I have clients who come to me at all different stages of their worker’s compensation claims.  Sometimes they come to me after they have fallen in one of the common pitfalls for an injured worker in Minnesota.  Typical issues I see are: they’re assigned a QRC by the insurance company who’s not looking out in their best interest and they get pushed back to work too soon, reinjuring themselves.

Another mistake that I see is an injured person who isn’t documenting their communication with the insurance company.  You know, you can call and make claims for your wage loss, try to get the adjuster on the phone to get your medical treatment approved.  But the best thing to do is document your communication with them in writing, via e-mail or fax.  So, you can go back and look and find out, have they been complying with the time limits that they’re under to respond to a claim?  Those are some things that are important to do.

Another thing is to look at your average weekly wage.  What is the rate that the insurance company is paying you?  Are they including your overtime and bonuses that you received in the 26 weeks before your injury?  All of those things can affect your claim and should be considered when you’re operating without an attorney.