- The first step after getting hurt at work is to report the injury to your boss. Your employer will need to fill out a form and file it with their insurance carrier. Their insurance carrier will notify the Utah Labor Commission. The employer should have their insurance company begin to pay for any related medical bills as soon as they make the determination that the injury is compensable.
- The second step is that the employer will have the injured worker see a designated medical provider. That doctor will examine the injury and provide the insurance company and Labor Commission with a report. The worker should receive a copy as well. Once the employee has been seen by the doctor, the insurance carrier should either open the claim for benefits or deny the claim within 21 days.
- If the claim is accepted the injured worker should not have to pay anything at all towards medical bills. If the employee is not seriously hurt, and has no other claims, an attorney is likely not needed.
- If the claim is denied, the injured worker has the ability to apply for a hearing with the Labor Commission. There, an administrative law judge will decide whether the claim is compensable or not. If an injured worker has a claim denied, speaking with a work injury attorney is the prudent option. It may be difficult to do well at the hearing when matched up against the team of attorneys sent by the insurance carrier. It is their job to keep their costs low.
- If the claim is accepted, there are potentially four other types of claims that the injured worker should be compensated for. They all require a different set of facts in order to be compensable. For more information on the different types of workers’ compensation claims in Utah. If you still have questions, contact an experienced work injury lawyer in St. George, Utah.
- If an injured employee is struggling to receive medical care while waiting on a liability determination, he or she can use his or her own private health insurance. In those instances, the private health insurance company would then have a claim against the work comp insurance carrier and could seek reimbursement accordingly.
In summary, whether in Cedar City, Mesquite Nevada, or St. George, Utah, workers comp cases start out pretty simply. As they go on, and the bills stack up, the process becomes increasingly more complicated.
