What is a claim form?

A Claim Form is the initial step to the start of your workers’ compensation claim. The Claim Form, once completed by you and returned to your employer, officially begins your case moving forward. The Claim Form includes a section for you to complete identifying the date of your injury, where it occurred, how it occurred and the body parts you are claiming have been injured. The bottom section of the Claim Form is for your employer to complete and will identify the employer’s insurance carrier, the date your employer claims they were made aware of your injury and other basic information. From the date that the Claim Form is returned to the employer, it triggers a 90 day investigation period to either admit or deny your claim.

While that investigation is ongoing, you have the right to receive up to $10,000.00 in medical treatment at the cost of your employer (if your employer is self-insured) or your employer’s worker’s compensation insurance carrier. If you have any questions about completing your Claim Form, your strongly urged to call TURCHIN LAW as soon as possible and we will provide you with instructions on the best way to complete the Claim Form based upon the circumstances of your case and injury.

One important word of advice is that you identify all potential body parts involved with your claim. For instance, if you trip and fall onto your right side and feel immediate pain of a severe nature in your low back, but also feel pain with regard to your right elbow, right shoulder, hip, neck and knee, but to a lesser degree, it is imperative that you include all body parts affected, not just the most severe. It is much easier to drop a body part than it is to add one. That is not to say that you cannot amend the claim form at any point during your case, but the strength of your claim is bolstered by a timely reporting of all injured body parts at the beginning of the case. If you fail to complete the claim form properly, as your attorneys at TURCHIN LAW, we will amend your claim to allege all body parts truly at issue as soon as possible in order to ensure that all potential benefits are received by you. We will also make sure that part of our case preparation is to establish a reasonable basis for the amendment by tying in the additionally claimed body parts to your original personal injury.