When you're badly injured, the last thing you want to think about is filling out paperwork, searching for an attorney, or trying to gather evidence. Yet, these steps are necessary if you want to collect the compensation you deserve due to someone else's negligence. The more you know about personal injury cases and hiring an attorney, the less stressful this time will be.
We've created this website to offer basic personal injury law advice for anyone who has been injured or who may become injured in the future. Keep in mind that if you've been injured in a car accident, due to medical neglect, or even by slipping in someone else's parking lot, your case qualifies a personal injury case — and thus you'll find our collection of articles relevant.
Some workplace injuries are not resolved as easily as others. If you are having to fight the workers' comp insurer for the benefits you know you deserve, more work is needed before you get paid. The time between the benefit denial and getting paid can be tense and unpleasant but knowing what to expect may help immeasurably. Read on to find out more about one way of coping with workers' comp issues: mediation.
How Did You Get Here?
If you are wondering about workers' comp mediation, chances are something went wrong with your claim. Workers' comp coverage is far from guaranteed and you may have to struggle to be paid the benefits you deserve. Carriers can deny claims for reasons that vary from serious misinterpretations of the accident situation to allegations of preexisting conditions or drug use on the job. All injured or ill workers are entitled to a claim denial appeal process and part of that process, increasingly, involves participating in mediation.
Preparing Yourself for Mediation
While mediation is not as formal as coming before a state board, it pays to be ready to take part. In most cases, hurt workers have no choice but to attend mediation sessions. The purpose of mediation is to give the workers' comp insurers (and you) one last opportunity to work things out and come to an agreement. For example, you may need a settlement that covers you due to a permanent injury and the amount of the settlement is in dispute. To get ready for this and other board hearings, take the below actions:
- Get an attorney. If you are not able to work at your job and you are being denied your rightful benefits, things have already gotten serious. A workers' comp lawyer understands the intricacies of the law, your rights, how much insurers usually end up paying, and how to get you that money.
- Go over the details of the accident or the discovery of your illness again. Review your paperwork, claim forms, any journal entries, your medical records, and all correspondence about your case.
- Make a list of the ways the work injury has affected you and continues to do so. Explore your pain level and how difficult life outside of your job has become.
- Your lawyer will be by your side during mediation talks and can advise you privately when a good deal or compromise is being presented. That takes the pressure off you and places it with a professional.
- Once an agreement is reached, your case is over. If no agreement is reached, the case continues to a series of hearings. Let your lawyer guide you through the process.
Speak to a workers' compensation lawyer today for more information.