Sustaining a head injury like a concussion while performing your job duties can be scary. Also, you may be wondering about what to do to seek workers’ compensation, the benefits you deserve, and what to expect from the process. If you need guidance in pursuing a compensation claim, click here to find a reliable attorney. The attorney can educate you about what it takes to pursue a claim and provide you with the relevant legal advice.
What are Concussions?
Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that can develop after the head is subjected to a blow or bump. During such a sudden movement, your brain may bounce in your skull or get stretched. This can damage your brain cells, alter your brain function, or create chemical changes.
Usually, a concussion is not life-threatening, but it can lead to serious effects. The majority of concussions heal with rest and time; however, their symptoms can last for days or months. Common symptoms of concussions include nausea, headache, vomiting, neck pain, dizziness, sensitivity to light, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and difficulty concentrating.
A concussion that develops in the workplace usually happens due to falls or accidents that involve vehicles, tools, or heavy equipment. Workers like firefighters, construction workers, police officers, manufacturing workers, military personnel, and athletes are at a higher risk of developing conditions than others.
What to Know About the Workers’ Compensation System
Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that offers medical, wage-loss, and disability benefits to workers who sustain work-related injuries or illnesses. These injuries include concussions. Employers Virginia Beach should carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover benefit costs, ensuring that an injured worker doesn’t need to pay medical bills or worry about their inability to work. The Workers’ Compensation Commission supervises claims, hearings, disputes, and appeals associated with workers’ compensation.
Can You Seek Compensation for a Job-Related Concussion?
Generally, if you sustained a concussion because of an injury, activity, or accident that happened in your workplace, you can pursue a claim for benefits. To strengthen your claim ensure you have objective medical testing done to confirm your concussion diagnosis. Also, you should report your injury or accident to your employer as soon as possible. The concussion must have happened from one incident and there should be witnesses who can corroborate your account of what occurred to cause the concussion. You have two years from the injury date to file a workers’ comp claim.
How to Prove Your Concussion is Job-Related
As a claimant, you have the responsibility to prove your claim and show your concussion developed in the course of your employment. You must show you sustained a concussion while carrying out your job duties or taking part in an activity related to your job.
For instance, your concussion may qualify as related to your work if you were struck by a falling object or debris in your place of work. Or perhaps you got hurt by a third party’s actions while performing typical work activities. If the concussion happened because of your willful misconduct such as fighting with another employee, you won’t be able to pursue benefits for your head injury.
Necessary Medical Evidence
The success of concussion-related compensation claims hinges on the availability of solid medical evidence. State law requires treating doctors to offer a written medical report that supports claims. such a report must confirm your concussion diagnosis and offer information on your symptoms, treatments, expected recovery time frame, and work restrictions. CT scans and MRIs are pieces of evidence that can help show the seriousness of your concussion and its effects. Also, you can strengthen your claim with accident documentation like a written accident report to your employer that describes the way your head was hit.
