If you are injured on the job, you may be able to report the injury and file a claim against your employer. You need to file your claim in a timely manner or you may not be able to bring a valid claim. In Alabama, the statute of limitations for a worker’s compensation claim is two years from the date of the injury. Therefore, if you are injured on the job and do not file a claim against your employer within two years you will not have a valid workers’ compensation. 
Workers compensation is a type of insurance that an employer has to compensate an employee in the event of a job related injury. This insurance pays for the employees medical care that they received as a result of their personal injury. This type of insurance is paid by the employer, and the employee does not have to contribute. Workers compensation can provide for the injured in a number of different ways. An injured employee can be compensated through wage replacement, where the employer must pay the employee the amount of wages that they would have received if it weren’t for their job related injury. Along with paying for medical bills, workers compensation can also cover long term treatments or rehabilitation for the injury.
The first step to filing a workers compensation claim is to notify your employer immediately and explain your injury in detail. If you fail to notify your employer, there is a great risk that your claim will be denied. You also need to be able to prove that you notified your employer. This is important because if your claim goes to court you will be able to prove that you notified the employer.
Generally a written notification will suffice to prove that you notified your employer. Typically you need to notify your employer within five days of your job related injury. It is also important to identify any witnesses that may have seen the injury. These witnesses could be helpful later on in the process if you need to prove your injury in court. When you go to seek medical care for your injury, you also need to notify your treating physician that you have been injured on the job so that they can take the proper steps to ensure that they document your medical records.
Once you have notified your employer and received medical care, it is important to consult an experienced workers compensation attorney. Your attorney will be able to guide you through the complex claim process. Your Birmingham injury attorney can ensure that you receive the medical treatment that you need, along with making sure that your medical treatment is paid for.
Attorney Steven A. Harris regularly blogs in the areas of family law, bankruptcy, and real estate closings on this website. He is always available in any of the firm’s offices or by phone anytime for a consultation. Mr. Harris tries to provide informative information to the public in easily digestible formats. Hopefully you enjoyed this article and feel free to supply any feedback. We appreciate our readers and love to hear from you!