You’ve just suffered a workplace injury—what is the next step? Do you seek medical treatment or do you wait for the O.K. from your employer? When you’re injured on the job, the last thing you want to worry about is the complex process of filing a workers’ compensation claim—that’s where I come in.
Many callers and clients ask me what should they do following a work injury, and these are the steps I tell them to follow:
Step 1: Notify your employer about your injury or illness.
If you experience an injury that does not require immediate treatment or ambulatory services, inform your employer/supervisor of your injury and what happened. If the workplace accident requires immediately medical attention, you can do this after seeking treatment but you must let the medical professional(s) know it is a work injury.
Step 2: File your workers’ compensation claim by completing a First Report of Injury (FROI).
An FROI is necessary in filing your claim. Your employer will help you file this with your managed care organization (MCO) in person or online. Upon filing the FROI, you will then receive a workers’ compensation claim number and informational packet.
Step 3: Your claim will be investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation within 28 days of filing it.
Within the first 28 days, the BWC will investigate and review your claim to decide if it will be approved or denied. If the claim is approved, you (or the provider) will be reimbursed for any medical expenses due to the injury/illness.
If your claim is denied, you have 14 days to file an appeal.
When you file your claim, you will need to provide the following information:
- Name
- Address
- Accident description
- Employer name
- Workers’ compensation policy number
- Diagnosis provided by medical professional
- Documentation supporting the diagnosis
- Any information regarding the disability resulting from the injury
The quicker you respond to BWC or MCO inquiries, the faster the decision process and benefits will be.
If your claim is denied by the BWC and you have not yet contacted an attorney, I urge you to call me immediately. I will help guide you through the Workers’ Compensation process and fight for the compensation you and our family deserve.
As your Ohio workers’ compensation lawyer, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®