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Top Question Asked by Injured Workers Filing Maryland Workers’ Compensation Claims: When Will I Get Paid?
By Jeffrey Butschky, Maryland Accident Injury Attorney
Our Baltimore County, Md. law firm has been helping injured workers file their Maryland Workers’ Comp claims for nearly three decades now.
Our clients’ types of cases and the extent of their work injuries varies, from people suffering serious injuries in construction and work-related car and truck accidents, to those sidelined by chronic pain from repetitive strain injuries caused by lifting, keyboarding (typing), and other vocational activities. We also handle cases where workers suffer from occupational diseases caused by exposure to environmental toxins on the job.
When an employee is hurt on the job in Maryland, they may suffer temporary or permanent disability. Unless and until a Workers’ Compensation claim is filed, most employees are not eligible to continue collecting wage loss benefits if they are unable to work (unless they have a contract or union agreement that stipulates such arrangements). How can injured workers expect to pay their medical bills and living expenses without that weekly paycheck?
When injured employees seek our help as experienced Baltimore County, Maryland Workers Compensation lawyers, the number-one question on their minds is…
How and When Will I Get Paid in My Maryland Workers’ Comp Cases?
Anyone who has practiced injury law in this state will tell you: The Maryland Workers’ Comp claims process is painfully slow. That said, an injured worker has an advantage if they retain an experienced Md. work injury attorney early in the claims process.
Once we file a claim on our client’s behalf, they will receive paperwork noting a “Consideration Date” from the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission anywhere from 25 to 40 days later. That is the date by which the insurance company for the Employer must decide either to start paying or contest the client’s case.
Everything begins with filing your Maryland Workers’ Compensation claim form correctly and in a timely manner. Unfortunately, injured workers make some common mistakes that can delay their Md. Work Comp payments — or lead to their claims being denied. These include…
- Not wanting to make waves with their employer, and suffering in silence rather than retaining an attorney and filing a claim
- Not reporting their injury to their employer and/or seeking medical help
- Accepting their employer’s offer of time off and/or compensation to avoid filing a Maryland Workers’ Comp claim
- Making statements to their employer’s insurance company without legal representation
While they’re wondering whether to file a Maryland Workers Comp claim, or feeling bad about getting an attorney…the clock is ticking! Because if you haven’t filed the claims form, you haven’t started the process for your Md. Workers Comp payments.
How Our Maryland Workers’ Comp Attorneys Can Expedite the Claims Process
Here at The Law Offices of Butschky & Butschky, LLC, we have tailored a system that helps the Maryland Workers’ Compensation claims process go as fast as humanly possible. We have a direct link to the state’s work comp computerized filing system. We can file claim forms and review files electronically. Not all law firms have availed themselves to these electronic resources. We no longer have to delay your claim by doing everything via snail mail.
In addition, if we need to request a hearing from the Maryland Workers Comp Commission on behalf of a client, we can do so electronically. That way, our request is submitted automatically. This avoids the delay of mailing in a request, having it get lost in the mail or sit in a mail room waiting delivery, and then waiting on a written reply from the Commission.
Even under the best of circumstances, Maryland Workers’ Compensation payments do not start immediately. This is why we urge anyone who’s hurt at work in Md. to seek counsel from an experienced work injury attorney, and get the process started.
Related Maryland Work Injury Attorney articles:
Maryland Workers’ Compensation Cost of Living Rate Adjustments for 2012