Workers Comp Lawyer

What Is Workers' Compensation?

Workplace injuries are an unfortunate fact of life. In the early years of our country, injured workers often struggled to obtain compensation from their employers. This issue was addressed through the creation of workers' compensation – state-mandated insurance nearly every employer must carry to protect their employees. 

Workers' compensation provides a variety of financial benefits to harmed workers. This is in exchange for losing the ability to file a personal injury lawsuit against their employer. Despite the good intentions of this system, many compensation claims are unjustly denied. It is for this reason that so many harmed workers retain the highly knowledgeable compensation attorneys at Greenblatt & Veliev. 

What Can You Receive Compensation For?

Workers come to us because they know our compensation attorneys can succeed. We can seek benefits for:

• Medical Treatment
• Disability Payments
• Wage Reimbursements
• Vocational Rehabilitation 
• Lump Sump Injury Payments 
• Wrongful Death Compensation 
• Wheelchairs, Crutches, or Prosthetics

Maryland and Washington D.C. Have Strict Filing Deadlines

Maryland

Generally speaking, injured workers have 10 days to report their injury to their employer and 60 days to file their claim. Workers who developed a disease due to their work must notify their employer within one year of discovering the disease. They then have two years to file.

Washington D.C.

D.C. law requires workers to report their injury to both their employer and the Office of Workers’ Compensation within 30 days of being hurt or finding out an injury is work-related. Your written workers' compensation claim must be filed within one year after your injury.

Workers' Compensation
Also Covers Death

No amount of money can make up for your loved one's passing, but you do deserve compensation for your tragic loss. In Baltimore, Frederick, and throughout Maryland, as well as Washington D.C., workers' compensation death benefits provide certain benefits to the surviving spouse and financial dependents. These benefits are designed to replace a percentage of the decedent's weekly wage. They will also cover burial expenses.

The deadlines for filing a workers' compensation death benefits are different than a traditional injury claim. In Maryland, the surviving family has 18 months from the date of death to file their claim. In Washington D.C., the family of the deceased worker has just one year to file.

Work Injuries Take Many Forms

Some workers do not pursue workers' compensation because they are unsure if their injury would make them eligible for a claim. Speaking to our compensation lawyers about your eligibility costs you nothing. We can discuss work injuries causes that include:

• Slip & Fall Accidents
• Falls From Heights
• Falling Objects
• Vehicle Accidents
• Defective Equipment
• Electrocution & Burns
• Repeated Strain
• Hazardous Exposure

Many Employers Fight Claims

Employers have many reasons to try and deny your claim. A workers' comp claim can cause an employer's insurance premiums to rise. Disputing a claim can also discourage other employees from pursuing workers' compensation of their own. Employers are often emboldened to try and achieve a denial when their employee does not have a compensation lawyer representing them.

Our compensation lawyers know which tactics employers use and how to dismantle them. For example, an employer may dispute a claim by saying that their employee's injury occurred outside of the workplace. Our compensation lawyers might then conduct a deposition of a medical expert who could explain exactly how your work requirements caused the extensive harm you are suffering from.

You Can Help Our Comp Lawyers

You don't have to feel helpless following a workplace injury. In fact, there are several actions you can take to help give our comp lawyers tools that help us build winning claims.

Seek Medical Attention

Nothing is more important than your health. Seeing a doctor as soon as possible can help improve your well-being. It is also critically important for creating medical records that prove you sustained a work-related injury.

Preserve Evidence

No matter how clear-cut your claim seems, there is always the possibility of an unfair denial. You should save all documents, letters, bills, and receipts related to your claim. These are all invaluable pieces of evidence.

Avoid Discussion

Your employer and their insurance company will look for any way to minimize your claim. This includes taking statements you make out of context. This is why our comp lawyers recommend you avoid discussing your claim.

Our Lawyers Can Appeal
A Denied Comp Claim

A compensation claim can be denied for a variety of reasons. Injured workers who have their comp claim denied can sometimes feel overwhelmed. They may restart the workers' compensation process or give up on their claim altogether.

You should know that our lawyers can appeal a denied claim. We can also appeal if you believe the Workers' Compensation Commission awarded benefits that are lower than you deserved. An appeal can involve oral arguments, the presentation of documents, and testimony from various individuals. All of this can be handled by our attorneys.