Workplace Injury Lawyers Rockville Centre 
At Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C. our Workplace Injury Lawyers in Rockville Centre have represented many clients just like you who were injured because of work. During a workers’ compensation case, you will have to sign forms in order to file your claim. What happens if the insurance company approaches you with forms to sign? Keep in mind that there are forms that you definitely should not sign in order to protect your best interests. If you aren’t sure what documents to provide a signature for, you should always consult with a lawyer first.
Should You Sign Medical Record Release Forms?
The insurance company will need to obtain medical records in your case. These have to be relevant medical records that relate to your treatment and the injury obtained at work. They are not supposed to ask for any other medical records.
Now, if you receive a blank medical release, our New York Workplace Injury Lawyers in Rockville Centre may suggest not bothering to sign it. Contact the insurance company and ask for a specific release that complies with HIPAA. It must be limited to the medical records involved with the case. The medical release form should include a description of the information disclosed, the date when the disclosure form becomes invalid, the name of who the disclosure is made and the name of the physician that can disclose the information.
Our Workplace Injury Lawyers in Rockville Centre, NY advise not signing any medical records release forms that allows the insurance company, your employer or the attorney for your employer to speak with your healthcare provider. You should never give permission for them to speak with your doctor or any other physician treating your injuries. The only reason that an insurance company will want to speak with these people is so that they can damage your case.
Should You Release SSA Information?
If your employer or the insurance carrier asks you to sign a release that authorizes them to access information from the SSA or Social Security Administration, then you have the right to turn them down. While there may be some circumstances where you can turn it over, especially if you are negotiating a settlement and a Medicare Set Aside, most of the time, you do not want to sign over that information.
Should You Answer Questions?
Be careful what you say to the insurance carrier and your employer. The insurance carrier may hire investigators to ask you questions or to dig around your case to find out if there are any holes in your case. Make sure to speak to our NY Workplace Injury Lawyers in Rockville Centre before you decide to answer any questions.
Workers’ Comp and Repetitive Motion Injuries
In the US, there is a system to compensate any worker who is injured while doing his or her job. This system is called workers’ comp. It protects all employees from dangerous working conditions. If you are injured while working, you are guaranteed the right to receive compensation for all financial expenses that result from the injury. This does raise the question, however, of what types of injuries are covered by workers’ comp? For example, do you know if injuries resulting from repetitive motions, such as carpal tunnel, are covered by workers’ comp? Please read the following and then call the workplace injury lawyers Rockville Centre workers can rely on from Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C.
Repetitive Stress Injuries from Working
The types of injuries that result from performing repetitive motions for extended periods of time are called repetitive stress injuries. These types of injuries are generally covered by workers’ comp. This means that even if you work in an office, your medical bills will be compensated if typing leads to carpal tunnel. While carpal tunnel is the most common type of repetitive stress injury, workers’ comp covers any injury of this type, including:
- Epicondylitis
- Bursitis
- Ganglion cyst
- Tenosynovitis
- Tendinitis
- Trigger finger
Even something as simple as back pain resulting from lifting heavy boxes every day will be covered.
The Qualifications
When it comes to workers’ comp qualification, the type of injury is one of the least important aspects. The cause of the injury is much more important. For an injury to be covered, it needs to happen as a result of doing your job. In other words, the injury needs to be work-related. Simply being at work might not be enough – but this depends on your personal situation.
For example, tripping and falling while on a lunch break likely would not be covered. You were not working, and the action that lead to the injury was not done for your job. However, falling while climbing into a delivery truck would likely be covered, as this action was done for the job. Additionally, if a coworker’s work-related activities injure you, you are covered even if you were not doing work-related activities. You should always call a workplace injury lawyer in Rockville Centre for further advice.
These qualifications pose an issue for repetitive stress injuries. It needs to be shown that the injury occurred as a result of work-related actions, even though the injury occurred over several weeks, months, or years. To qualify, you will need to demonstrate that the specific actions you took while working injured you over time. If you have any trouble proving this and are at risk of having your claim rejected, you should immediately speak with our workplace injury lawyers in Rockville Centre who understand the rules and laws.
If you are currently dealing with a workers’ compensation claim and are overwhelmed with paperwork, don’t hesitate to contact our Workplace Injury Lawyers in Rockville Centre, New York from Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C today.
