You got hurt at work. You filed a notice of accident form with your employer. If you live in New Mexico, chances are the insurance company sent you to a doctor of their choosing–maybe Concentra health care, or a similar clinic. You may have received a letter from your workers’ compensation insurance company telling you that they are letting you make the first choice in health care, and you asked their advice on who to go see. Likely, they suggested you go to Concentra health care, or another similar clinic. Seeing a pattern there?
The Workers’ Compensation insurance industry is one of the most profitable insurance industries in America. Part of the reason for this is because so few workers get lawyers when they get hurt on the job. Most of us know that if you’re in a car crash, you should hire a lawyer–we see the billboards or the TV commercials all the time, and we usually know a friend who has hired a lawyer for a crash. But many of us don’t know that you have a right to have a lawyer help you with your Workers’ comp claim, even if the employer appears to be giving you all the benefits you’re supposed to receive. The secret? Often, the employer’s insurance company is NOT giving you all the benefits you are supposed to receive.
For example, I often get calls from clients who tell me that the employer provided them medical care, the doctor put them at Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), and they haven’t heard back from the insurance adjuster since. Most workers don’t know that the adjuster is supposed to start paying the worker for permanent disability at that point. I also get calls from workers who are getting permanent partial disability checks (PPD) for small amounts–maybe $30 per week–when they are supposed to be getting much much more.
There are serious benefits to hiring a workers’ compensation attorney for your workers’ compensation claim, even if you think you are getting all of the benefits you are supposed to receive. An experience workers’ compensation lawyer will know the insurance companies and adjusters, will know the doctors you are seeing, and will know whether you are getting what you’re due or whether the insurance company is withholding benefits. Under certain circumstnaces, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can also help you get a second opinion in your case.
And at the end of it all, when you’re sick of being stuck in the workers’ compensation system, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can help evaluate your claim and look into the possibility of a “full and final” lump sum settlement with the insurance company. Or, if the insurance company has already offered you a lump sum payment, a good workers’ compensation lawyer can help review the offer and let you know whether it’s fair and, if not, negotiate a better settlement on your behalf.
If you’ve been hurt at work, you need a workers’ comp lawyer–no matter what stage your case is in or how long it’s been going on. Contact Holmes Law Firm. We can help. The call is free, there’s no money up front, and there’s no fee unless we get you additional benefits.