How long will my workers’ compensation claim take?

Suffering a severe burn, broken bone, or another significant work injury can leave an employee extremely vulnerable. Loss of income, medical bills, and other costs of recovery can wrack up a major bill. Workers’ compensation is meant to offer victims the funds they need to cover the costs of their injury and recover from their wounds, but how long will it take for those funds to arrive?

The cost of an injury can cost tens of thousands of dollars. There is a lot of procedural red tape that can delay a much-needed settlement, so how long does a victim need to wait to receive what they need to recover?

The payment process

There is a long road of steps that starts with a workplace injury and ends with the victim receiving compensation. The steps along the way usual entail:

1. The employee reports the injury to their employer
2. The employer gives the proper paperwork to the victim
3. The employer submits the paperwork and starts the claim
4. The insurance company accepts or rejects the claim
   1. If they accept the claim, negotiations over a fair settlement begin
   2. If they reject the claim, the victim can begin an appeal
5. The employee recovers and returns to the job

While this list is short, each step can take weeks or months to complete before moving on to the next step. When something difficult like settlement negotiations or claim appeals appears, it can make receiving compensation take months or years.

You do not have to wait so long

An experienced workers’ compensation attorney knows how to expedite the claims process. Victims of a workplace accident should arm themselves with experienced legal representation to make sure they get the best possible outcome in the shortest possible timeline.