Many Florida workers who suffer on-the-job injuries do not think about hiring a workers’ comp lawyer until their claims are denied, delayed, or they hit some other snag that prevents them from getting the full amount of benefits they deserve.
The reality is that while you can hire a lawyer to advocate for your interests at any time, you will be more likely to achieve an optimum outcome if you hire a lawyer early in your workers’ comp claims process.
The Florida Workers’ Compensation attorneys at the Berlin Law Firm advocate for injured employees at all stages of the process. Whether you hire us before you start your claim or to file an appeal if your claim has been denied, we will take on your employer’s workers’ comp insurance company and fight to get you the benefits you may be legally entitled to.
When to Hire a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
An injured worker will typically hire a workers’ comp lawyer in reply to an adverse response or reaction to a claim for benefits, such as:
- The workers’ comp insurance carrier denies the employee’s claim
- That insurer is delaying payments or requiring the employee to submit to extra medical tests and examinations before reviewing the claim
- The insurer rejects the examining physician’s diagnosis of an injury and refuses to pay benefits
- A claim is denied with an excuse that it is not work-related
- The benefits are less than what is specified in policy documents or statements
- The employee’s job is at risk because of him or her filing a workers’ compensation claim
- The employee disagrees with the examining physician’s disability diagnosis or that physician’s opinion of the employee’s ability to perform the regular tasks of his or her job
- The injured employee needs to coordinate disability benefits from multiple sources in addition to workers’ compensation, such as Social Security or a negligent third party
As these circumstances suggest, applying for workers’ compensation in benefits is not a straightforward task. Under all of these and other adverse circumstances, an experienced workers’ comp attorney can help beyond only responding to denied claims.
Are there any occasions when an injured worker does not need to hire a Florida workers’ comp lawyer?
If an employee’s work-related injury is minor or the employee can continue to work and earn salary and wages despite the injury, that employee may well be able to manage a workers’ comp claim without legal assistance, particularly if the workers’ comp insurance carrier is reimbursing the employee’s medical expenses and his or her employer is not retaliating against the employee for filing a claim.
Keep in mind that even simple claims can mushroom into bigger problems, for example, when an on-the-job injury is misdiagnosed as being less complex than it is, or if the injury does not heal properly.
As a Florida worker, you are best able to protect your rights to receive maximum workers’ compensation benefits when you consult with a worker’s compensation claims lawyer as soon as possible after suffering an injury. At a minimum, that lawyer can explain the filing steps and procedures and clarify your rights to receive disability payments and reimbursements for medical expenses.
How can Berlin Law Firm help an injured employee to file a workers’ comp claim?
Workers’ compensation insurance companies hire teams of lawyers to scrutinize claims and, in many cases, to propose reasons to deny them. Those lawyers deal with thousands of claims every year and are far more familiar with Florida’s Workers’ Compensation Statute and Rules than the employees who file claims without legal assistance.
The Florida workers’ comp attorneys at Berlin Law Firm can level the playing field for an injured employee by:
- Providing legal knowledge and expertise that matches or exceeds the abilities of the lawyers who work for the insurers. In fact, our founder used to manage a legal department for a large workers’ comp insurance carrier.
- Compiling evidence and filing the necessary paperwork to substantiate their claims.
- Keeping track of important deadlines.
- Negotiating settlements with workers’ comp insurers and protecting their jobs from employers who would rather not deal with an employee’s claim.
If you hire us, we will take the burden of dealing with the workers’ compensation insurance company off your back and free up your time and energy to focus on recovering from injury.
Florida employees who have experienced on-the-job injuries can call our offices in Sarasota or Tampa for a free consultation about their workers’ compensation claim at any time during the claims process. You can also call us for answers to any questions or concerns about your claim, including an assessment of why it may be approved or denied.
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