If you suffer a major injury and are unable to work for weeks, you’re probably aware that you need to take some specific steps to collect workers’ compensation while you recover, but what happens if your injuries are pretty minor? A minor injury may not require as much hands-on care as a broken femur or a torn rotator cuff, but there are still some specific actions you should take in the event you decide to file a claim down the road. We discuss four actions you should take after a minor work injury in today’s blog.
Steps To Take After A Minor Work Accident
If you’re injured on the clock, there are a couple of actions you’ll want to take in the event you may need to file a claim later on. Even if the injury is minor and you believe you won’t miss work or be eligible for a claim, you’ll want to follow these steps. If a minor cut becomes infected or symptoms show up days or weeks after your original injury, you may have a tough time collecting workers’ compensation if you didn’t take some smart steps at the time of the original injury. Here’s what we recommend:
1. Report The Injury – You need to report all injuries, big or small, to your company. Tell a manager, your boss or your HR representative. Better yet, get it in writing or secure a copy of their First Report of Injury (FROI). If you don’t report the injury within 10 days, you’ll likely be ineligible to file for compensation if things worsen. There’s no harm in reporting the injury, even if you don’t end up filing, but if you don’t report it and need to file, you’ll be out of luck. Report the minor injury to your employer.
2. Treat The Injury– We always recommend seeing a medical provider to have the injury professionally assessed and documented, but we understand that may seem like overkill for some minor injuries, like a sprained ankle or a minor cut on your arm. Even if you don’t see a provider, make sure that you are proactively treating the injury to help the healing process along. Treating the injury or heading to a doctor for an evaluation also sets the stage for filing an injury claim down the road, because it proves that care was required for a legitimate work injury. Again, it’s possible that you report the injury, treat the injury and never need to file, but you’ll want to have taken these steps in the event you decide to move forward with a claim.
3. Document Your Injuries/Symptoms– Over the course of the next few days or weeks, write down any information that is relevant to your accident or injury. It can be particularly helpful to document your symptoms so that you can showcase the totality of how the injury has affected you over an extended period if you ever need to file for compensation. This will also be helpful in the event that symptoms worsen or new symptoms develop. Writing down information about the accident can make it easier for you to recall specific details about the event if you ever need to tell your story during the process of filing a claim.
4. Act Quickly If The Injury Worsens – Finally, you’ll want to act quickly in the event that symptoms worsen and you end up deciding to file an injury claim. Connect with a lawyer and get the ball rolling on your claim as soon as possible. There are deadlines that need to be met, and it becomes harder to earn an award as time goes on and memories fade and evidence from the event disappears. Don’t assume that you’ll always be able to pursue a claim if you want. If your minor injury is starting to become a major problem, talk with an injury firm and begin the process of filing an injury claim.
Whether you’re dealing with a minor or major work injury, we want to assist in any way we can. If you’re wondering if you have a valid claim or you are certain you want to pursue compensation, connect with our office and let us take the lead so you can focus on your health and your family. For more information on how we can help with minor or major work injuries, connect with the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
