What Happens If I’m Late Reporting Workers Compensation Claim for My Injury

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We know that getting hurt at work is not something you spend much time thinking about, that is until it happens. If you have been injured at work, you are not alone. Last year there were nearly three million workplace illnesses or injuries reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Most of the time, we report our injuries to our bosses right away, but there are times when we do not even realize we have been injured or think the injury is not bad at all.

What happens if the injury is worse than you thought but you have not reported it to your supervisor?

Today we are going to talk about reporting injury claims late. When you need a workplace injury attorney in Los Angeles, you can count on the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach to be by your side.

Most workplace injuries

It is important to report any workplace injury or illness as soon as they happen. Most states have pretty short deadlines for reporting an injury for workers compensation claims. In California, you have 30 days.

When most people think of workplace injuries, they think of obvious traumas like falling a few floors of stairs, getting cut with a knife, tool mishaps, vehicle wrecks, and more. These are things that you really have no choice but to report because they require emergency medical care.

But there are some injuries that are minor like a little fall that you thought only tweaked your back. Even minor accidents need to be reported because you never know what else they caused or how bad they can get. If two months after that “little” fall you begin to experience serious pain, it is too late to report it as a work injury and your claim will likely be denied.

Occupations injuries

When it comes to certain occupational injuries and illnesses, the deadlines for reporting look a bit different. We are talking about:

  • Repetitive stress injuries often take years to show symptoms.
  • Respiratory illnesses, cancers, and other illnesses caused by the workplace that develops over time.

These are harder to pinpoint when they happened because they are cumulative. Because of this, the clock starts ticking for reporting them the moment a doctor tells you they were caused by the workplace.

Your options moving forward

If you have been hurt at work but still have not reported your injury, the time to do so is now. Putting it off any further will only make things worse. If you need to, seek legal assistance to discuss your particular case. At the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach, we can guide you through the process and ensure that you are treated fairly. We want to make sure you get the compensation you deserve for your injury or illness.

When you need a Los Angeles workplace injury lawyer, you can contact us by clicking here or calling us at 818-609-7005.

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