If you’ve been injured while on the job, your personal injury claim will be very different than a claim that is made outside a workplace setting. For most individuals injured on the job, worker’s compensation will be the only remedy workers have to receive compensation for wage loss, medical expenses, rehabilitation care, and vocational training. In Minnesota, all employers are required to have worker’s compensation coverage. If you’ve been injured, you’ll likely be required to use a certified managed care plan to receive treatment for your injuries.
The Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry provides a helpful flow-chart of a typical claims process. Of course, every case is unique and the Department of Labor & Industry notes that it offers its flowchart for educational purposes and the chart is no replacement for qualified legal advice. In general, an injured employee will notify his or her employer, seek medical care, and the employer will file all forms and paperwork to make a worker’s compensation claim. In some cases, if an employee misses time at work, a claim may be made after a waiting period. Of course, not every worker’s compensation case will follow this process. If you’ve suffered a workplace injury and believe that your claim was wrongly denied, a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota may be able to help you.
Worker’s compensation has been criticized for not protecting workers enough. Salon recently published an investigative report on the declining value of worker’s compensation benefits. Worker’s compensation is designed to ensure that workers are paid enough wages to tide them over as they recover from their injuries and get the medical care they need. Yet, Salon found that many states are pulling back on the levels of worker’s compensation coverage they provide. These changes could seriously impact workers who are seriously injured on the job who often have no other way to receive compensation for their injuries.
Salon reported that many injured workers face years of battling with insurance companies just to receive the care their doctors recommend. One workplace injury victim was denied a prosthesis. His doctor explained that the device would allow him to resume life activities he had enjoyed prior to his injury.
Workers who choose to use worker’s compensation to pay for their medical expenses in Minnesota, in most cases, will be required to use certified managed care plans. This means that workers may be limited in the choice of providers they have. While the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry notes that in some cases workers can continue to see the same doctor they saw before their workplace injury, each patient must seek appropriate approval.
Navigating worker’s compensation can be challenging and stressful for injured employees. If you’ve suffered an injury on the job, a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota can review the details of your case and assist you in receiving the benefits you legally deserve. The Law Office of Martin T. Montilino offers personal injury counsel for those seeking worker’s compensation relief.