Nursing Home Injury? Call a Workers Comp Lawyer

Last Updat­ed on July 7, 2023 

Work­ing in a nurs­ing home can be reward­ing, but it’s also a job that comes with its fair share of risks. Res­i­dents may have mobil­i­ty issues, cog­ni­tive impair­ments, or oth­er health con­di­tions that make them more sus­cep­ti­ble to falls, acci­dents, and injuries. As a work­er in this envi­ron­ment, you may find your­self injured on the job due to cir­cum­stances beyond your control.

Nursing Home Injuries: Understanding Your Options

If you’re injured while work­ing in a nurs­ing home, it’s impor­tant to under­stand your options for seek­ing com­pen­sa­tion. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Com­mon nurs­ing home injuries: Some of the most com­mon injuries that occur in nurs­ing homes include slips, trips, and falls, as well as injuries relat­ed to lift­ing and mov­ing res­i­dents. Work­ers may also be exposed to haz­ardous chem­i­cals or infec­tious diseases.
• Impor­tance of seek­ing med­ical atten­tion: If you’re injured on the job, your first pri­or­i­ty should always be seek­ing med­ical atten­tion. Even if your injuries seem minor, it’s impor­tant to get a pro­fes­sion­al eval­u­a­tion to ensure that you don’t have any under­ly­ing health issues that could wors­en over time.
• Overview of work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits: Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion is a form of insur­ance that pro­vides ben­e­fits to work­ers who are injured on the job. In nurs­ing homes, this can include cov­er­age for med­ical expens­es, lost wages, and even voca­tion­al reha­bil­i­ta­tion if you’re unable to return to your job.

Taking the Next Steps

If you’ve been injured on the job while work­ing in a nurs­ing home, it’s impor­tant to take action as soon as pos­si­ble. Here are a few steps you should take to pro­tect your legal rights:

• Seek med­ical atten­tion: Your health should always be your top pri­or­i­ty. Seek med­ical atten­tion for your injuries as soon as possible.
• Doc­u­ment your injuries: Keep detailed records of your injuries, includ­ing med­ical bills, treat­ment plans, and any oth­er rel­e­vant information.
• File a work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim: In order to receive ben­e­fits, you’ll need to file a work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim with your employ­er. You may also need to appeal a denied claim with the help of a lawyer.

What is Workers’ Compensation?

Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion is a type of insur­ance that pro­vides ben­e­fits to employ­ees who are injured on the job. In nurs­ing homes, work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion can help pro­tect employ­ees who are injured while car­ing for residents.

Here are a few key things to know about work­ers’ compensation:

• Def­i­n­i­tion of work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion: Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion is a sys­tem designed to pro­vide ben­e­fits to work­ers who are injured on the job. These ben­e­fits can include med­ical treat­ment, lost wages, and voca­tion­al reha­bil­i­ta­tion if necessary.
• Eli­gi­bil­i­ty require­ments: In order to be eli­gi­ble for work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion ben­e­fits, you must be an employ­ee who was injured while per­form­ing job-relat­ed duties. This includes employ­ees who work in nurs­ing homes.
• Fil­ing a work­ers’ comp claim: If you’re injured on the job, you’ll need to file a work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim to receive ben­e­fits. This involves noti­fy­ing your employ­er of your injury and fill­ing out the nec­es­sary paper­work to ini­ti­ate the claims process.

The Benefits of Hiring a Workers’ Comp Lawyer

If you’re injured on the job while work­ing in a nurs­ing home, you may be won­der­ing whether you need a lawyer to help you nav­i­gate the work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion process. While some work­ers are able to file a claim on their own, there are many ben­e­fits to work­ing with an expe­ri­enced work­ers’ comp lawyer.

Here are a few rea­sons you may want to con­sid­er hir­ing a work­ers’ comp lawyer for your nurs­ing home injury case:

• Under­stand­ing the com­plex legal process: Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion can be a com­plex and con­fus­ing process, espe­cial­ly if you’re not famil­iar with the legal sys­tem. A lawyer can help you under­stand your rights and nav­i­gate the claims process.
• Nav­i­gat­ing denied claims: Unfor­tu­nate­ly, not all work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claims are approved. If your claim is denied, a lawyer can help you appeal the deci­sion and fight for the ben­e­fits you’re enti­tled to.
• Max­i­miz­ing your ben­e­fits: A work­ers’ comp lawyer can help ensure that you receive the full range of ben­e­fits you’re enti­tled to under the law. This may include cov­er­age for med­ical expens­es, lost wages, and reha­bil­i­ta­tion costs.

Finding the Right Workers’ Comp Lawyer for Your Case

If you’ve decid­ed to hire a work­ers’ comp lawyer to help with your nurs­ing home injury case, it’s impor­tant to choose the right one. Here are a few things to con­sid­er when select­ing a lawyer:

• Expe­ri­ence han­dling nurs­ing home injury cas­es: Not all lawyers have expe­ri­ence han­dling work­ers’ comp cas­es relat­ed to nurs­ing home injuries. Look for a lawyer who has a track record of suc­cess in this area.
• Rep­u­ta­tion in the legal com­mu­ni­ty: A lawyer’s rep­u­ta­tion can speak vol­umes about their abil­i­ty to pro­vide qual­i­ty rep­re­sen­ta­tion. Look for a lawyer with pos­i­tive reviews and feed­back from past clients.
• Per­son­al rap­port and com­mu­ni­ca­tion style: Final­ly, it’s impor­tant to choose a lawyer who you feel com­fort­able work­ing with. Look for some­one who is respon­sive to your ques­tions and con­cerns, and who is will­ing to work with you to achieve your goals.

Protect Your Rights After an Accident while Working at a Nursing Home

By tak­ing these steps and work­ing with an expe­ri­enced work­ers’ comp lawyer, you can pro­tect your legal rights and ensure that you receive the ben­e­fits you deserve. If you’ve been injured on the job while work­ing in a nurs­ing home, don’t hes­i­tate to call a work­ers’ comp lawyer for help.