A serious workplace injury or illness may leave you incapacitated for weeks or months. You may have to spend time in a hospital or rehabilitation center and require physical therapy once you’re at home. It’s important to focus on your health and recovery after a workplace accident. You shouldn’t have to worry about paying medical bills, putting food on the table, or wasting your time arguing with insurance companies or contesting denied workers’ compensation claims.
You earned your workers’ compensation through years of hard work. Workers’ compensation should provide you the financial support to recover your health. Yet, disputes about workers’ compensation claims and benefits often arise and can complicate your recovery.
Injured on the Job? Contact Our Workplace Accident Lawyers
The Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation system is designed to ensure that workers who are injured on the job receive paid medical treatment and compensation for lost wages after being fully or partly incapacitated for five days. The experienced workers’ compensation lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., based in Boston, Massachusetts, can help you obtain your full benefits after a workplace accident.
For a free case evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online or call us toll free at (800) 367-0871 to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C. We have more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of individuals injured in the course of their employment.
Our workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., help injured workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth and Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.
How Workers’ Compensation Benefits Affect Your Recovery
One of the most important steps to recovery after a workplace accident is choosing a doctor. You have a legal right to be treated by the doctor of your choice so long as he or she accepts workers’ compensation insurance. Some injured workers mistakenly assume they have to see only the employer’s designated doctor. If your employer has a preferred provider plan, you will need to go for the initial evaluation to the employer’s doctor. Then you may choose the doctor who directs your recovery and decides when you are well enough to return to work.
The length of your recovery from a workplace injury and your time off work will depend on the type of workplace injury you have. Many injuries may require extensive physical therapy to recover such as:
Some injuries require physical therapy and vocational re-training (another workers’ compensation benefit) if you are unable to return to your former duties which include:
If your work-related injury results in a permanent loss of function, scaring or disfigurement, you may be entitled to compensation for that function loss or scar. Some injuries may be less visible, but are no less serious, such as:
Obtaining the full benefits for these types of workplace injuries may require a skilled workers’ compensation attorney to assert your legal rights and present medical evidence to support your claim.
Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Claims
Workers’ compensation claims administrators are required under Massachusetts law to have an oversight process called utilization review to monitor treatment for injured and ill employees and determine if the treatment is medically necessary and effective. Utilization review is used to decide whether to pay for treatment recommended by your treating doctor. You and your doctor may appeal if the insurance carrier declines to pay for your treatment based on a utilization review determination.
Massachusetts has medical treatment guidelines that offer guidance to doctors, insurers and utilization review agents about what falls within the acceptable scope of treatment. In some instances, the insurance carrier may negotiate a payment with the doctor for services. There are ways to negotiate the payment of a costly surgery, and a knowledgeable workers’ compensation lawyer at Kantrovitz & Associates can assist you.
If the workers’ compensation insurer accepts your claim, you should start receiving a check within three to four weeks after your workplace injury or illness. If the insurer decides to deny your claim, the insurer must send you a notification of denial and inform you of the reason for the denial and right to appeal. Keep in mind that if you hire a workers’ compensation attorney because you have been denied benefits, Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation law states that the workers’ compensation insurer will pay the majority of your attorneys’ fees.
In Massachusetts, the Department of Industrial Accidents serves as a court to resolve disputed workers’ compensation claims. If the insurer denies your claim or you do not receive all your entitled benefits, a judge at the Department of Industrial Accidents will hear your claim and make a decision. The judge’s decision can be appealed to a review board. Workers’ compensation law is complex, and it’s important to have a knowledgeable workplace injury attorney advocating for your interests during this legal process.
Your compensation after a workplace injury is based on your degree of incapacity. You may be eligible for temporary total incapacity benefits, partial incapacity benefits, permanent and total incapacity benefits, permanent loss of function and disfigurement benefits, medical benefits, and vocational rehabilitation benefits. We can advise you on the best strategy for obtaining workers’ compensation benefits after a workplace injury.
Contact Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Today
While many Massachusetts lawyers practice in a number of different areas of the law, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., concentrate exclusively in the area of workers’ compensation. Our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys have more than 20 years of experience in all types of workplace injury cases — and we can help you.
We believe in a hands-on approach, providing individual attention to each and every client. We do not pass off cases to other Massachusetts law firms or to junior associates. A client will have the same attorney handling his or her claim from start to conclusion.
Our workplace accident attorneys believe strongly that all clients should be well educated with respect to the laws and should be active participants in all facets of their workers’ compensation claim. We are ready to answer workplace injury questions from workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth and Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.
For a free, no obligation evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online. The workers’ compensation lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates are here to help victims of workplace injuries. You may also call us toll free at (800) 367-0871.
