If you are injured while on the job in the state of Missouri, you should know that your employer is generally required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. It ensures that an employer has the assets available to pay for someone who is injured while working under the authority and scope of their employment. It’s not just an insurance policy for the employee - it is a way to protect business owners from losing everything if someone is injured while working for them.
If you are hurt at work, then you should let your employer or manager know immediately, and you need to seek medical attention to ensure that you have the evidence to prove your workers’ compensation claim. However, what if you didn’t let your employer know that you were injured? You may wonder if you can still make a workers’ compensation claim after the fact, even if you didn’t tell anyone you were hurt?
What If You Didn't Report It Right Away?
There are times when people get hurt while working and they brush it off, thinking that it is no big deal - only to find out later that it was a huge deal. The good news is that even if you didn’t make your boss or supervisor aware that you were injured at the time, you are still entitled to file a claim. If you have the proper documentation in place to show that your injury was work-related, then you can file after the incident - but it has to be within 30 days.
What Type of Documentation Do You Need to Have?
To claim workers’ compensation, you need to show that you were injured while performing work-related duties. It isn’t enough just to be hurt while at work - you have to prove that you were injured while you were performing under the scope of what you were hired to do. Although this can be problematic if you didn’t report the injury when it happened, it is possible to show that your injury is real and that it happened due to work.
Seek Medical Attention ASAP
The key is to seek medical attention once you start to notice that it is more than just a bruise or sprain. You will need a physician’s report stating how the injury happened and what the diagnosis is. If you have supporting documents showing that your injury happened due to what you were doing at work, then you shouldn’t have any problem getting your injuries covered.
If you didn’t report your injury immediately and are having a hard time collecting workers’ compensation - or even worse, if you have been declined - you can appeal the decision. It is best to speak with an experienced workers compensation lawyer as soon as possible to help you through the complexity of proving your workers’ compensation case and getting you the medical coverage you are entitled to. If you have been injured on the job in Missouri, call the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE case evaluation.
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