Have you or a loved one been injured at work? Check out these 4 workers compensation tips for guidance, then call our Gilbert lawyers today.
1. Disability Retirement Benefits
Can they qualify for both workers’ compensation benefits and Social Security Disability benefits? If you talk to Daniel Garza, our workers’ compensation attorney, he’ll advise you the answer is yes; however, it’s a complex situation. If you’re already getting one or the other, you definitely want to call and talk to Daniel about your specific situation.
Why? Because Social Security Disability will be able generally to claim in the offset for your workers’ compensation benefits. There are ways to structure things so that your benefits can either be maintained or increased or have more come out in your favor. Some of them are complicated, so that’s a reason that you need – if you’re already getting Social Security Disability or you’ve been off work for more than a year and you could be eligible, that’s a reason to call our law firm and talk to Daniel Garza. He can advise in your specific case what other measures could be taken to preserve both of your benefits so it’s maximized in your favor. Remember, the call is free; the information is free. The person who can benefit the most is you.
2. Seeing the Company Doctor for a Work Injury
The question comes up, almost in case after case for people who are injured on the job, whether you have to see the company doctor if you’ve been injured on the job in Arizona.
If you talk to our workers’ compensation attorney, Daniel Garza, what he’ll tell you is, yes, one of the rules in Arizona is that you do need to see your company doctor at least once. Now, if your company is self-insured, it’s more. They have the right to choose the doctor for you forever, for life. We have clients in that situation who still aren’t getting the care they need. That’s tough. That’s an important reason to call and talk to Daniel Garza, our workers’ compensation attorney.
Generally, for most people, they only have to see their company doctor once. Here’s something that Daniel Garza will tell you that the company doctor doesn’t let you know and your own company doesn’t let you know generally. That is, if you only see the company doctor once, you can go choose your own doctor after that.
Call us, and we’ll give you a referral to great doctors who are private doctors who don’t work generally for insurance companies and don’t work generally for employers. They just work for your benefit. There are not a lot of those doctors out there— private doctors who will work with the workmen’s compensation system.
We have great doctors. They have enough patients that they’re willing to see our clients. We’ll refer you to great doctors who will accept the workmen’s comp benefits and they’ll give you care that’s focused on you instead of just what’s going to necessarily benefit the insurance company or the employer.
The other rule that your employer doesn’t tell you is if you go see the doctor twice, then you’re at least for the short-term stuck with the company doctor. Now, if the company doctor is doing a good job taking care of you, okay. Often, we get calls from people going, oh my gosh, this doctor said I’m fine. I need to get back to work and I’m in excruciating pain. What can I do? In that situation, you made the right first step. You made a call to us.
Talk to our workers’ compensation attorney, Daniel Garza, and we can refer you to those private doctors. When they see you, if they find things that the company doctor missed, they do MRIs, more studies the company doctor didn’t do, then they can file what’s called a change of doctor request. Most of the time, those are approved. Then you can start getting the care that’s really what probably could have benefited you from the beginning, but at least you get it now.
That’s another reason. If you feel stuck and locked into seeing the company doctor, they’re not giving the care you need, call us. The call is free; the information is free; the referrals are free. The person who’s going to benefit health-wise and financially is you.
3. Wage Replacement
Clients call and ask our workers’ comp attorney, Daniel Garza, that question all the time. Generally, he’s going to advise you that in that situation, you can qualify for temporary partial disability depending again on the stage of your case. If you want to know how that applies to your case in particular, that’s perfectly why you need to call and talk to our Daniel Garza, our workers’ compensation attorney. He’ll advise you how that applies to your specific case.
A very common situation is you’ve seen the company doctor. The company doctor, after a little bit of treatment, says, okay, I’m going to release you to go back with light duty. You go back on light duty and either there’s not as much available for you or you’re not paid the same and so your earnings are reduced. That’s a very common situation. If that’s what’s happening, call us. Talk to Daniel Garza. He’ll be happy to share his 20 years’ experience with you.
If your medical care isn’t really what you need, we can refer you to private doctors who don’t work principally for insurance companies and don’t work principally for employers. There’s not a lot of those doctors out there. They’re going to look out for your own interests first. That can result in you getting higher benefits and more long-term rewards. Remember, the call to us is free; the information is free. The person who’s going to benefit the most by making the call the earliest is always you.
4. Eligible for Unemployment Insurance Benefits
If you talk to Daniel Garza, our workers’ compensation attorney, he’ll say sure, but there’s often a credit for the benefits, so it’s not a situation where you’re going to get double or triple, but it can definitely increase your overall benefits. You have any questions about whether that calculation has been made accurately, that’s a reason to call. Talk to our workers’ compensation attorney, Daniel Garza. The call is free, the information’s free, double checking that you got the right amount of benefits is free, and the person who can benefit the most is you.
Have you or a loved one been injured at work and have questions about these 4 workers compensation tips? Contact experienced Gilbert Workers Compensation Lawyers at Free Injury Legal Advice today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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