Were you recently hurt in a workplace accident and believe you’re entitled to benefits? Applying for workers’ comp does not guarantee that your claim will be approved, which is why many legitimately injured workers end up hiring a San Francisco workers’ comp lawyer to help them.
The most important thing to remember is that you have a specific window in which to notify your employer so you can get your benefits. If you don’t tell your employer within 30 days about the accident, you could miss the deadline for workers’ comp. If your condition does not develop right away, the 30 day period begins when you discovered the condition itself.
The first step for appealing your claim is filing an application for adjudication of claim. This notifies the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board that you are filing an appeal on the original decision. The form must be completed properly and sent in with supporting documents.
You’ll need to file this within one year of the day on which your temporary benefits ended, the last day you got medical benefits, or the year from the date of your injury. You’ll also have to file what’s known as a declaration of readiness to proceed when you’re prepared for your case to go in front of a judge. You’ll need to have your evidence in the form of letters from the insurance company and medical records already organized for this appeal.
While you can try to handle an appeal on your own, it’s not recommended. Hiring a workers’ comp lawyer is the only way to get the help you need with fighting for your workers’ comp benefits.