What to Do After a Milford Workplace Injury

If injured while working in Milford, you should do three things immediately.

Take These Steps After a Milford Workplace Injury

First, report your injury to your employer. Let them know what happened. Be sure to report all your Milford workplace injuries, even if it seems minor. If you don’t report your injury, your employer may later contest the claim.

Second, get prompt medical care and treatment for your Milford workplace injury. This seems obvious, but in practice, many injured workers wait and work out their day’s shift before they seek treatment. Don’t wait. Get treated as soon as you can after you report your injury. Your employer must pay you if you have to leave work due to an injury, so don’t worry about the money.

Third, file an official workers’ compensation claim. Just reporting it to your employer, or receiving medical treatment, is not enough. You need to file your Milford injury case with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. You must document your claim. If you don’t do this, you lose your eligibility for certain benefits. Neither the employer’s report of injury nor an accident report satisfies this requirement. You must use the official form.

Filing a Claim

That said, filing is simple. You need to complete a written Form 30C. This form needs to be completed and filed with the Workers’ Compensation District Office for the location where the injury occurred. It also needs to be sent to your employer. You must file your official claim within one year of the date of your injury. If you don’t file within the one-year deadline, you will lose your right to bring a claim. If you were injured in a Milford workplace accident, our workers’ compensation lawyers can assist you in filing your official 30C claim notice.

Many of our Milford clients get confused over where to file their workers’ compensation claims. There is a very simple answer to this question: You must file your official workers’ compensation claim in the District Office for the location where you were injured. This might be different from where you live or even from where your employer’s facility is located. It’s the place where you were hurt that determines where you file.

For example, if Janet lives in Fairfield, and she is dispatched from her usual place of employment in Milford to a job site in Bridgeport, and she is injured in a workplace accident in Bridgeport, Janet must file her workers’ compensation claim in the District Office in Bridgeport. She would not file in Milford (where her employer’s facility is located) or in Fairfield (where she lives). Rather, Janet must file where she was hurt (Bridgeport).

Connecticut has eight District Offices, each of which represents several cities and towns within its geographical area. The District Offices are in Hartford, Norwich, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Britain, Stamford, and Middletown. You should file the claim in the correct District Office. Our attorneys can assist any worker injured in a workplace accident in Milford in filing their official workers’ compensation claim.

A Typical Timeline

Once you file your workers’ compensation claim, the typical case, where the employer does not contest responsibility, usually flows in an organized manner. Here is a brief outline of the flow of a workers’ compensation claim.

Injured on the Job and Initial Medical Treatment

The employee is injured, reports the injury, receives initial medical care, and files an official workers’ compensation claim. The employee should follow all physician treatment recommendations. The injured employee should retain legal counsel to represent their interests. The treating physician must determine the employee’s present work capacity.

Continued Medical Care and Total Incapacity from Work

The employee selects an attending physician and follows treatment recommendations. Possible consultation with a specialist care provider and surgery could be necessary depending on the specific injury. Regardless, the employer must pay Temporary Total Disability wage replacement benefits. In addition, the treating physician must provide appropriate medical care and continue to evaluate the employee’s work capacity.

Improvement and Light Duty Return to Work

The employee receives continued medical care, and their injury conditions improve. In this case, the employee can return to work, at least in a partial capacity. If no light duty work is available, the employee is eligible to receive Temporary Partial Disability wage replacement benefits.

Maximum Medical Improvement

The employee’s injured conditions resolve, or injuries reach the point of maximum improvement. In this case, the employee is eligible for compensation for permanent injuries based on the physician’s evaluation. If the employee can’t return to work, they could be eligible for further discretionary benefits. The claim may be resolved through a final settlement.

As you can see, even uncontested workers’ compensation claims can be complex. Our workers’ compensation attorneys stand ready to assist any workers injured in Milford workplace accidents. We are here to help.