Virginia employees who are injured on the job or contract a disease due to their job activities may be able to receive benefits through the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act. If you or your loved one has a job-related injury or disease, there are a few things that you need to know.
If you are injured or have a disease related to your work, you need to report the injury to your supervisor at your job, and file a workers’ compensation claim within two years of your accident and/or the beginning of your disease symptoms. It is absolutely necessary to take these steps in order to preserve your right to compensation.
When reporting your illness or injury to your employer, you need to do so quickly — no later than 30 days after the date that the accident happened or no later than 30 days after the date your doctor diagnosed you. If you fail to report your injury or illness within 30 days, it could cause your claim to be denied. After you report the injury or illness, your employer needs to submit a report to the state Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission within 10 days of your reporting it.
Workers should then submit a claim to the Workers’ Compensation Commission in order to protect their rights and alert the Commission of your injuries and/or illnesses. After submitting the claim, you will receive more information, including a claim number and a PIN number that will give you access to your workers’ compensation files online.
When it comes to filing your claim, you can do so in several different ways:
— By mail by completing a Claim for Benefits Form and mailing it to the Commission
— By facts by completing Claim for Benefits Form and faxing it to the Commission; or
— By Webfile with the use of your claim number and PIN at the Commission website.
It is important that injured workers report their injuries and submit their claims as soon as possible; however, the process of doing so can sometimes feel overwhelming. For this reason, many injured workers use the services of a workers’ compensation attorney to complete their claims and submit their applications.
Source: Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, “Injured Workers,” accessed Oct. 01, 2015