I Have My Workers Comp, Claim Number…now What?
hello, I work as a CNA, on december 18th I got hurt at work, I reported it, filled out injury papers, and went to the doctor they sent me to, she said i had a sprain knee and possibly a slightly torn ACL. gave me some anti- inflams and sent me on my way. I didn’t like the fact they didn’t do a scan to make sure it wasn’t a torn ACL (as that can be alot more serious!) So I called my employer and asked if I had the right to see my personal doctor. They said yes but that they prefer I see theirs- I told them I wouldn’t go back to their doctor. So I called my personal doctor, and he told me they couldn’t see me unless I had a claim number, I called everyday for a claim number. and kept getting excuses as of why they didn’t have it yet. Eventually I gave my doctor the name of my employer and he looked up the insurance info and agreed to see me, But that when I got the claim number, to pass it on to him. I just now, on january 8th received one. ( a claim number)
so now what? Does having a claim number mean that my employer already filed for me to receive workers comp benefits? Im not getting an answer! and Have never been in this situation before!
Its been 3 weeks, and I live in ky. when should I get paid?
A workers comp claim is generally opened after your employer calls in the incident to their insurance carrier. Basically you should have filled out an incident report, or your manager should have, outlining how you came to be injured,date, time, your responsibilities, type of injury, witnesses if any, etc. Upon receipt of this your HR or Safety person would contact the work comp insurance provider and give them the info, they would the supply your company with a claim number. From then on out the insurance company would be in contact with you regarding the status of your claim. You can call them directly to see what the status is. Typically they determine whether or not you are eligible for benefits.
Additionally, most companies have a policy in place the requires you to receive care through their doctor. This isn’t to prevent you from getting coverage or workers comp benefits but is so that they have one health provider that is responsible for providing medical information to their insurance company, it helps them to streamine the process. Make sure that you follow whatever your company procedure is and refer to your employee handbook to make sure you are in compliance. Follow-up with the workers comp provider re: your claim. They should be sending you a letter, if you haven’t received it already, regarding your benefits. If approved the insurance company would work with the doctor re: any additional care such as physical therapy and nursing if needed. They would also reimburse you mileage to any doctor’s visits directly applying to the incident so keep records. Contact them with any questions you may have about the process. Best of lcuk!
just call your doctor and give him the claim number. Claims can take up to 6 months to be approved
Get a lawyer. If your hurt pay the Doc cash, keep your receipts.