Why It’s Important Not To Downplay Your Work Injury

Your employment is your ticket to a regular paycheck, so if a work injury prevents you from getting your normal hours, it can have a significant effect on your finances. Even though you can recoup medical expenses and earn a percentage of your paycheck through a wage loss claim, many people feel like they need to do everything they can to get back to work so that they can keep earning a living. Sometimes, they’ll even consider downplaying or outright ignoring a work injury.

Downplaying or refusing to seek care for a work injury is a terrible idea for a number of reasons, even if your reason for doing so is rooted in the desire to financially provide for your family. In today’s blog, we explain why it’s important not to downplay the extent of your work injury.

Don’t Downplay Your Work Injury

There are a number of reasons you shouldn’t downplay your work injury, but the biggest reason is because it works against the very goal you’re hoping to achieve, which is financial stability. You may think that getting back to work is the best way to continue earning a paycheck, but if a work injury limits your earning’s capacity or your ability to work in your current role, rushing back and not earning compensation for your injuries will only hurt your financial prospects.

Here’s a look at some of the ways people knowingly and unknowingly downplay their work injury, and some of the ripple effects these moves can cause:

Failure To Report – Failing to report your injury will make it impossible to collect compensation because the workers’ compensation insurance provider needs documented evidence that a compensable injury occurred. Even if you report your injury, but you didn’t report it for days or weeks, it can make it much harder to prove that your injuries occurred as you say they did. Report your injuries as soon as possible.

Failing To See A Doctor – Not only does an injury need to be documented by an employer in order for compensation to be awarded, but compensable injuries need to exist. If you don’t head to a doctor, you’re not going to be able to have your injuries confirmed. Again, don’t delay in seeking medical care either, because it can send up some red flags to the insurance company about the extent of your injuries. Seek medical care in a timely manner.

Downplaying Your Injuries To Your Physician – Don’t lie about your symptoms to your treating physician. They’ll be able to detect a number of issues and symptoms with the help of a physical exam or imaging tests, but if you’re dealing with symptoms that are harder to spot, like headaches, blurred vision, fatigue or difficulty concentrating, make sure you alert your physician of these issues. These symptoms aren’t just going to go away because you failed to let your physician know that they are causing issues, and you’re not going to be able to get compensation for them either.

Rushing Back To Work – Finally, don’t try to rush back to work before you’re ready. Workers’ compensation is designed to provide you with financial compensation and the tools you need to return to the job in a healthy and safe capacity, so lean on these benefits when you need to. If you rush back to work before you’re ready or against your doctor’s recommendations, you could be risking additional injury or even your right to compensation because you defied a professional’s recommendations. If you believe you’re healthy enough to return to work, reach back out to your physician for clearance.

It’s never a good idea to downplay the extent of your work injuries. Whether it’s because you are nervous about how a work injury will affect your finances or you simply don’t want to force your coworkers to take on more work because of your injuries, it’s not a good idea to try and downplay your work injuries. Workers compensation was installed to provide benefits to employees in this exact situation, so get the compensation you deserve and make a full recovery so that you can safely handle the rigors of your job upon your return.

And if you need help filing an injury claim or starting the process of a workers’ compensation claim, reach out to Dean and the team at Margolis Law Firm today at (952) 230-2700.