Dollar General is one of the nation’s most popular retail outlets. The wide variety of items from groceries to clothes to garden supplies makes it both a great place to shop and work. But if you work at Dollar General and get hurt, how would you support your family? Could you still buy groceries and pay rent? For many Dollar General employees, an on the job injury would be financially devastating. Fortunately, there could be financial assistance available for you through a workers' compensation claim. Help for Injured Employees If you are hurt on the job, you should consider filing a workers’ compensation claim. It can help with medical expenses. For people who can’t work because of their injury, workers’ compensation may provide a portion of the worker’s wages. Each state has a law that requires most employers to have a workers’ compensation insurance policy in place to help. Workers’ compensation is provided at no charge to workers. Company Profile: Dollar General Dollar General is headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. It is legally incorporated as Dollar General Corporation. There are more than 12,000 Dollar General stores in the United States. They have around 105,000 employees. Dollar General is known for selling inexpensive toys, candy, and household products. Risks for Dollar General Employees The employees that work within Dollar General retail environments all face the same primary risks. This is because the employees all perform the same tasks. They stock products, they clean, and they assist customers. This puts employees at risk. Common risks for Dollar General employees include, but are not limited to: Slip and fall – Dollar General employees are at risk to slip and fall. Spilled bottles of shampoo, cooking oil, or simply a wet floor can create a hazard that can hurt employees. Slip and falls may seem minor, but they can result in broken bones, permanently injured backs, or a closed head injury. Stocking products often means that employees have to move extremely heavy boxes. This can result in pulled muscles, slipped discs, and other life-altering injuries. Helping customers can mean lifting products from the top shelves. Falling off of a ladder can cause extreme and permanent spinal injuries. Working a cash register can, over time, cause you to develop repetitive stress syndrome. Hurt During Your Shift? If you are hurt during your shift, you should consider filing a workers’ compensation claim. However, there are some other things that you can do to protect yourself. Do not wait until the end of your shift to inform your manager. Continuing to work can make even minor injuries worse. Additionally, if you slip and fall, your manager should be made aware of the hazard so that they can clean it up to protect others in the store. If you hit your head or if you cut yourself deeply with a box knife, get emergency medical care. Ask your manager how you can file a workers’ compensation claim. This will also involve filling out an accident report. However, if you call 911 for a medical emergency, a responding officer will provide you with a policy report number. You can get a copy of the police report. Ask your manager or Human Resources advisor how you can make an appointment to get your injury taken care of. Workers’ compensation policies list a doctor that injured workers can often see at no charge. If you decide to see your own doctor, you may have to pay out of pocket. Keep your receipts because you may be reimbursed. The Claims Process If you work in a Dollar General store and have an accident or develop an injury through repetitive strain on your body, you are entitled to claim compensation following a well established procedure laid down by the state workers’ compensation agency in the state where you work. Failure to keep to the claim process may invalidate your claim, especially if you fail to keep to the time schedule at each step of the claim. After a specific accident, or when you need to take time off work because of a workplace related injury, you should make sure that your injury has been officially recorded by your employer. The date of the injury or the date you left work to obtain treatment must be recorded so that when a claim is filed later on, there is evidence that the injury definitely happened at work. You may need to see a doctor designated by Dollar General’s insurance carrier and seek treatment at a preferred medical facility. This depends more on the insurer than the employer or state workers’ compensation agency. In many cases, you can make a choice over medical providers or see the preferred doctor first for an assessment of your injury before contacting your own doctor. Make sure you document everything that you do regarding your injury. Obtain copies of doctor’s reports, X-ray and scan results, bills, invoices and receipts for every stage of medical treatment. You will need to file your claim within a specified time period, typically 2 to 3 years after the date if the injury, although normally you should start receiving a percentage of your normal pay after a few days. Average Settlement Against Dollar General The average settlement against Dollar General is calculated after an assessment of the combination of the severity of the injury, the number of days off work, the cost of medical treatment, whether the injury is only temporary or more permanent and the job that the injured employee was doing. A typical workplace injury at a Dollar General is a slip and fall accident in which a fracture of the arm or leg is the result. These accidents commonly happen when store workers are busy trying to run the store with limited other staff available. Slippery floors from cleaning or spilled products can cause slip and fall hazards. Store workers at Dollar General do a number of different jobs, such as cashiers, sales associates and associate or store managers. Most states determine lost wages due to a slip and fall injury at around two thirds of the wage that might have been earned if the worker had stayed at work. All medical costs are expected to be paid if the claim is accepted. Assuming that a sales associate earning $8.50 an hour slips and falls and breaks their upper arm bone, you could expect that the worker might be off work for a month before returning to work. This sort of injury is not permanent so temporary full disability benefits should be claimed as the worker would not return to work until the arm has healed. Example of claim: 1 month wages at $8.50 an hour x 20 days x 8 hours per day x 0.66 = $898; Doctor’s fees (3 visits) = 3 x $120 = $360; Medication (painkillers) = $240; X-rays = $675; Setting and removing cast on arm = $1,200; Physical therapy = $950; Total claimed = $4,323. Evidence for Dollar General’s Workers’ Compensation Claim Not all insurers are keen to welcome and accept workers’ compensation claims. Many claims are denied because insurers are doubtful that an injury did actually happen while at work or because accompanying documentation is insufficient to establish how much the claim is worth. It is easier to provide enough evidence that your claim is justified than try and fight a denied claim by appealing. Appealing a denied claim can be a lengthy and frustrating experience. This is a list of useful evidence that can be submitted together with your claim or provided at some stage during the claim process. Confirmation of the date, time and nature of your injury given to your supervisor, or store manager within the time frame established by the workers’ compensation agency in your state. Statements confirming what happened from fellow employees; Any statements from customers who saw the accident and can verify the injury; Doctor’s initial assessment of the injury and recommendations for treatment; All bills receipts or invoices relating to medical treatment throughout; Statements from a doctor, medical center or hospital confirming treatment received e.g. x-rays taken; bones set, cast put in place, status updates, removal of cast, physical therapy provided. For more specific on Workers' Comp while working for Dollar General, please see our page: Tips for Getting Workers’ Comp After an Injury at Dollar General* Preparing Your Workers' Comp Claim Against Dollar General* Workers’ Comp for a Hernia Injury Working at Dollar General Workers’ Comp for a Herniated Disc Injury Working at Dollar General Get Legal Help With your Workers' Compensation Claim It’s important that you learn more about workers’ compensation from an experienced lawyer. It’s important that you understand your rights under workers’ compensation law. Talking with an attorney is the best thing that you can do to protect your legal rights. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Dollar General, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
