It is a legal requirement for all registered employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance in Indianapolis, so in most cases, the injured worker is covered against nearly all financial expenses caused as a direct or indirect result of the workplace accident in question.
What Exactly is Covered by Worker’s Compensation Insurance?
The no-fault system is same in Indiana as it is everywhere else in the US, which is to say that the injured worker will be eligible for financial compensation against medical expenses, lost wages, and any permanent physical impairments caused. Even if the injury is critical enough to cause permanent loss of ability to work in his/her field, their long-term expenses are covered.
What Should You Do Right After Getting Injured?
Seeking medical attention to minimize the damage should be the priority of course, but post that, there are a couple of acts which the injured worker needs to carry out, or have someone else take the steps on behalf of them.
Inform Your Employer
You employer should automatically be informed, given that it’s a workplace accident, but it’s always better to make sure that the employer has been notified of the accident as soon as possible. Although you have 30-days from the date of the accident to do the same, the sooner management is informed, the stronger your claim will be.
Call Your Work Injury Lawyer
In spite of everything, claims do get rejected at times because due procedures are not followed by the employer or the insurance company decides that the claim is not valid for some reason. To make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, contact your work injury lawyer, as soon as possible. Given that Klezmer-Maudlin pretty much wrote the Worker’s Compensation Practice Manual for the entire system, a consultation from the firm would definitely be the way to start.
What are the Due Procedures that the Employer Must Follow?
Once management has been informed, the employer must then fill out the Employer’s Report of Injury form and have it mailed to the company’s insurance carrier officially. Only the signatures or approvals of the employer are necessary, as the form is generally filled out by the immediate manager or any other competent, high-level personnel present at the site. Therefore, it shouldn’t take long and on failing to do so in time, such neglect will make the company vulnerable to a hefty lawsuit. The only exception to this would be if you were to not miss work for even a day after sustaining the injury.
Can You Verify If the Due Processes are Completed?
The good news is that injured employees can verify if the employer has filled up the due form and sent it to the insurance company by visiting the official Workers’ Compensation Board website. To check, you will need to enter your Social Security Number and the date on which you got injured at work.
If for some reason the insurance company rejects your claim, you have the option to appeal against it by filling up and submitting the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Board’s Application for Adjustment form.