You have to fill out an employee injury report before you can receive workers’ compensation for an injury or illness. It is essential to do so promptly because most states have specific laws regulating how quickly you need to submit a claim. Because of this, it is recommended that you submit it immediately, but you need to know how to fill out an employee injury report, especially if this is your first workers’ compensation case. Continue reading to see what you will need to consider when filling out an employee injury report.

Know What You Are Responsible For

Your responsibilities are different depending on if you are the employer or the injured employee. There is also a lot of variance by state. Advice for Louisiana might vary from advice for another state. You need to be aware of the relevant laws and requirements, or you could risk your claim being denied.

For the Employee

If you are the employee, it is best to submit a written statement of injury to your employer when you find out the specifics of your injury. Most states have a maximum amount of time that a claim must be filed in to receive compensation, which also varies depending on the type of injury reported.

When you notify your employer, you should include as much detail as possible about the injury. This information includes your contact information, time and date of your injury, how you injured yourself, where the injury occurred, and what you were doing when you were injured. It is essential to be thorough when doing this but do not add inaccurate information. Including symptoms that did not occur, assumptions, or speculations, can negatively affect your claim. At the same time, including symptoms that seem unimportant will cover you later if more minor injuries develop into more serious ones.

Beyond this first step, you should research your state requirements because some states have a specific form to fill out. In this case, the first written notification might just be a formality. However, we still recommend being thorough in the notification to your employer to begin that communication early on. In this case, they can also help direct you to submit any other forms or information they might need to file the report.

Your cooperation will also be necessary throughout the process. For example, you may be asked to visit another doctor for the insurance provider as a second opinion, and you should generally be as cooperative as possible throughout the process. Still, it is crucial to be aware of the primary ways employees are taken advantage of in workers’ compensation cases. In some cases, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer to represent you in your case.

For the Employer

The employer has their responsibilities and requirements when they receive notification that an employee is injured.

Reviewing basic guidelines is important before understanding your state requirements for filing an employee injury report. You should also brief your employees on how to act when injured or ill to ensure you are notified promptly.

When you get notified of an injury, you are required to submit the relevant report to your workers’ compensation carrier. Beyond this, you must follow the instructions of your insurance provider. It is your job to supply your workers’ compensation provider with the relevant information on time.

In addition, you should ensure that your employee is well taken care of. By law, you need to welcome an injured employee back to work when they can physically work. It is against the law to penalize or terminate a worker because of their filing, and doing so could result in a lawsuit or other negative consequences.

Being cooperative, empathetic, and fast-acting is vital on the employer’s end regarding workers’ compensation.

Outsource Your Workers’ Compensation

As you can see, there are many specific requirements that you must keep up to date with to report employee injuries accurately. Because of this, many businesses will outsource their human resource needs, such as workers’ compensation, to another company that specializes in that area.

Canal HR is a professional employer organization (PEO) that assists hundreds of small businesses with their HR needs. We provide workers’ compensation insurance for many of these businesses, and we stay up to date on all the specific requirements you need to follow to fill out an employee injury report. A PEO can save you money by negotiating better rates because of our compiled buying power. That also means you can focus more on growing your business and less on the paperwork that comes from doing business.

Contact Canal HR today to hear more about what we can take off your plate.