If you’ve been injured on the job, a Lafayette workers’ compensation lawer is meant to help you through your recovery and get the support you need. However, navigating the claims process and standing up to scaled-back benefit offers from insurers can feel like an uphill battle on your own.
Knowing when hiring a workers’ compensation attorney makes sense is key. As dedicated advocates for injured workers, the experienced lawyers Laborde Earles have seen first-hand how representation can spell the difference between satisfactory benefits and a frustrating fight to get what you deserve.
Take a look at the main reasons to consider a comp lawyer as you pursue your claim so you understand your rights and options for expert legal assistance from the beginning. Your health and livelihood are too important to forfeit through lack of information or support.
Workman’s Compensation Situations that Could Mean You Need a Lawyer
Here are several scenarios that might require the advice and help of a workers’ compensation attorney:
Claim Denial or Termination of Benefits
If your claim is denied or you’ve been informed your benefits will be terminated, an attorney can help appeal the claim denial or fight benefit termination. They understand the processes for submitting appeals and proving your case with supporting documentation.
Serious Injuries Requiring Complex Care
If you’ve suffered a serious injury like burns, traumatic brain injury, or loss of a limb that requires extensive medical care and will result in long-term disability or lost wages, these complex cases often require expert legal guidance. An attorney ensures all necessary treatment is approved and interprets any complexities in your benefit eligibility.
Serious Injuries Requiring Complex Care
If communication from the insurance adjuster is unclear, inconsistent, or they are unwilling to properly address all approved medically necessary treatment recommendations from doctors, a lawyer can intervene to get comprehensive answers about your claim and enforce coverage of prescribed care.
Disputed Disability Ratings
If you disagree with the impairment/disability percentage assigned by the carrier and feel a higher rating is justified based on limitations and post-injury earnings potential, an attorney can dispute the rating and advocate for a more suitable value based on medical evaluations and standards.
Coverage of Medical Needs
If there are disputes over coverage of certain medical equipment, prescriptions, surgeries or therapies recommended to treat your approved injury, a workers’ comp lawyer helps earn approvals so nothing delays your treatment and recovery process.
Wrongful Denial of Lost Wages
For issues involving wrongful denial of temporary disability benefits you believe you are owed during time off work recovering from an injury, an attorney appeals on your behalf and ensures wage replacement as dictated by law.
Full recovery of an injured worker is the goal in all cases, and the law requires compensation for medical expenses and lost wages. An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer can act as the strong ally a wounded worker needs to reach this goal.
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How a Lawyer Can Benefit Your Workers’ Compensation Claim
Here are some things to think about when considering whether you need to work with a lawyer for your workman’s comp claim. A lawyer can:
Proactively Prevent Problems
Rather than waiting until serious issues arise, consulting an attorney early on can help prevent smaller problems from escalating. An initial review identifies potential coverage or care concerns to address right away with the insurer.
The attorney also ensures all proper documentation is submitted for an approved claim from the start. Complete paperwork makes appeals less likely if benefits are ever questioned later.
Interpret Complex Medical Aspects
No one but a lawyer has experience translating complicated injury details, doctor’s notes, procedural codes, and impairment evaluations into clear terms a non-medical employee can understand.
We clarify anything vague in diagnostic reports and help you make informed decisions about recommended treatments or specialists by interpreting risks, success rates, and recovery expectations.
Participate in Independent Medical Exams
Insurance providers often request independent medical exams (IMEs) performed by network doctors who do not personally treat the injured worker. Attorneys know how to professionally scrutinize these exams for subjectivity or bias against full recovery.
If the IME contradicts treatment recommendations or gives an unjust disability rating, representation petitions for a new evaluation—leveling the playing field to prevent unfair claim decisions based on a single examination.
Enforce Maximum Payment Rates
State laws dictate fee schedules that regulate reimbursement amounts insurance must pay medical providers. But some facilities attempt to bill above these.
A lawyer helps enforce legal rates so excessive costs are not improperly deducted from indemnity checks or shift responsibility to the injured worker.
Ensure Adequate Lost Wage Payments
Benefits relating to time missed from work deserve vigilant attention. Experienced workplace injury attorneys audit wage calculation methods for accuracy compared to the documentation of prior earnings.
We also look out for improper deductions that could artificially lower checks—such as not accounting for common overtime. Proper monitoring secures entitlement to all compensation owed.
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Contact a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer to Learn More in a Free Consultation
If you’ve suffered a work-related injury, focusing your energy fully on recovery is critical. But navigating the complexities of a workers’ compensation claim alone can delay and distract from healing.
The personal injury attorneys at Laborde Earles Injury Law are dedicated to guiding injured employees through every step while holding insurance carriers accountable to the law.
Our team has the experience to maximize medical and wage replacement benefits for clients. Contact us today to see how professional legal representation may benefit your claim.
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
