If you are injured at work, you should get treatment, receive workers' compensation benefits, and resume work once you are healed. That is the ideal process, and some people actually benefit from it without the need of a lawyer. However, you need a lawyer for your work-related-injury issues if:
You Have Serious Injuries
If your injury keeps you from work for a few weeks and doesn't leave you with any permanent disability, then you may be able to handle it without a lawyer's input provided there are no other complications. However, if you have a serious injury that may keep you out of work for months, you are better off letting an attorney handle it. The same is true if your injuries lead to a disability.
This is because a small error can lead to a huge loss of benefits for serious injuries. For minor injuries, the difference (in terms of the benefits) between having a lawyer and processing the claim on your own may not be significant.
Your Employer Wants You To Return To Work Before You Are Ready
Ideally, you should return to work when you have reached your point of maximum medical improvement (MMI). You can then resume your pre-injury workload or start with lighter duties as you reintegrate into the workplace. The weekly benefits usually stop once you start receiving wages that are equal or greater than your pre-injury wages.
Once in a while, however, an employer asks an injured employee to return to work before the employee is fully recovered. This can intensify the injuries, undo the work already done by the treating physician, and lead to decreased productivity. If that ever happens to you, you need a lawyer who understands what the law says about returning to work after an injury. That way you will be in a better position to safeguard your interests.
You Believe A Position Has Been Create For You At Work
You also need a lawyer if a new position has been created for you at work. This is dangerous because you will be out of work if the position becomes irrelevant, which can happen anytime. If the position did not exist before you were injured, how can you tell that it is integral to your employer's needs? Some employers do this if they don't want to fire you because it would create legal problems for them, but don't want to retain you either due to your injuries.
In short, analyze the circumstances of your injuries and decide whether you need an attorney. You probably don't need a lawyer for a minor injury if your employer is cooperating and you are getting the benefits you deserve. However, consult a lawyer any time you foresee a difficulty with your case. If you're interested, click the following link for more about this topic.
Share3 July 2016
Although I am far from perfect, I have focused on abiding by the local laws for the vast majority of my life. Unfortunately, about five years ago, I realized that I was being accused of a crime that I didn't commit. I thought about letting the trial run its course, but then I realized that fighting would be important to ensure my future. I teamed up with a great lawyer, and things became much easier overnight. My legal counsel told me what to do and what to avoid, and he was able to prove the facts in a court of law. This blog is all about choosing to fight charges.