Workers’ compensation claims can be filed in Virginia if an employee is injured while on the job. If you have three or more employees in Virginia, you are legally required to obtain workers’ compensation insurance. This no-fault coverage helps pay for injured worker’s medical bills and missed income. You are not required to show your employer was at fault for your injury. Injured Workers Law Firm can help you!
What to Do If You Suffer an Injury on the Job?
Your employer’s insurance company may try to find loopholes in your claim for workers’ compensation benefits to save money, even though you are legally entitled to them. This is especially true if your injury is severe and will require costly medical care and extensive time away from work for recuperation.
Accidental Injuries must be Reported.
Report your injury in writing to your supervisor or the claims administrator at your company as soon as possible after the accident. You can report an injury to your employer by email or paper form if there is no specific form. Make sure your handwriting is legible, create a copy for your records, and submit your report after receiving confirmation of its receipt.
- Who you are and what you do
- Details on the time, place, and nature of the incident
- Describe what happened and provide pictures if you can.
- Details about how to reach you
- Whoever saw the accident and how they may be reached
Get Help from a Doctor
Get in touch with a doctor on the list of practitioners accepted by your company’s insurance immediately. Tell the doctor’s office you are making a workers’ compensation claim and are hurt on the job. Keep your doctor’s appointments, pursue all referrals, take your medication strictly as recommended, save all your receipts and other documents related to your care, and record your progress in a daily notebook.
Submit a Claim
Your employer must submit a First Report of Injury (FROI) to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWCC) within ten days of receiving your report. You can submit your claim in person, via fax, mail, or WebFile after accessing the “Injured Workers” section of the VWCC website.
Stay On It!
You have 30 days to notify the VWCC of your injuries and two years to file a claim, but you should do so as quickly as possible. The insurance company will have more of a case against you if you delay filing a claim. The insurance company may try to make it seem like your injury is not work-related or is not as serious as you think it is by saying you waited too long to report it. If the VWCC approves your claim, you will be given an Awards Agreement to sign.
