Greensburg, IN, Worker’s Compensation Lawyer
Our Greensburg, IN, Worker’s Comp Lawyers Can Help if You Have Been Injured on the Job
worker’s comp insurance is intended to provide medical, rehabilitation and income benefits for workplace-related injuries. Too often, though, awards are disputed or denied altogether by employers and their insurance companies. If you’re in this situation, get help from our experienced Greensburg, IN, worker’s comp lawyers.
worker’s comp is insurance, with premiums paid by employers; and since premiums go up when benefits are paid out, employers often try to avoid paying out claims. worker’s compensation insurance companies are out for profit and want to pay out as little as possible, and they have high-powered lawyers on their side, working to deny or dispute benefits. In addition, Indiana rules and procedures for getting worker’s comp are complicated, and making mistakes in filing your claim or saying or doing the wrong thing can result in your claim being rejected.
Fortunately, you do not have to fight for a worker’s comp settlement alone. If you’ve been injured on the job, an experienced Greensburg, Indiana, worker’s compensation lawyer can help you get the benefits you deserve.
At Coriden & Coriden, LLC, our worker’s comp attorneys have helped many clients resolve disputes over worker’s compensation claims. When we handle your case, we make sure everything is done correctly and in a timely manner from the beginning, and we can often reverse initial benefit rejections and clear up misunderstandings and mistakes.
Don’t delay. Call our Greensberg worker’s comp lawyer at 812-375-9800 as soon as possible after a workplace injury to learn about worker’s compensation law, your rights, and the best way to proceed with getting you optimum benefits.
How a Worker’s Compensation Lawyer in Greensburg, IN, Can Help You Get Benefits
Indiana law requires most businesses to have worker’s compensation insurance for their employees who are injured while working at their job. Workers are covered from the first day on the job.
To help you get benefits, our Greensburg worker’s comp lawyers can:
- Make sure you know what to say and do after you are injured, to meet Indiana requirements and prevent hurting your case
- Make sure all forms are filled out correctly, in a timely manner
- Investigate how the accident happened, interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence to help prove your claim
- Obtain all relevant work and medical records
- Negotiate with insurance companies for a fair settlement
- Represent you at any hearings
- Prepare your case and argue on your behalf if a claim goes to trial
- Handle any appeals.
What Benefits Can I Get in Indiana?
Indiana worker’s compensation insurance provides medical and financial benefits, including maximum medical improvement benefits, to workers who are injured on the job or suffer a work-related illness. It also provides benefits to the family of a worker who is killed on the job.
To get benefits, you must meet certain requirements:
- You must be a covered employee. Indiana law requires employers to purchase worker’s compensation insurance for all employees, including temporary employees and minors.
- Your injury or illness must have resulted from employment-related tasks.
- You must notify your employer as soon as possible after you’ve been injured, and within 30 days of the injury, or your claim may be denied.
- You should let your employer know about your injury before seeking medical care, unless the injury is serious, in which case you should get treatment immediately.
- You must file all required forms, which can be found on the Indiana worker’s compensation website, within required timeframes.
In a successful worker’s comp claim, benefits you can receive should cover some of your income while you are unable to work, in addition to the medical costs that result from your work injury, as follows:
- Two-thirds of your average weekly wage during the time that you are found unable to work by the insurance company’s authorized physician, not to exceed $600 per week, if you are considered temporarily totally disabled — meaning you are currently unable to work but are expected to recover enough to return to work. Permanently disabled individuals not expected to return to work may collect a larger portion of prior weekly earnings, and the percentage may increase with the severity of the injury.
- Payment for permanent partial impairment or a partial disability classified by the insurance company’s authorized physician.
- Payment of medical expenses to physicians authorized by the insurance company and reimbursement of related out-of-pocket expenses, hospital bills, co-pays, the costs of prescription medicines, rehabilitation services, physical or occupational therapy, and transportation costs to and from your doctor visits.
- As a general rule, you will be able to collect workers compensation benefits until you are able to go back to work or reach age 65 if you are permanently disabled.
Call Coriden & Coriden, LLC to make sure you receive all of the benefits you are entitled to.
What Happens if My Claim is Disputed or Denied?
Our worker’s comp attorneys in Greensburg can fight for your rights if your legitimate claim is disputed or denied. The following options are available:
- Initiating an informal dispute by filing a Request for Assistance (State Form 45442) with the Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana.
- Hiring a mediator, a trained and neutral party who attempts to come to a resolution of disputed issues. Mediators are certified by the Board and cost a flat rate of $350 for up to five hours of mediation and $50 per hour for additional hours.
- Filing an Application for Adjustment of Claim (SF 29109) to schedule a formal hearing before a member of the Worker/s Compensation Board.
- To win your case, our attorneys will provide evidence to support your position, including:
- testimony from other employees
- wage stubs for calculating your benefits
- medical bills which your insurer declined to pay
- any additional supporting documents and medical information.
- Appealing a worker’s comp denial. If your claim is denied, our attorneys would start answering any objections by providing additional supporting medical documentation, or we can submit to an independent medical exam and file an appeal. If still denied, we would file an application for an adjustment to your claim with the Workers Compensation Board of Indiana for review to have the initial denial overturned. There can be a hearing before a board member; that outcome can be appealed to the full board; and that decision could be appealed to the Indiana appellate and supreme courts.
Work Injuries Our Greensburg Worker’s Compensation Attorneys Deal With
At Coriden & Coriden our Greensburg worker’s comp attorneys deal with a wide range of work-related injuries and illnesses, as well as wrongful death actions that result from work injuries. Common injuries we have handled include:
- Electrocution and electric shock injuries, including serious burns, internal damage and death
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Quadriplegia and paraplegia and other types of paralysis
- Vision loss and eye injuries
- Hand and arm, finger, leg, foot and toe amputations
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Neck/lower back/spinal cord injuries that can lead to permanent disability, paralysis and death
- Occupational diseases — any chronic disease caused by or due to activities or environmental factors at work
- On-the-job violence.
Get Help From a Greensburg Worker’s Comp Lawyer
No matter what the cause of your work-related injury or illness, our compassionate lawyers in Greensburg, Indiana, are here to help you get the benefits you deserve. Let us take care of all the paperwork, deadlines, documentation, legal requirements and appeals, so you can focus on your recovery.
Call our Greensburg worker’s compensation lawyer today at 812-375-9800 to get started.
Attorney Tim Coriden
Attorney Tim Coriden is a Partner with Coriden & Coriden, LLC and concentrates his practice in the areas of Worker’s Compensation and Civil Litigation. Tim represents clients from Indiana and other states, advocating on their behalf in disputed claims and threatened or pending litigation. Mr. Coriden has successfully served as counsel in dozens of jury trials and administrative hearings throughout Indiana. Tim routinely advises both clients and attorneys alike on the rights and remedies bestowed upon injured workers within the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Act. [ Attorney Bio ]