If you sustained an injury, illness, or disease on the job or within the scope of your employment, it’s more likely you will file a worker’s compensation claim. You will need medical expenses, among other costs, to ensure you regain your health back. It becomes challenging to come up with the fees, especially those you may incur in the future concerning your injuries. Unless you have an experienced attorney who has dealt with such cases, you may drain financially. If you realize you made a mistake after signing a worker’s compensation settlement agreement, this cannot be undone. This brings about the importance of having legal representation.
When Do I Need A Lawyer?
One of the biggest questions among employees is whether one can work it alone in a worker’s compensation claim or hire a lawyer. For some cases, such as having missed a few days of work or having a minor bruise, one may walk over without requiring much legal attention. But even in such circumstances, such cases have been known to escalate and cause issues. Thus, choosing to work with the best lawyers in Anchorage would be a good idea. The fact is that most of the workers’ compensation lawyers work on a contingency basis. They don’t get paid unless a client wins. They can ensure you get the benefits you deserve. For the benefits, you have two options to choose from:
- Whether to negotiate a settlement with your employer
- Whether to go to trial and have a judge or jury decide over your case
If you have suffered an injury and wondering where to hire a lawyer or not, you may consider the below options:
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The settlement offered is not enough to cover your medical expenses and lost wages:
Though the workers’ compensation benefits are decided upon by a judge, the payment may not be fair to you. If you want the best settlement, you may consider having a lawyer fight over your case.
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There is too much delay in paying your benefits:
One of the main reasons there may be a delay is if there is a possibility of your workers compensation claim being denied. It’s uncommon for most employers to pay claims without bringing up unreasonable issues about the injury suffered.
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When your employer wants you to get back to the job, and you have not fully recovered:
Most of the time, workers fear that they may lose their job. While this may be true, failing to act won’t help either. Your health comes first. A lawyer may ensure you get the right medical report to show how serious your injuries are and the time needed for rest.
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You have been wrongfully dismissed:
It’s not uncommon for your employer to discriminate against you because you took a step to file a workers compensation claim. In such a case, you need to protect your rights, such as ensuring you don’t lose your job.
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The injuries suffered were severe such as to keep you from going back to your previous position:
In such a case, your lawyer may fight for your temporary or permanent disability. Cases involving disability are challenging and require a workers’ compensation lawyer to determine whether your claim is valid.
How Much Will A Workers Compensation lawyer Charge?
It’s vital to understand how much your lawyer may charge for workers’ compensation cases. As mentioned earlier, any work will be done on a contingency basis. Meaning, if your case wins, then your lawyer takes up a certain percentage of the compensation. In this way, a client receives the right legal representation. Every case is different. The amount to be charged mainly depends on:
- The nature of the case or how complicated the case was
- The time spent working on the case.
- The amount awarded if the case is successful
According to statistics, most lawyers get between 15% – 20% of the workers’ comp benefits. The best part is that every state regulates the amount a lawyer receives in a workers’ compensation case. During the initial consultation, a lawyer should be able to explain the amount they are likely to charge for a given case. However, one may negotiate the fees before having the final agreement. Remember that for any amount the lawyer may have used to hire experts, make copies of your medical records, or any other expenses, this amount will be deducted from the settlement received.
Choosing To Work With An Experienced Workers Compensation Attorney
If you have been injured at work, you’re entitled to file a claim. The fact is that workers’ compensation awards have legal consequences. Also, it’s hard to decide whether to accept a settlement from your employer or head to court and have the judge preside over your case. Therefore, choosing to have legal representation from an experienced worker compensation lawyer would be the best decision to make. He/she can help you estimate what amount may be equal to the injury or losses you have suffered.
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