Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. That’s sort of the nature of accidents. However, if you are a worker, and specifically a federal worker in Texas or anywhere federal employees are employed, risk of injury has a way of increasing.
The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act is the law that provides employees what they need medically and financially to ensure they and their families don’t get derailed by a catastrophic injury. Just because the infrastructure is in place for this purpose doesn’t mean the path is always smooth, though. When a worker is hurt on the job, the wheels of the Office of Workers Compensation Programs start to turn. Denials are possible. Appeals become necessary.
What you need to do
If you do suffer a job injury, here are the first steps you need to take to begin the process for obtaining benefits:
- Get whatever first aid you need and then report your injury to your supervisor;
- Do not forget to fill out the appropriate Department of Labor report. (This is government);
- Serious injuries that require more than first aid require a supervisor’s OK to seek treatment from a doctor of your choice. This involves another form;
- If you need to claim a continuation of pay, you’ll need to supply supporting medical evidence within 10 days of making the claim.
That 10-day window is only one deadline that exists in connection with filing for federal workers compensation. Missing one deadline or failing to provide any documentation requested can result in a denial of benefits. And what can follow then is further frustration. Help from an experienced legal advocate may ease that frustration and result in the desired outcome.