If you believe you have a workers compensation case, there are a number of different things you can do to get your case started. You should also keep in mind that legal services should not charge you until your claim is positively accepted.
Visit With The President Of Your Local Union
Every job has some type of union available. You should visit with the union president and find out what options are available to file for workers compensations through the union. The union president should be able to help you gather all the paperwork that is needed, fill it out, and get the paperwork to the right office. If the union president is not willing to help you, every union president has another president over him/her, so you can continue to go to the next highest person until your requests are met.
Local Compensation Office
Ever city has a local workers compensation office. This office is where you can apply for workers compensation, learn about all the programs that are available, and have any other questions answered. You should speak with a manager from that office and explain your situation to him/her. Before going to the office, it would be wise to do research regarding time frames and expected amounts of compensation you may be eligible to receive.
Go The Legal Route
To decrease the burden of filling out paperwork and going to various offices, you can hire a lawyer who will do all of that for you. The best way to find the right lawyer for your situation would be to use the internet. You should only consider lawyers who have high ratings and outstanding reviews, and these lawyers should have a great deal of experience, too. An example of this type of lawyer is Mark Thesing, who has been rated as the top workers comp attorney Portland OR has to offer. Attorney Thesing has been in business for many years and has come across just about all types of workers compensation cases. He also does not get paid until his client gets paid. He specializes in knowing the best time to settle.
When considering workers compensation, it is important to think about the amount. You may want to wait longer to settle if you know your compensation amount will be more.