Frequently Asked Questions

When you've been injured at work, you need to tell your employer. Ideally, you should tell your employer immediately, but a minor injury might become a bigger issue days later. Virginia workers' comp law states you have 30 days to report an injury.

The timeline of a workers' compensation case can vary greatly depending on the specific circumstances. Eighteen (18) to twenty-four (24) months is not unusual for a workers' comp case. If the case is complicated and goes through many appeals processes it can easily take longer. HammondTownsend will be working in your best interests the entire time.

As a client of HammondTownsend, you don’t need to come into the office much at all, if ever. Most of the information will be shared over the phone or over email. You may need to come in if the workers' comp insurance denies a claim and needs to take a deposition. Please don’t just stop by without an appointment to speak to your attorney: there are several HammondTownsend offices across Virginia, and the paralegal and lawyer for your case may not be in the office closest to you on the day you stop by.

You may have to speak at an evidentiary hearing. The evidentiary hearing is after a workers’ comp insurance claim has been filed and the worker’s comp insurance company, who works for the employer, has denied the claim. The evidentiary hearing takes place in a private courtroom with just your case in it, so the general public can’t hear any details of your private medical history. You may have to answer questions from your attorney and/or from a deputy commissioner from the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. The deputy commissioner serves the same role as a judge in workers compensation cases.

Make sure that HammondTownsend has copies of all papers that you get about the case. If HammondTownsend is not listed on the paperwork, or if you are not sure, contact the paralegal assigned to your case. Mileage, job search tracking, and medical paperwork should also be sent to HammondTownsend. The paralegal you’re in contact with will give you instructions for what you should do with different types of paperwork you may receive.