Understanding Workers Compensation Forms

There are many forms and a lot of documentation that will be required for a successful workers' compensation claim after a work-related injury. Here are some tips for reporting and documenting your accident/injury.

Filing a workers' compensation claim can be intimidating. If you are injured on the job, you should immediately consider this course of action, especially if you seek medical attention and are told that your ability to work may be impaired. As you continue through the process of the claim, you may find that you’re being confronted with a lot of unfamiliar paperwork and terminology. Depending on the state in which you are attempting to claim workers' comp you may find that some paperwork varies from the examples below, but generally workers' compensation systems will have a similar process with forms that are a necessary part.

First Report of Injury or Illness

The first thing you should do if injured at work is to report the injury to your employer. Your employer will provide you with the information of the medical facility where you should have your injuries tended to. You can probably file a formal report with them after your medical needs have been taken care of, but be sure to do so as soon as possible. In some states a verbal report is sufficient to begin a workers' comp claim, but it’s always a good idea to have the details of the accident or injury written as thoroughly as possible. Most states have a time sensitive nature to this "1st Report" so make sure that you don’t delay in giving your employer a full and accurate description of exactly what happened.

Medical Documents

Be sure that on the first and each follow up visit for medical attention that you are honest and thorough with the medical staff, as this documentation can become part of the workers' comp claim. In some states a patient can request a referral from the workers' comp doctor to a doctor they prefer, such as a doctor they have a history with, but you want to be sure that you discuss this with the workers' comp doctor and do not act as if you can simply choose your own doctor. Without proper documentation of a referral to transfer doctor, workers' comp may deny coverage of your medical expenses. If the primary workers' comp doctor refers you to a specialist based on the nature of your injuries, make sure that you continue to use the specialist you were referred to and maintain contact with them in regards to the progress of your health.

In some states mileage and the cost of gas can be reimbursed to you for visits to workers' comp doctor’s appointments. Find out the specific laws of your state, and whether or not this needs to be documented on a specific form. If so, don’t hesitate to keep track of your mileage to the 1/10th of a mile and keep the receipts for your gas. Keeping records will likely be the only way to ensure this reimbursement if your state allows for it.

Wage Statement Form and Employee Earnings Report

Each state has a different formula for calculating the amount that workers' compensation may pay to reimburse for lost wages, so after your medical needs are addressed, you should find out as much as you can about what your state requires and begin to gather the documents necessary. Some common paperwork which can be used in this calculation are:

• Your previous year’s tax returns.
• Previous paystubs or documents of earnings for up to 6 months. If you no longer have copies of these your employer’s HR or accounting department should be able to provide them for you.
• Company supplemental income records. These include commission reports, expense sheets, and company policies on bonus or incentive structures.
• Self-employment records.

Contact a Lawyer

Many more forms may be necessary if your claim is denied or if your medical care needs are extensive. Depending on how complicated your situation is, there may be additional paperwork to complete if you were driving a company vehicle when you were injured, if your injury was partially caused by a co-worker’s negligence, or if you are permanently disabled because of the injury. You may run across acronyms and terms -- for example: ADL, MMI, PTD or TPD -- that you’ve never encountered before and which become confusing and overwhelming.

If you are injured at work, you may want to consider contacting an attorney as soon as possible in order to represent you in your claim. A lawyer may be able to assist you for the entirety of the process, and most states limit the fees that lawyers can charge claimants in workers' comp cases.