Scheduled for a Consultation with a Workers Compensation Attorney? Information to Bring With You

If you were hurt on the job, you may be considering hiring a workers compensation attorney. An attorney can help guide you through the process and can especially be helpful if your claim was denied, if your employer is refusing medical treatment or if your case is complex. However, before you hire an attorney, it is recommended that you have a consultation with them. Most attorneys will offer you a free consultation. This allows you the opportunity to interview the attorney and get a feel for their personality and what their opinion is on your case.

When you are preparing to go for your consultation, you will want to bring the attorney as much information as you have in regards to your case. This can help them decide if they want to take the case and better advise you of the challenges they see with your case. Here are a few of the key pieces of information you will want to bring with you to your consultation with a workers compensation attorney.

A Copy of Your Workers Comp Medical Reports

After being hurt on the job, you need to seek out treatment from a medical provider. Often times, the provider will provide you with some paperwork at the appointment. They may give you a diagnosis, a treatment plan or paperwork to take to your employer. When you are meeting with a workers compensation attorney for the first time, always bring along any medical information you have. This can help show the attorney what your injuries are, how quickly you treated after the accident and what the current treatment course is.

If you don't have any reports, do not worry. Your attorney can get them. However, having them in hand can help to expedite the process and help show an attorney what type of case they may be taking on if you hire them.

All Letters from Your Employer or Workers Compensation Carrier  

After reporting your injuries to your employer, they are required to notify their workers compensation insurance carrier. Once this is done, you will begin to get letters from either your employer, the carrier or a combination of both. Some of these letters will simply state that you opened a claim, while others may state your claim has been accepted, delayed or denied. Bring all of the letters you have with you to your consultation with a workers compensation attorney.

There are timelines involved for workers compensation cases. The state you live in dictates how long a carrier has to delay or deny a case. If they don't within that timeline, your case is automatically accepted. Likewise, depending on where you live, you only have so much time to file a claim. If you don't, you give up your right to bring a case about. Bringing all of the letters you have with you to your consultation allows an attorney to see what is going on with your case and what sorts of timelines may factor into your claim.

Contact Information for Any Witnesses

If you were injured on the job, you will want to bring along contact information for anyone who may have witnessed the accident that caused your injuries. This may include co-workers or individuals not connected to your work in any way. If you decide to hire the attorney you have a consultation with, they will want to begin to interview these witnesses right away while the incident is still fresh in their mind.

Keep in mind that you do not have to have witnesses in order to proceed with a case. However, witnesses can help if your employer feels your injuries are not work related or disputes how your injuries happened.

To learn more or start the process, contact resources like Oxner + Permar, LLC.


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