Reviewing the relevance of workers’ compensation lawyers in Virginia
An unfortunate accident at work can halt your life. The workers’ compensation system is intended to help injured workers recover compensation for their suffering and losses. Right after an accident, you are required to inform the employer. The employee is also responsible for filing the claim Form with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. It is also the responsibility of the injured worker to pursue their claim and prove that they were injured at work. The workers’ compensation system also covers job-related illnesses, and in such cases, the employer must be informed within 30 days from the day of diagnosis.
Should you consider hiring a Virginia workers’ compensation lawyer? In this post, we are sharing more on how an experience lawyer can help.
Role of workers’ compensation lawyers
You have the choice of pursuing the claim on your own. However, you should consider hiring an attorney, so that you don’t have to deal with the work involved in filing workers’ compensation claims. Your lawyer can get to work, when you cannot. A lawyer can do the following.
- Manage the paperwork. Your lawyer will take over the paperwork involved in filing the workers’ compensation claim. Also, when you meet an attorney for the first time, you can expect them to offer a fair overview of the case and what to expect in terms of compensation. Your lawyer will ask for evidence and details that will matter for winning the claim.
- Handling evidence and more. Once the lawyer starts working on your workers’ compensation claim, thy will talk to medical experts, co-workers, get medical records and look for information that will build the case. The lawyer will also talk to the witnesses and get statements where necessary.
- Dealing with insurance companies. Insurers are always looking for ways to reduce their financial burden. As such, you cannot expect the claims adjuster to be empathetic to your situation. Your workers’ compensation lawyer will negotiate on your behalf, so that you don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve.
If your claim is denied, your lawyer is in charge of representing you before Workers Compensation Commission. Since you are not in a great financial position right away, your lawyer may advance costs on your behalf.
Depending on the facts of the case, a workers’ compensation lawyer may choose to work on a contingency basis. They will typically charge a fixed percentage of the settlement amount, but you can discuss further on what works best for both sides.
