Sunday, August 21, 2016

If You've Been Injured at Work, What Are Your Legal Rights?



After being injured at work, you might wonder what your options are for missing work, getting paid, and general recovery. Here are some helpful things to know.

You Can File a Workers’ Comp Claim Against Your Employer

If you are injured at work, you have a legal right to file a workers’ compensation claim for benefit payments. There are certain requirements you must meet to be eligible for payments. But, the first step is to file your claim form immediately. Your employer should give you the forms needed to file a claim when you tell them about your injury. Please note that your employer has no obligation to pay anything if they do not know about your injury and you haven’t filed a claim form yet.

Your Employer Cannot Fire You For Filing a Workers’ Comp Injury Claim

After you tell your employer about your injury and file a workers’ compensation claim form, you might worry about getting fired. An employer is not allowed to fire you just for making a workers’ compensation claim. If this happens to you, you might have a claim for wrongful termination against your employer as well!

You Have the Right to Hire a Lawyer

Some people are scared to hire a lawyer to help them with their workers’ compensation claim because they think it sends the wrong signal to their employer and are worried about being fired. You are able to hire a lawyer at any point to help you understand your rights and navigate through the process.

You Normally Can Go to Any Doctor You Want

When receiving your initial treatments for your injury, you can typically go to any doctor you want. There are some guidelines for government employees though, and later in the process a judge could require you to go to a third party doctor for an impartial report on your health.

There are many more rights that you have depending on your circumstances and where you are in the legal process, but the best way to understand your legal rights after being injured at work is to speak with an experienced boston workers compensation lawyer.

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