Orlando, FL – If you have been injured while working or develop any occupational disease, then it is very important that you file a workers’ compensation claim. While it cannot undo what happened to you, it can at least pay for the medical expenses and financial losses that you might incur as a result of the particular job related injury. You can file the claim yourself or can even take assistance from a workers’ compensation attorney.
Notify the Employer
The first thing that you should do in order to protect your ability to claim is to notify your employer as soon as possible. In Florida, it is required that you submit a notification within 30 days of the injury or the day the disease was diagnosed. The sooner you inform, the stronger would be your case. If you delay, forget or for any other reasons fail to notify the employer within the stipulated time, it could serve as a strong base for the denial of your claim and hence the associated benefits.
Exception Can Be Made…
The notification is normally required to be submitted to a person in the managerial position or to the active reporting authority of the injured employee. If you are hospitalized, unconscious or due to any other reasons, unable to provide a written notification, then a formal notification can be excused. However in such cases, it is imperative that you or any of your relative at least notify the employer about what happened and what is your current condition.
What to Notify
The verbal as well as the written notification should include the employer’s full name, position in the company, the description of the accident, how, when and where it happened, names of all the witnesses and what action was taken immediately after the accident.
If you have already sought a medical evaluation, the medical report should also be a part of the notification. If not, then seek medical consultation immediately and let the employer know the results. If possible, have your treatment conducted from a medical professional who is authorized and legally approved to handle workers’ compensation cases. If you are not in a condition to shift to another hospital or doctor, then make sure to notify the doctor that yours is a workers’ compensation case.
Where to File
Once you notify the employer, the next step is to submit a written report to the state worker’s compensation board. The employer can also do this on your behalf. You will start receiving the benefits once the workers’ compensation board approves your claim. Also, it is their job to decide if and how much reimbursement should you receive to compensate for the loss wages. To ensure that your claim is processed in the timely manner, it is recommended that you also file your claim with the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation.
If you are still unsure if and how to file your workers’ compensation claim in Orlando Florida, consult a workers’ compensation attorney.
Vaughan Law Group, Workers Compensation Legal Professionals
Contact Vaughan Law Group’s Orlando Workers Compensation Attorneys today for your free initial consultation. You can contact Vaughan Law Group at (407) 434-0074 or use the form found on this page.
