Millions of Americans suffer injuries and illness in the workplace, and if you are a victim, you might be asking yourself whether you’re eligible for workers’ compensation. This situation may be affecting your finances in more ways than one and, depending on the circumstances, you could have your medical bills covered as well as other benefits. You must choose the right lawyer if you want to get maximum compensation and make sure that your rights are protected.
Because each state is different, each state has its own worker’s compensation laws and regulations. For example, Minnesota worker’s Comp is different than the worker’s compensation in Florida. The laws, which are contained in statutes, vary from state to state. In addition, there are special workers’ compensation laws for employees of the federal government, and still others for workers in specific types of industries such as railroad employees.
Let’s take a look at a few questions you should ask your workers’ compensation lawyer.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
The first thing you need to do is ask if you need their help in the first place. If you were only off work for 1 or 2 days because of an injury, you won’t get much from working with a workers’ comp lawyer. However, if your employer refuses to honor your claim or if you have severe injuries that may or may not have permanent consequences, you have to work with a lawyer.
How Familiar Are You with Cases Like These?
The next question you have to ask is if they have experience dealing with your type of case. Ask them what happened and what were the results. Someone already familiar with your type of case will usually be able to get to a faster resolution and a better deal. Ask them how many times they were able to get denied claims overturned and the kind of settlements they were able to get. You have to go with a team that has a high success rate.
The first step is making sure that you work with a firm that specializes in workers’ comp cases. One example is leotrialgroup.com. They have seen thousands of workers’ comp cases and have all the expertise in-house needed to handle them. They know how to work with insurers and how to force employers to pay.
How Often Do You Take Cases to Court?
This is a very important question to ask because some lawyers or law firms will have a tendency to expedite cases that they feel aren’t important and will try to get a settlement even if it’s not beneficial to you. These firms don’t care about you as much as they care about getting more cases.
You have to go with a lawyer and a firm that has a reputation for taking cases all the way when needed. We say when needed because there are cases when a settlement is a good option. You have to go with someone who can negotiate good settlements, but know when you should take the case to trial.
How Much Will This Cost Me?
One thing you should know about workers’ comp lawyers is that they usually work on contingency, meaning that they will only get paid if they win the case. They will take a cut of the final settlement as payment. This can or cannot be capped. In Tennessee, for instance, lawyers aren’t allowed to take more than 20% of a settlement.
These are all things you will need to ask your workers’ comp lawyer before working with them. This will give you a better idea of their expertise and what you can expect.