Were you or a loved one injured in an office environment? Did you experience an illness from an excessively damp office building? Did a loved one die due to injuries they got in an office accident?
If so, you need to pursue a claim through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. Minnesota employees experience work-related illnesses or injuries at a higher rate than the national average. Depending on your injury or illness and the circumstances, you could get monetary compensation, medical payments for the providers treating your injuries, and payment to vocational rehabilitation facilities to help you successfully return to work.
Some work environments are highly dangerous and require workers to undergo extensive safety training and use safety equipment. However, office environments, although not on the list of highly hazardous work environments, present their own dangers. Injuries in the office may even be severe enough to cause short-term or long-term disabilities and, therefore, may qualify an accident victim for workers’ compensation benefits.
Filing a successful workers’ compensation claim on your own can be difficult, and many claims are rejected for small, technical errors. Fortunately, an experienced attorney can help you ensure all your claims forms are filled out accurately and in full and can help you make a strong case for the benefits you need. For assistance filing a workers’ compensation claim, contact the Minnesota office injury attorneys at Robert Wilson & Associates by calling (612) 334-3444.
Why Hire Robert Wilson & Associates for Your Office Injury Claims
Your employer has an obligation to keep its employees safe from harm in the workplace, even if that workplace is in an office. Attorney Robert E. Wilson, founder of Robert Wilson & Associates, has more than 35 years of experience in helping Minnesota workers successfully file workers’ compensation claims and overturning insurance company denials so that workers get just compensation for their injuries and losses.
Except in very limited cases, the state of Minnesota requires companies that employ workers to have workers’ compensation insurance to protect those employees from the financial results of injuries that occur while performing their duties at work. This insurance covers part-time workers, non-U.S. citizens, and employees who are minors. If your employer did not have this coverage, they should still be held liable for your injuries or illness. A qualified Minnesota office injury attorney can help see to it that they are.
Even when employers do carry the required workers’ compensation insurance, it is unfortunately all too common for workers’ compensation insurance companies to deny valid claims for injuries that occurred while an employee was performing their duties. This is grossly unfair to office employees with legitimate office injury claims. Under Minnesota law, even if your current job did not cause your original work-related injury or illness, your current employer is responsible for making sure that the injury or illness does not get worse. You are allowed to file a workers’ compensation claim with your current employer if your pre-existing condition worsens because of your current job.
You need to be focusing on your treatment and recovery, not fighting insurance companies who wrongfully deny claims for compensation that you deserve. The legal team at Robert Wilson & Associates will fight for you to get your workers’ compensation claim filed in a timely manner or to appeal claims that the insurance company has denied. Contact us at (612) 334-3444 for a free consultation about your office injury claim. We will help you get the workers’ compensation benefits that you need and deserve so that you can get back on the road to recovery and productivity.
What You Should Do if You Have Experienced an Office Injury
You must typically report your injury or work-related illness to your employer 14 days, or two weeks, from the time that you can reasonably recognize that circumstances in your work office caused your injury or illness. In some cases, you can still receive benefits within 30 days from the date of your work-related injury or illness.
Minnesota law limits when you can file a workers’ compensation claim for an office injury through its statute of limitations. If your employer files a First Report of Injury about your accident, you must file a claim three years from the accident date. If your employer did not file a first injury report, you have six years to file your claim. Hiring a lawyer is best so you don’t miss any deadlines.
You must also follow Minnesota state guidelines when selecting a medical doctor to examine and treat your office-related injury or illness. It is important that you let your medical provider know that you were injured in the office.
If the workers’ compensation insurance company denies any or all of your claims, you can file an “Employee’s Claim Petition.” The earlier you hire a qualified Minnesota office injury attorney, the faster you can receive the compensation you deserve.
The steps to filing a workers’ compensation claim in Minnesota are:
- Seek medical attention and report your injury or work-related illness to your supervisor as soon as possible. Note that under some circumstances, your employer may have a say in your medical provider choices.
- Your employer then fills out a report of the injury called a First Report of Injury Form (FROI).
- The workers’ compensation insurance company accepts or denies the claim. If your claim is denied, the insurance company must provide you with a reason. You should then call the adjuster responsible for your claim denial and object to the denial, taking detailed notes. You can also file a petition. An experienced attorney is extremely helpful in the claims appeal process.
If you have not or do not expect to lose time from work, you should still fill out a claim because you could still get medical or rehabilitation benefits.
If you have lost time from work, you may have a waiting period before your benefits kick in. You will not be paid for this waiting period unless you are unable to work for ten days or more due to your injury.
The legal team at Robert Wilson & Associates recommends that employees seek the advice of an experienced Minnesota office injury attorney as soon as they have notified their employer of their injury
Common Office Injuries
Injuries in the office often occur due to the carelessness of coworkers or employers. Some of the most common types of injuries in the office include:
- Falls
- Lifting injuries
- Collisions
- Repetitive motion strains
If any of these injuries occur while an employee performs job-related duties, he or she may be eligible to collect workers’ compensation benefits. Unfortunately, not all workers’ comp insurance companies are willing to uphold their promises and instead refuse to grant benefits to injured workers.
If your workers’ compensation claim has been denied, it is important to know that with legal assistance, you may still be able to get the benefits you need. Contact our Minnesota office injury attorneys to learn more about how we can put our experience to work for you.
Most Common Causes of Office Injuries
In 2019, over 63,000 Minnesota workers suffered from work-related injuries or illnesses. You may think that when you go to work in an office that you are safe from workplace accidents. Many people commonly associate workplace accidents with high-risk jobs such as construction, manufacturing, and other jobs involving heavy equipment, machinery, electricity, or toxic waste.
However, one of the most common workplace accident types across all workplace environments is falling, which happens to be the most common accident type responsible for office injuries. Frequent causes of falling in the office include:
- Tripping over cords, loose carpet, an open drawer, or over objects left in walkways
- Slipping on wet floors
- Standing on a chair to reach for something high
- Reaching for something from a chair while seated
- Not seeing something due to inadequate lighting
Office workers can also be injured while lifting heavy items such as file boxes or office equipment or from file cabinets and other equipment that fall over or onto the floor and collide with someone.
Employees in office environments also commonly suffer repetitive stress office injuries. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the better-known examples of these types of injuries. Workers get carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress office injuries from doing the same task over and over again. Even staying in the same position for long periods can lead to this type of office injury.
Some office workers also experience respiratory illnesses from their office environment, and in particular from time spent in damp office buildings. Common causes of office respiratory illnesses include:
- Excessive moisture, dampness, or mold
- Dust
- Toxins
- Various allergens
Your employer has a responsibility to ensure that your office is a safe working environment, but in Minnesota, you do not have to prove your employer was at fault to get just compensation. The employer can’t blame you, either.
If you get an office injury or illness or exacerbate an existing one due to your employer’s carelessness, lack of maintenance, or inadequate employee training on equipment, you deserve compensation for your suffering and possible lost wages from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. The legal team at Robert Wilson & Associates is ready to go to work for you to see to it that you get your workers’ compensation claim settled satisfactorily so you can go back to enjoying life.
How Much Will it Cost to Hire a Lawyer from Robert Wilson & Associates?
When you call Robert Wilson & Associates at (612) 334-3444, you will get a free consultation to go over the specifics of your workers’ compensation claim. We do not get paid until you get paid. That is, we do the work to see that your workers’ compensation claim is not denied, reduced, or unnecessarily delayed so that you get the compensation you deserve, and after that, we’ll get paid a percentage of what we gain for you.
The attorneys at Robert Wilson & Associates understand how important workers’ compensation benefits are to Minnesota employees, and we believe in justice for those office workers who have suffered an office injury or illness. You could be entitled to receive monetary benefits – often called indemnity benefits – to compensate you for lost wages and for temporary or permanent impairments. If your loved one died from an office injury or illness, you should also receive compensation for their death.
In Minnesota, the largest costs of workers’ compensation insurance claims go toward paying out worker medical benefits. These cover the reasonable and necessary medical costs you incur due to your office injury, and you deserve to get them from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance.
Finally, you may be entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits to pay for services that help you return to work after you have healed from your office injury or illness. At Robert Wilson & Associates, we will help you fill out your worker’s compensation claim – or appeal a denied one – so that you get the compensation you deserve and can move on with your life.
No Minnesota employee with a legitimate workers’ compensation claim should have to endure the unfair denials that only add to the pain and suffering from your office injury.
Contact Us
If you or someone you know has been injured at the office, you need to make sure that your claim for workers’ compensation benefits is filled out thoroughly and correctly. For experienced assistance filing a workers’ compensation claim, contact the Minnesota office injuries lawyers at Robert Wilson & Associates today at (612) 334-3444.
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