A lot of people find it easy to get the ball rolling on a workers’ comp claim, but there may come a time when you’ll need to hire a lawyer.
One of the first things you should know is that it doesn’t cost anything to talk with an attorney. You may have questions about how the process is going and if it is going the way it should – a workers’ comp attorney can answer those questions for you.
Some workers’ comp cases can go on for years. For instance, one woman was on workers’ comp for ten years. She had severe injuries that left her unable to work, but she didn’t want to settle her case too soon. She needed an attorney to help her with the settlement.
There are a lot of things to consider, such as whether or not it is a fair settlement and how much they would owe you. These are questions that an attorney can help you answer.
If you’ve been on workers’ comp for a decade, you’ve been approved for Social Security disability. You’ll need to look at your comp claims because there are a lot of benefits there. If you’re going to resolve the claim, you look at Medicare. Medicare will not allow the insurance company for the workers’ comp carrier to shift the burden of catastrophic medical bills to Medicare.
In addition, you’re going to need to look at the income benefits. If you’re getting Social Security and you’re under the age of 65, then you’re getting an offset for your workers’ comp benefits from your Social Security benefits. So there would be incentive to resolve the workers’ comp claim.
I you are hurt on the job, you need to give notice as soon as possible. Thirty (30) days is usually the window. If the notice is outside the thirty (30) days, it can affect your benefits.
If you have questions about your workers’ comp case, consult our Online Legal Directory to find an attorney in your area. Our attorneys are here to help you resolve your case and to answer your questions.