Applying for Workers’ Compensation in Florence

When you are injured at work, you have the right to file for workers’ compensation benefits. Your employer and/or their insurance company has an obligation to inform you of this right but they do not always come through. It is wise to work with a knowledgeable workers’ comp attorney who can assist you in applying for workers’ compensation in Florence.

What is Required to File for Workers’ Compensation?

There is not a formal application process to begin a workers’ compensation claim in Florence. Once someone is injured at work, the duty to file the claim actually falls upon the employer, who has to notify the Department of Labor and their insurance carrier that one of their employees has sustained an injury. It is then up to the employer and/or the insurance carrier to contact the injured worker and notify them of their right to seek treatment and receive benefits if they are going to be out of work for a prolonged period of time.

However, oftentimes the employer does not follow through with that responsibility and the employee is left in the dark about what their options are. An injured worker should not wait for the employer or insurance company to reach out about their potential claim. They should contact a lawyer right away.

The Difficulties of Applying for Compensation

An injured worker has many concerns after an accident, such as:

The prospect of missing long periods of time from work
Not having the typical stream of income that they are used to
Having to travel to and from medical appointments
Various surgeries or therapies that they need to undergo

That should be their central focus, so that they can get better and continue providing for their family. It should not be their responsibility or their principal concern to worry about the complexities of the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Act, what types of benefits they might be entitled to, or how to maximize those benefits. A lawyer serves as a partner in that process, freeing up the injured individual to focus on their family and their recovery.

It is also critically important not to speak with the employer or an insurance adjuster about the accident before consulting with a lawyer, so as to not reveal information that might hurt their claim.

Resources Available to a Lawyer

The most important resource that an attorney has is their experience and understanding of the law, especially in regards to applying for workers’ comp benefits in Florence.

In most circumstances, insurance companies are looking out for their own best interest and trying to lessen the amount of money that they are going to have to pay to the injured worker. A lawyer who has vast experience with workers’ comp claims understands the direction that the insurance company is trying to take or the types of arguments that they might make to achieve that end. As a result, the worker might be denied or stripped of benefits that they are otherwise entitled to. It is critically important that they hire an attorney with many years of experience and who has an understanding of how this system works.

Consult with an Attorney About Applying for Workers’ Compensation in Florence

The most important step that is necessary to begin the worker’s compensation claim process is hiring an attorney so that he can contact the employer and the insurance company, and let them know that the injured worker intends to pursue a claim, seek treatment, and receive benefits. If there is no formal communication or discussion with the employer or insurance carrier, these claims sometimes will go unnoticed. This means the injured worker is left waiting to receive approval for treatment and benefits.