If you’re like many Maryland employees, you clock into your job expecting to conduct business as usual. Hopefully, you never have to experience an injury that leads to a workers’ compensation claim. However, if you get injured at work, it’s smart to know the next steps.
Getting medical attention
The most important aspect of the workers’ comp process is the employee’s safety. Your co-workers or managers should contact emergency medical care right away if you suffer an injury at work. In most cases, this will involve an ambulance and medical professionals showing up at your workplace to treat you. Less severe injuries can receive treatment at an urgent care facility or similar outpatient treatment provider.
Reporting your injury
It’s best to report a workplace injury as soon as possible. If your injury or injuries are minor, you might be able to complete an injury report after your incident happens. Filling out this report after suffering more severe injuries might need to wait until you’re fully treated. In Maryland, you have 10 days of your injury to report it to your employer.
Filing your workers’ compensation claim
At this point, the employer will file a claim with its workers’ compensation insurance provider. Then, the insurance company chooses whether to approve or deny claims involving injured workers. Unfortunately, some workers’ compensation insurance providers will do nearly anything possible to deny claims. That’s why it’s smart for an injured employee to gather their own evidence, especially for protection against claim denials.
While painful and potentially traumatic, workplace injuries are also costly. Injured employees receive expensive medical bills while dealing with lost wages from not working. That’s why it’s often advisable for injured employees to seek redress after claim denials.