subject: Know How Workers Compensation Attorneys Handle Workers Compensation Cases [print this page] Here is how workers compensation attorneys handle workers compensation cases. Your workers compensation lawyer is on your side. The people in the workers compensation system try to limit their payout. They are not your friends.
Your attorney has a lot of experience and knowledge of the system. He has many dealings with the system, whereas this is probably your first contact with the workers compensation system. So you will want to follow his directions and instructions.
One attorney offers this advice if you have to go through an independent medical exam. The insurance company may order this exam which is called independent, but they hire the doctors to perform the examination. The purpose of the exam is to determine if you qualify for further medical benefits, or if you should go back to work.
The insurance company compensates the doctors, they usually pay them several hundred dollars for the time they spend examining you. The doctor will treat you politely, but keep in mind he is not your friend.
Note the time and place of your exam. If you miss the appointment, your coverage could be terminated. One client, the lawyer reports, went to the place of the exam, which was in a clinic is a back alley, at the right time and found that the office staff and the doctor had no idea of the appointment.
Retain a copy of the exam notice, and the envelope it was sent it. Bring a friend to the examination with you. Have your friend video record the examination if the law in your area allows video taping. The lawyer reports that in many instances what the report states and what the doctor said during the exam conflict.
The attorney has had clients return to his office and report that the doctor spent less than two minutes with him but yet produced a six page report that in essence stated that he should be denied further benefits. When someone is being video taped he or she will more likely conform to the law.
If someone is not available to go with you to the exam, record everything that goes on in the exam. Write down everything the doctor says in the examination. Note the time the exam began and when it ended.
Do not let the doctor or his or her staff intimidate you. The doctor is not there to help you, he is there to help the insurance company.
The attorney reminds you that you must not fake an injury. If you show up at the exam with a neck brace and crutches and then throw them out after the exam, the insurance company will discover your ruse, and you will be denied your claim. You might also be charged with a felony if you attempt to fake a claim.
Workers compensation is there to get you the treatment you need. Your workers compensation lawyer is there to help you throughout the claims process. Trust him to help you get the benefits you deserve.
