Failure to report a work injury can harm your chances of getting workers compensation benefits.
The first step in any workers’ compensation claim is to report an injury. The purpose of the requirement is to allow the employer the ability to render immediate medical attention in the hope of minimizing the seriousness of the injury and permitting the employer to investigate the claim soon after the injury.
It is important to keep in mind that when you file a claim for workers’ compensation it is a claim against the employer’s insurance coverage, not the employer directly. Even if you decide you want to put it under your own health insurance, you may run into problems.
Failure to report your injury in a timely fashion can result in a bar to workers compensation benefits. Regardless of whether the injury is a slip and fall, trip and fall, herniated disc or a Gillette type injury, you should always report your injury as soon as possible to the employer.
To receive worker’s compensation benefits, the injured worker must show the provided notice of the injury to the employer, or that the employer had actual knowledge of the injury, with in 180 days as allowed under Minnesota statute 176.141. You should always report your injury.
