If you have been injured at work, whether it can be blamed on your employer or not, you should be entitled to workers’ compensation (WC), which covers most medical expenses and a large percentage of any lost earnings. Only a minority of employees may find they are not covered by their employer’s insurance cover and may be forced to file a personal injury lawsuit instead. Whatever route you take to find compensation, the help from an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can be invaluable. Choosing a Workers’ Comp. Attorney in Baltimore When you are first thinking about how to pay for medical treatment after a workplace injury, you may be looking for a suitable attorney to provide advice and legal help where needed. It is important to select the right attorney. Fortunately, in Baltimore, because of the size of the city and surrounding district, there is a huge number of attorneys who specialize in workers’ compensation to choose from. There are around 350 licensed WC attorneys. The only problem is making a final choice. Common Injuries at Work in Baltimore Baltimore has a large metropolitan population, many of whom work in the health care, hospital and nursing home industries. Not surprisingly, these occupations have the highest non-fatal incidence of work related illness and injury* within the Baltimore area. Hospital workers, whether they are orderlies, nurses or doctors are often exposed to health risks because of their profession. These could range from developing communicable diseases through close contact with patients to blood related illness because of accidental cuts and gashes. Nursing home care workers may find they have constant heavy lifting to contend with when they deal with elderly or sick nursing home residents. Lower back strain and neck strain are common reasons for workplace injury related absence from work. How Workers’ Compensation Works in Maryland Workplace injuries in Baltimore fall under workers’ compensation laws for Maryland. Basically, nearly all employees are covered, or should be covered by their employers’ workers’ compensation insurance cover. Most of this insurance is provided by large, well known insurance carriers. Workers’ comp. is a no-fault type of insurance, which means you don’t have to provide evidence that your employer as to blame, which would be the case with a personal injury type of claim. You should inform your employer within 10 days of the injury or potentially lose the opportunity to claim compensation. Workplace related illnesses may be just as important in Maryland, especially Baltimore with its large health and nursing home workforce. You have 1 year from the discovery of a workplace illness to inform the employer. You then have 60 days (2 years for an illness) to file a claim with the state’s Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC). The insurer should accept or deny a claim within 21days. Many claims are denied for all sorts of reasons, but there are ways you can appeal to the WCC. A workers’ compensation attorney will be very useful if you need to appeal. In the unlikely event that you have no choice but to file a personal injury claim, this can be done through the Baltimore City District Court in Wabash Avenue. The actual court may differ depending on the value of damages claimed, so you should seek advice from your attorney before filing. Use a Free Claim Evaluation to Find a Suitable Baltimore WC Attorney It is sensible to seek advice from a licensed workers’ compensation attorney before filing your claim with either the WCC or a civil court (if you file a personal injury claim), but which one should you choose? With over 350 attorneys available in Baltimore alone, this can be a daunting decision. The best advice is to complete our free claim evaluation form available below. Workers' Compensation in Maryland Denied Workers' Compensation in Maryland? *Source: https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm#MD
