Injured workers sometimes report incidents as soon as they happen. They file a report with their employer so that they can leave to seek medical care. Many others may avoid drawing attention to their injuries. They don’t want their employer to know that they made a mistake on the production line or feel like they can work through their pain.
They may come home to tell their spouse about what happened without getting any medical care. In that second scenario, a spouse may need to convince a professional that they need to report what happened and pursue workers’ compensation benefits. Some people may insist that they do not want or need to involve their employers in their recovery.
The spouse of an injured worker may need to convince them that they should take action for not only their own protection but also the well-being of the entire family. How can a concerned spouse convince an injured professional to pursue workers’ compensation benefits?
Discuss the limited window of opportunity
Professionals sometimes make the mistake of assuming that they can take action later if their injury worsens or does not improve. However, that is not necessarily the case. Typically, those dealing with serious work injuries have a limited window of opportunity to report the incident to their employer and initiate a workers’ compensation claim.
State law requires that workers notify their employers of the injury within the first 30 days. Failing to take prompt action can leave a worker permanently ineligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Review the financial complications of the injury
A serious work injury or even a moderate one could cause several financial setbacks for the household. The first is the loss of income until the professional returns to work. Workers’ compensation provides disability benefits that replace a portion of a professional’s lost wages while they are away from their job.
Medical benefits can also be valuable. Even if the injured worker has health insurance, the family may have to absorb some of the costs of their treatment. Copays, coinsurance and deductibles can force families to pay thousands for medical care. Workers’ compensation provides medical coverage with no patient responsibility costs.
If an injured worker has to think about the long-term financial implications of privately handling work injury, they may start to see the value in reporting the matter to their employer. As a final note, it may be worth reminding a worker that their employer should not retaliate against them by punishing them or treating them differently because they report the injury and request workers’ compensation benefits.
Spouses concerned about the impact of a work injury may need to express their worries to injured workers so that they take appropriate steps. Workers’ compensation benefits can help the entire family cope with the aftermath of an on-the-job injury.
