Injured by a faulty floor jack

Workers Compensation Laws: 2 Common Myths Exposed

28 May 2015

Mia Little

Workers compensation laws play an important role in ensuring that injured workers are able to meet their financial obligations in the event that they are injured on the job. Unfortunately, far too many workers are influenced by common myths regarding workers comp benefits and will therefore fail to get the compensation that they need and deserve. Today, two of those common myths will be exposed so that you can ensure you have all the facts when dealing with your own workers compensation claim.

Myth: All Workers Comp Cases Center Around An Accident

Workers often believe that workers compensation laws only cover injuries that occur as the result of an accident or other single incident. While it is true that workplace accidents account for a large percentage of workers compensation claims, accident related injuries are not the only type of injuries that are covered by the law. You can also file a workers compensation claim if you are injured as a result of performing your job duties over an extended period of time. For example, if you become ill due to chemicals you were exposed to on the job or if you develop an injury as the result of repetitive motion on the job, you may be eligible to collect workers compensation benefits.

Myth: You Must Report An Injury The Same Day It Happens In Order To Be Covered

Employers often lead workers to believe that they cannot file a workers compensation claim unless they report their injuries before leaving work for the day. The thought behind this common myth is that you cannot prove that your injuries occurred on the job if they are not reported immediately.

While it is true that proving the origin of your injuries can be more difficult if you wait to report these injuries, the law recognizes that it is not always possible to report an injury right away. If fact, it is quite common for injuries to take several hours, days, or even weeks to fully develop. Consequently, there is no definitive time period in which you must report an injury. Instead, the law simply requires that you report the injury within a reasonable amount of time. What is considered reasonable will vary from case to case depending on the type of injury. For instance, while it may be reasonable to wait several days before disclosing a soft tissue injury that took time to develop, the loss of a limb would obviously be far more noticeable and waiting to report this type of injury would not be considered reasonable.

If your employer is refusing to process your workers comp claim due to a reporting delay, this information should be shared with a workers compensation lawyer immediately so that you can ensure you get the benefits you are entitled to. For more information, contact a firm such as Franco Law Firm.

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