Understanding Virginia’s Workers’ Comp Benefit Claim Form

A workplace injury can really throw your life off track. Depending on the seriousness, you may be unable to work while you are healing and that can lead to significant financial pressures. That?s why it is so important to follow the procedures required by the state Workers’ Compensation law?including properly filling out Virginia?s Workers’ Comp Benefit Claim Form.

If you were injured at work during the course of your duties and need benefits, you are required by law to file a claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. Entering the workers’ comp system, especially if you?ve never been hurt at work before, can be intimidating. But the injury attorneys at Lugar Injury Law can help guide you through the process?from claim filing to benefits award. By scheduling a free consultation with us, we can work with you to protect your rights and get you all the compensation you deserve. contact us today at (540) 523-1633 today for your appointment.

Process If You Are Injured at Work

The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act exists so that employees hurt on the job can get the medical and wage loss help they need without having to sue their employers in civil court. Employers pay for workers’ comp insurance so that funds are readily available to cover workplace injuries. Benefits you may be entitled to include:

• Lifetime medical: pays for present and future medical treatment and expenses
• Temporary Total Disability (TTD): pays wages lost while unable to work
• Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): replaces wages while partially out of work, such as for light-duty
• Permanent Partial Disability (PPD): compensation for loss of a body part, amputation, disfigurement/scarring, loss of senses, loss of full use of a body part (backs are not rateable)
• Medical Expenses: pays medical bills or expenses such as for prescriptions or mileage to medical appointments
• Death Benefits: pays or reimburses for funeral expenses or wage loss replacement for survivors

To receive any of these benefits you must first file a claim form. The first section of the form will ask for your personal information, such as name, address, phone number, and gross weekly earnings. You will also fill in the name of your company, its address, and phone number.
In the second section, titled ?Injury,? you must provide the date of injury, where it occurred, what parts of the body are involved, and how it happened. If you suffer from an occupational disease, you must name it, put in the last day you worked, and the date a doctor said your disease was caused by work.

The final section is your ?Request for Benefits.? This section is where the help of one of our workers’ comp attorneys can be very beneficial. There are checkboxes asking what workers’ comp benefits you need. If you are not sure, our lawyers can help you fill in this portion. If you are denied benefits by the employer for some reason, the claim form will serve as your hearing request.

Finally, at the bottom of the form you will sign that you are filing the claim to protect your right to benefits under the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act for the injury or disease you wrote down in the ?Injury? section.

The form can be found online and filed via the internet, or you can print off the form, fill it out, and then fax, mail, or drop off in person at a local workers’ comp office.

An experienced workers compensation attorney can file a claim for you as well.

Additional Procedures for Workers’ Comp in Virginia

Keep in mind that beside following the requirements of the workers’ comp system in filing a claim, you are required to report the injury to your company through your supervisor. It is always best to do this in writing with a copy of the notice saved for your own records.

It definitely does not hurt to follow the exact procedure outlined in your company handbook regarding reporting your injury when you are hurt on the job. You may be required to alert your employer as soon as possible of the accident (this is always beneficial as it lends legitimacy to your claim), and perhaps fill out a form that provides all the information about where you were, how it occurred, and details about your injury (get a copy of a report you fill out). In addition, the form may ask if there were any witnesses to the incident.

To give yourself the best chance of the greatest compensation recovery, do not neglect the important step of following your employer?s procedures for workplace injuries ? they will be looking at any excuse not to pay, well some of them do (maybe the bad apples spoil the peck).

Let Us Help with Your Virginia’s Workers’ Comp Benefit Claim Form

Getting injured on the job can be physically, emotionally, and financially stressful. The first step is to properly fill out a Virginia Workers’ Comp Benefit Claim form to protect your rights or have an attorney assist you in claiming your entitled benefits. Also, you need to report the injury to your employer and it is best to follow your employer?s procedures for reporting workplace injuries. The good news is that the Roanoke injury attorneys of Lugar Injury Law have years of experience helping employees hurt on the job get the benefits they deserve. If you?d like to discuss your workplace injury with us, contact us today at (540) 523-1633 to schedule your free consultation.