Workers' Compensation Lawyer: What Are They And When Do You Need One

Getting injured at work usually qualifies someone for workers' compensation. Sometimes, businesses will refuse to give an employee the benefits of workers' compensation. If this happens, you can hire a workers' compensation lawyer to help you get the benefits you deserve. 

What Is Workers' Compensation?

Workers' compensation is a form of insurance that all businesses are required to have. Providing workers' compensation insurance benefits to employees in the event of an accident also takes away their right to sue the employer for negligence. 

Under workers' compensation insurance, an employee receives some of the following benefits:

• Wage loss reimbursement 
• Covered medical bills
• Right to your old job or a better-suited job at a similar income (if injured)

What Is a Workers' Compensation Lawyer?

A workers' compensation lawyer is the type of lawyer you will want to look into and/or hire if you believe you are not receiving the proper benefits after being injured in the workplace. A workers' comp lawyer specializes in these cases and has become an expert on the workers' comp laws. 

What Does a Workers' Compensation Lawyer Do?

A workers' comp lawyer will do some of the following to help you:

• Communicate with insurance companies
• Communicate with medical professionals
• Represent you at a hearing
• Assistance with claim paperwork
• Gather any needed documents
• Prove a disability or inability to work
• Appeal a claim denial
• Fight retaliation from an employer

Your workers' comp lawyer has your best interests at heart, but so should your employer. 

When To Hire a Workers' Compensation Lawyer

If you plan to use a workers' comp lawyer, it's crucial to hire one as soon as possible. This allows your lawyer to become as familiar as possible with your case. 

Specific reasons you may want to hire a workers' compensation lawyer can include:

• Your claim is being delayed 
• Your employer says the accident did not occur at work
• You've become disabled
• Your claim is denied
• Your employer doesn't have your best interests in mind

Cost of a Workers' Compensation Lawyer

The cost of a workers' compensation lawyer will vary from case to case. It's common for workers' comp lawyers to represent clients on a contingency fee basis. This means if you lose the case, you will not have to pay your lawyer anything. If you win the case, your lawyer will be owed a certain percentage of the money won. For example, if you agreed upon a 10% contingency fee and you win $10,000 from the case, you would owe your lawyer $1,000.