Filing Workers’ Compensation Claims in Oregon
Notice of Work Injury
If you have a work injury or accident while working, you must report your work injury to your employer immediately or not later than 90 days. If you are off work or hospitalized, the insurance company is required to pay you temporary disability benefits within 14 days of your disability.
Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Central Oregon
You are required to file your work injury claims in writing after you have given notice to your employer. Your employer is required to immediately notify its insurance company of the injury.
It is best to file your work injury claim as soon as possible and to make sure your employer has reported it to the insurance company. Contact our office if you have questions about timely filing a workers’ compensation claim.
If your employer does not cooperate with the work injury claim or refuses to allow you to file the claim, you should contact a workers’ compensation attorney for workers’ compensation legal advice. Alternatively, you should contact the Oregon State Workers’ Compensation Division at 1-800-452-0288 for assistance. You can also ask your doctor’s office to contact the insurance company for you, especially if your doctor is taking you off work.
Filing workers’ compensation claims is complicated and often requires paperwork from all parties. If you have difficulty with the paperwork or do not speak English, our Oregon workers’ compensation attorney Philip Garrow can assist you. We have experience in Central Oregon cities, including Bend, Redmond, Sisters, La Pine, Madras, and Prineville.
An interpreter may bill a workers’ compensation client for a missed appointment in limited circumstances.
Medical Treatment – What Are Your Employee Rights?
If you are hurt on the job, or have pain due to the kind of work you do – a repetitive stress injury, for example – the first stop is to see a medical professional. An injured worker does not need to ask permission from his or her employer or supervisor before going to a doctor. And the physician you see is your choice, not your employers’. For the most part, you can see any licensed professional you choose.
Once the claim has been accepted by the workers’ compensation insurer, a process that can take up to 60 days, you may be enrolled in a so-called “managed care organization.” These are local physicians who have agreed to treat injured workers and accept payment from the workers’ compensation insurance company. Your treatment is covered 100%; there are no co-pays or out-of-pocket expenses for work-related injuries.
The type of treatment you receive is based on your doctor’s diagnosis and treatment plan, not the insurance company’s. If the insurance company tells the doctor that it will not approve the planned treatment, get some help right away. The longer treatment is delayed, the harder it will be to heal and get back to your normal life and work.
If you are having trouble finding a doctor or getting the treatment you need, call our office. The phone call and consultation are free and injured workers do not pay attorney fees to us help with the case.