If you work as an auto mechanic and you have been unlucky and had an accident while at work, you may be entitled to worker’s compensation. Working as an auto mechanic involves being vulnerable to many different kinds of hazards which can cause unexpected injuries. In many cases when injured, an auto mechanic may lodge an application for workers’ compensation because the auto repair business has worker’s compensation insurance to cover its auto mechanics for sickness and injuries while at work. If you are entitled to WC, your medical treatment should be paid, a percentage of your weekly earnings and any rehabilitation costs if needed before you go back to work as an auto mechanic. What to Do Before Filing for Workers’ Compensation When the accident has taken place and you have been injured you must report the incident to your employer or supervisor as quickly as you can. The faster the WC claim is submitted, the faster the WC benefits will become available to you. If you don’t file a report as soon as possible your car repair business and its WC insurer may not think the injury took place while you were at work. As soon as you have received the necessary medical treatment, you should report your accident and injury to your supervisor or employer. Filing Your Worker’s Compensation Report When the report concerning your accident has been received your employer will ask you to fill in a form. With this form you should provide documents that prove where and when the accident took place. This may include all or any of the following: the physician’s diagnosis and treatment; photographs taken by you or your fellow auto mechanics at the accident site; surveillance camera footage (if available) taken at the site of the accident; receipts you have been given for medical treatment you have already paid for; eye witnesses written reports which prove your injury happened while working on the job as an auto mechanic. When you have finished filling in the form and you have the relevant documents for evidence, you must give the form to your employer, who should then pass it on to its workers’ comp. insurer. If after some time has passed and your employer has not responded to your demand for worker’s compensation, you should think about contacting the nearest workers’ comp office. One of their administrators will be assigned to your claim who will contact your employer and try to get a response to your workers’ compensation claim. After You File Your Workers’ Compensation Report The WC insurer won’t just pay out the WC claim but it will carry out its own investigation into the accident. This includes evaluating the proof that has been provided which backs up that the accident and injury took place while you were working as an auto mechanic. Too often WC insurers deny claims based on inadequate evidence that proves you were working as an auto mechanic when the accident took place. If this happens you should contact your local Workers' Compensation Appeals Board to lodge an appeal. An appeal’s hearing will be scheduled where a judge will hear your case and inform the employer’s WC insurer to pay your workers’ compensation if your claim is valid. Contact a Workers’ Comp Lawyer Because workers’ comp claims are never that easy to win seeking help from an attorney will get your claim on the right track. Additional Resources Can I File A Claim As an Auto Mechanic? How Much is an Auto Mechanic's Claim Worth?
