If you’ve been injured at work and are considering taking a meeting with an injury lawyer, you’re probably wondering what you should bring to this initial meeting. After all, the world of workers’ compensation already moves pretty slowly without factoring in delays on your end because you forget to bring the right documents to your first meeting. Below, we explain what you’ll want to bring to your initial consultation with an injury lawyer if you’re considering filing a workers’ compensation claim.
Documents To Bring To Your Appointment With A Work Comp Lawyer
There’s a good chance that your lawyer will run through what they’ll want you to bring to that first meeting, but it’s always better to be overprepared than underprepared. That’s why we’ve put together a list of all the documents that have the potential to assist with your injury case that should come with you to that first meeting with a lawyer. They include:
Any and all correspondence about your case – If you’ve received letters or other informative documents from your employer, their insurance provider, the Department of Labor & Industry or the Office of Administrative Hearings, bring these along. Your lawyer will want to know what these entities want from you and where they stand in the matter.
Medical bills – If you have received medical bills for care or expenses related to your work injury, bring them to your lawyer, as they’ll need to be included in a claim demand.
Medical reports – Bring a copy of any medical reports, medical imaging or physician recommendations, evaluations and work restrictions. This will help showcase the true extent of your injuries and be vital for creating a strong claim petition. Be sure to have the information of all the healthcare providers who you’ve received care from as well.
Insurance and identification information – Bring your health insurance information and your driver’s license or another form of ID.
Paystubs – Your lawyer needs to evaluate your wages to determine what amount to petition for with a lost wages claim. To be safe, bring a copy of the last six months of your paystubs, or whatever you have if you haven’t been working this job for at least six months.
Accident report/FROI – You should also bring a copy of the accident report that was filed at your workplace, or a copy of the First Report of Injury that was created at your workplace.
Medicare information – If you’re currently receiving Medicare or disability benefits, bring information about the benefits you’re currently receiving.
Job description – It can be helpful to bring a description of your job duties if you have access to your role’s job description, as this can better explain your day-to-day responsibilities and help your lawyer understand how the injuries impact your current and future earnings capacity and the physical demands of your job.
Some of these items may not be related to your individual case, or you may not have access to them yet, and that’s perfectly fine. If you receive letters, bills or other documents after this initial meeting, forward them to your lawyer so that they can stay informed with the most up-to-date information.
We want to help you get the compensation you deserve, and you can move this process along by being prepared and by keeping your lawyer in the loop as your case progresses. We want to ensure you get the benefits you deserve after a work injury, so give us a call and let’s set up that first meeting. For more information, or to set up a free consultation with an injury lawyer, give the team at Hey Workers a call today at (844) 439-9675.
