Has a Workplace Injury Made You Eligible for Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
Every seven seconds in the U.S., a worker is injured on the job. If you sustain a workplace injury in the State of Kansas, you will probably qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, but you may need to be advised and represented by a Kansas workers’ compensation lawyer.
In all fifty states, construction is the most dangerous line of work. Falls and falling objects are always construction site hazards. Workers can be crushed by equipment or by collapsing structures. They often work around electrical wiring and may also be exposed to toxic chemicals.
But no line of work is completely hazard-free. Office employees, for example, may sustain injuries in slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall incidents or in accidents involving electricity or office equipment. Job safety must be a priority for every employer and working person in Kansas.
What Are the Most Common Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses?
In 2021, private employers in Kansas reported more than 24,000 nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses. The most common work-related injuries and illnesses are:
physical injuries that include spinal cord injuries, skull fractures, brain injuries, bone fractures, burns, ruptures, tendon tears, bone contusions, strains, welts, lacerations, and injuries that require amputation
repetitive stress injuries that include tendon tears, spinal stress fractures, and carpal tunnel syndrome
occupational illnesses that include silicosis, pneumonitis, asbestosis, mesothelioma, occupational asthma, and illnesses caused by exposure to toxic substances
Workers in Kansas who seek workers’ compensation benefits for a psychological injury must demonstrate a related physical trauma. If you struggle with the psychological side effects of a work-related injury, discuss your case at once with a Kansas workers’ compensation attorney.
What is the Filing Deadline for Workers’ Comp Benefits?
If you are injured at work, seek medical assistance immediately, and as soon as you have been examined and treated for your injury, report the injury to your employer. If your employer has you complete an accident report form, make and keep a copy for yourself.
In Kansas, workers’ compensation is an insurance program regulated by the state for the benefit of injured workers, who have only twenty days after a workplace injury to submit a workers’ comp claim. This is a strict deadline that is almost never extended.
Even if you are eligible for workers’ comp benefits, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company may deny your claim, and you will need to ask a Kansas workers’ compensation lawyer to help you obtain the benefits that you are entitled to by law.
When Should You Reach Out to a Workers’ Comp Attorney?
Workers’ compensation insurance companies are like other insurance companies. The company profits by paying less in benefits than it receives in premiums. This means that in some cases, legitimate workers’ compensation claims are denied.
If your injury claim is denied, if you are facing long-term medical care and treatment for a serious injury, or if you don’t know when you will be healthy enough to return to work, you should consult a Kansas workers’ compensation attorney as early as possible.
Your attorney may consult financial and medical experts to calculate what your future medical costs will be, and your attorney will then negotiate for a settlement that will cover all of your injury-related medical expenses. If necessary, your attorney will represent you at a workers’ compensation hearing.
How Can You Choose the Right Attorney?
Since 1999, the award-winning attorneys at Mann Wyatt Tanksley have aggressively defended the rights of those injured by someone else’s negligence in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
If you’ve been injured at work, your first consultation with an attorney at Mann Wyatt Tanksley is provided without any obligation or cost. You will owe Mann Wyatt Tanksley no attorney’s fee until we prevail on your behalf.
If you are injured at work, or if that happens to you in the future, and if your workers’ comp payments are delayed or denied, call Mann Wyatt Tanksley at 877-388-8555, and let an experienced workers’ compensation attorney put the law to work for you.
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