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What Happens if You Don’t Immediately Pursue Workers’ Compensation

By: Fred Moore | Aug 14, 2018

If you’re injured on the job, workers’ compensation can provide you with the wage replacement and medical care coverage you need to help you get back on your feet. But what happens when you don’t report the injury or immediately file for workers’ compensation in the state of Alabama?

 

Not Reporting Your Injury

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, the law requires that you report the claim to your employer within 5 days of the injury occurring. In some cases, you can wait longer, but if you fail to give notice within 90 days following the accident, you risk losing your right to workers’ compensation benefits. Plus, if you don’t report the injury and continue working, you could cause more damage to your body in the meantime, and make the workers’ compensation process more complicated. It’s important to notify your employer immediately after the injury occurs so you can seek the proper medical treatment and receive accurate compensation.

Losing Your Benefits

If your job-related injury goes unreported, you could miss out on the workers’ compensation benefits you would have receive had you filed the claim immediately following your injury. Depending on your injury and your employer, workers’ compensation can help cover a variety of your medical expenses, including hospital stays, rehabilitation sessions and the mileage costs to and from your medical appointments. You can even receive weekly injury compensation benefits depending on your average weekly earnings on the job, so you can earn a wage even while you’re recovering out of work. If you wait to report your injury and are late applying for workers’ compensation, you could forfeit the many benefits you would receive had you filed the claim immediately.

Contact Moore Law Firm

The best course of action you can take following a work-related injury is to call our office in Mobile, Alabama. Our workers compensation lawyers can help you receive the proper medical treatment and benefits you deserve. Call us for a free consultation at (251) 445-7602 today.