A workplace injury can happen suddenly and quickly change your life, especially if you need to take time off to recover and heal. Before you turn to a workers comp attorney Portland Oregon for guidance, there are several steps you should take to protect your best interests, get the care you need, and ensure you are able to make a complete recovery.Â
1. Tell Your Employer
Tell your employer as soon as you can about the accident or situation that caused the injury. If the injury is due to a repetitive situation that caused your injury or illness, let your employer know as soon as you are able.
2. See a Doctor
If your injury requires immediate medical assistance, take care of your health first before contacting your employer. If your workplace injury does not require emergency medical care, go to your appointment and let the treating physician know your injury happened at work.
3. Give Your Employer Written Notice
Your employer probably already knows about your workplace injury at this point, especially if you received emergency medical care. However, you need to let your employer know about the injury in written form soon after the accident occurs. Keep a copy of this letter for your records to ensure your employer cannot claim they remained unnotified about what occurred.
4. Document Everything
To claim workers’ compensation benefits, there are many forms and types of documentation you will have to complete and provide. For this reason, it is essential that you document and keep everything related to your injury. For example, when you go to a doctor appointment to treat your injury, ask your doctor for a formal report. You should also document how much work you missed, what you paid to treat your injury, what kind of symptoms you experience, and any other form of information related to treating or recovering from the accident.