What Are the Steps You Should Take When You Are Injured at Work?

If the injury is severe, call 911 for an emergency response team to take you to the hospital. This is especially important if you have any injuries to the head or spine or broken limbs. Speed is essential to getting you help to avoid permanent damages.

If your injuries are less severe, you may choose to go to an urgent care clinic to get wounds clean up and protected from further injury or infection. Inform your manager at work that you have been injured and possibly need help to get to the urgent care clinic.

At the earliest moment when you can think more coherently, gather up your information that you will need to file a claim with workers’ compensation. Among the documents that you will need are the following:

• A personal statement about how your work-related accident or illness occurred;
• Note the date and time of day when the event occurred;
• Statements from witnesses, or at least their names, who saw how your accident happened;
• Statement of symptoms and pain that you currently have and give detailed descriptions of your injuries;
• A copy of the Workers and Physician’s Report of Injury Form completed by your attending doctor and yourself. You can find a copy here. Your doctor will send this into the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) within eight days. Make sure you get your own copy of this for your records.

When you have your information, you can go to this ICA website to fill out the report online under the “Sign and Submit Form” link. Make a copy of your form before sending it off.

You can also download the second form, listed underneath, to your printer and fill it out at home and send it in by registered postal service. Always send your mail certified delivery so that you have evidence of sending it, and that someone received it at the other end.

While you have up to a year to file your claim, sooner is better, especially if you will need salary-replacement benefits quickly because you are now laid off with your injuries. Never procrastinate in filing the claim as you may think at first that you can bravely work through your injuries. In some cases, further injuries become apparent after a few days, a week, or even a month later.

When You Are Home Alone or Have Very Limited Home Care Available

If you have limited to no care available while you are recuperating at home, there are services available to you that can set you up with in-home care. You may be eligible for Medicaid, depending on your circumstances, which will provide you with this care.

If you have someone who can care for you as a caregiver, training can be provided on how to process timesheets, billings to Medicaid, and payroll. Always make copies of everything before sending your paperwork out. Consumer Direct Care Network is one such place to contact, with multiple offices in different Arizona cities. Call 888-398-8409. You can also call 888-541-1701 for more urgent medical matters.

Your supervisor can also call an organization named Company Nurse to report injuries where your supervisor can speak with a triage nurse about your injuries. Your employer must be a member though to access the service — Call 888-817-9282 for more information. The service was developed to avoid unnecessary workers’ compensation billings and to make certain charges and medical care are directly applicable to the injury. The service is available by phone 24/7/365.

If your injuries are severe, you will go straight to the nearest emergency hospital center rather than wait for any information.

If you need help with your workers’ compensation claim, call us at once for a consultation. 602-346-9009.