As a roofer, you run a daily risk when working on some of the more dangerous job sites. Roofing replacements make up the biggest of the overall North American roofing market, with over 90% of the market’s volume and value. Even when you wear the right gear, have on the right shoes, and take all the necessary precautions, there are times when you could still get hurt on the job and have to make a worker’s compensation claim with your business. In these cases, you need to know some things to get the treatment and benefits you need and get back to work.
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You Have a Time Frame to File
Don’t spend too much time lingering on whether or not you need help after an injury at work. You only have so many days to file your worker’s compensation claim if you are hurt on the job. Most states have a 90-day requirement to file from the time of injury. In America, 36 states and Washington, D.C. require businesses with one or more employees to provide workers’ compensation insurance in order to operate legally.
If your employer doesn’t have worker’s compensation, then you will need to pursue the assistance of a personal injury lawyer to see what your next step may be. If you live in a state where this is required, then you may have an even bigger case on your hands than you realized. If your state doesn’t require it, then these lawyers will guide you down a different route to get your compensation.
Your Physical Damage Could Be Severe
When you’re first injured, the damage may not seem so bad, and you may return to working that same day. However, you might find on the next day, or in the next few days, that you aren’t operating as you should be and need medical attention. You may need something like skin grafts because of the work done on roof replacement. The most common reasons people receive bone grafts are multiple fractures that don’t heal properly, fusion treatment to allow two bones to heal in a damaged joint, bone regeneration following disease or injury, and for healing purposes.
Benefits Only Come When It’s Approved
Once you file for worker’s compensation coverage, you must wait to get approved for your case before receiving benefits. You can’t come to work and attempt to work with a worker’s compensation case unless your employer allows you to do light duty until the case is reviewed. The benefits that you can receive will include any medical expenses you accrue as a result of the injury, lost wages, illnesses that develop, a new disability that keeps you out of work, or even funeral costs if you are claiming on behalf of a loved one who may have died on the job as a result of an injury.
Be Honest About Medical Damage
Because the benefits can take a while to come in, some who want to claim start to downplay the extent of the damage because they are ready to get back to work or don’t want to seem like they are taking advantage of the situation. However, it’s important to be honest about the medical damage that you have and how it’s currently impacting your ability to do your job. If it’s impacting other areas of your life, you need to let the doctors know so that they can give you the proper treatment and get you back as healthy as possible.
Worker’s compensation insurance is there for you as an employee and is meant to protect you if you’re hurt. Ensure that if your injury was truly the result of a workplace accident you report it and get the help you need. It would be best if you underwent the right treatment for recovery so that you can get back to work and earn a full income sooner rather than later.
