If you’re hurt because of an accident at work, you can and should file for workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp can pay for your medical bills and give you some money for lost wages. But how do you get the money?
File a Claim
After you’re hurt at work, tell your boss. Then go see a doctor for medical treatment. Finally, contact HammondTownsendat 888-580-9048 for a free consultation to get started. HammondTownsend can help you file your claim for Virginia workers’ compensation.
Once you file the claim, the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, the workers’ compensation insurance company for your employer, and your HammondTownsend lawyer work out what type of compensation you will receive. For more details about how this occurs, read Overall Steps for a Workers’Comp Case.
After a Decision Is Made
After the decision is made, the workers’ compensation insurance company for your employer will send you the benefits you’re entitled to as part of your workers’ compensation claim.
You will need to keep and show a great deal of paperwork to get all of your benefits. To get reimbursed for mileage to and from medical appointments, you need to show where the medical appointment was. For reimbursement for medical bills, you will need to have copies of the bills. And to get some money for lost wages, you will need to show pay stubs to prove what you were making before the accident. Your HammondTownsend team will make sure you know what kind of paperwork you will need to show and who you will need to show it to.
Receiving the Money
The workers’ compensation insurance company for your employer will send you a check in the mail with your benefits. You may receive checks on a regular basis if treatment for your injury takes place over a long period of time or you are unable to work at the same job you previously did. If your injury is healed and you are back to work at the same job before the workers’ compensation claim is finished, you may receive one check.
Consequences of Paying Late
If the workers’ compensation insurance company for your employer doesn’t pay you on time, they get in trouble with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. In some cases, the Commission can order the insurance company to give you an extra 20% of whatever they owe you if they do not pay you within two weeks of the payment being due. If you do not get a payment when you expect one, reach out to HammondTownsend for guidance.