best of the limited care that worker’s compensation may provide you.
When Insurance Companies Make A Determination Of Value
Insurance companies will look to various data points after an accident to make a determination of value. For example, how long was it after the accident until you went to the doctor? Of course, this is not always an accurate portrayal as to whether someone is seriously injured.
Many people believe unless an injury is so bad that they cannot physically get out of bed, they are not going to the doctor.
Any delay you make in getting your injuries documented will be used against you. To an insurance company, delay in treatment means either there is nothing wrong with you or something else happened that led you to go to the doctor. The insurance company will not give you points for having “a stiff upper lip” and toughing it out. While there is nothing wrong with choosing to delay a doctor’s visit, you should recognize that your delay will be used against you.
There is no certain threshold as to what makes a small, medium, or larger case, and all lawyers have their own threshold and limitations on what they will handle. The best thing is do when you’re injured is obtain medical advice and treatment and consult with an attorney to make sure your rights are represented.