Here at The Law Offices of George Poulos, we understand how important it can be for those who’ve been injured on the job to obtain workers’ compensation benefits so they can receive the medical care they need to heal in a timely fashion. Our firm has been helping individuals in the Bronx and throughout New York City recover the benefits they need for over 30 years, and we are ready to put that experience to work for you. Please continue reading and contact our experienced Bronx workers’ compensation attorney to learn more about how our firm can help you through every step of the workers’ compensation claims process ahead.
Our Legal Services
The Law Offices of George Poulos can provide you with the following answers to your questions after sustaining a workplace injury:
- What is Workers’ Compensation?
- Who is covered?
- Filing a claim
- Workers’ Compensation Benefits
- Disability Classifications
- Occupational Diseases
- Third Party Lawsuits
- Claim Disputes
Understanding Workers’ Compensation
The Law Offices of George Poulos can help you through every facet of the workers’ compensation process. We will assist you with the following:
- Workers’ Compensation: As you know, there are few jobs that are entirely free of potential danger. Though some jobs may be safer than others, the truth is, serious accidents can occur in just about any workplace. For this very reason, our firm is here to help all those who have been injured in any workplace accident, whether in an office or on a construction site. As long as you are covered under the workers’ compensation laws in New York State, our Bronx firm is here to help.
- Determining Whether You Have a Claim: After sustaining a workplace injury or developing a medical condition due to your job, the first thing you must do is determine whether you are covered under New York State’s workers’ compensation laws. Our firm can assess whether the injury occurred during work hours, examine your insurance policy, and determine whether you have a valid claim.
- Determining Your Disability Classification: Once we determine whether you have a claim, we will then have to determine your disability classification. In many cases, the first thing you should do is seek medical assistance, wherein your treating health care provider will assess the extent of your disability. You must hire an experienced attorney who can understand the classification of your disability and work to prove the extent of your disability to prevent, or fight, any potential disputes that may arise.
- Filing Your Claim: In most cases, it is best to retain the services of an experienced Bronx workers’ compensation attorney who can file your claim on your behalf. Filing these claims is quite complicated, which is why you should strongly consider hiring our firm to ensure that you file your claim properly. Failing to properly file your claim can result in serious repercussions. We can ensure that does not happen.
- Handling Claim Disputes: Unfortunately, many people who truly require workers’ compensation benefits find that their insurance company has denied those benefits, or offered them benefits that do not cover the extent of their injury. This is unacceptable, though it happens more than you may think. When this occurs, it is critical that you hire an aggressive attorney who can protect your rights and prepare you for a potential hearing and appeals process. Do not let the insurance companies take advantage of you and deny you the compensation you need to heal and move on with your life. Our experienced firm has handled countless claim disputes in the past, and we know we have what it takes to do the same for you. Give us a call today.
- Filing Third-Party Lawsuits: In most cases, when someone is injured on the job, they will file a workers’ compensation claim. That being said, there are times when workers’ compensation benefits simply do not cover the extent of the injury sustained. When this happens, our firm can file what is known as a third-party claim. Essentially, in a third-party claim, we will sue a liable third party for your injuries so that you do not have to sue your employer directly. Some of the most common third-party lawsuits are filed against independent contractors, product designers or manufacturers, architects, and more. If you believe that a third party is responsible for your injuries, there is a very good chance that you may have a valid third-party claim. Our firm is ready to help in any way we can.
Statute of Limitations
Keep in mind that every state has a statute of limitations in place, both when it comes to filing workers’ compensation claims and third-party claims. In New York, the statute of limitations for workers’ compensation claims is, generally, two years, while the statute of limitations for third-party claims in New York is, generally, three years.
Two Deadlines That Decide Your Claim
Two years is the deadline to file your claim with the Board. It is not the deadline most workers miss. You must also give your employer written notice of the injury within 30 days, and that is a separate bar. A claim filed comfortably inside two years can still be defeated because nobody put the injury in writing during the first month.
Written is the operative word. Telling a supervisor on the floor, sending a text to a foreman, or mentioning it in the break room will not reliably satisfy the requirement, and none of them give you proof a year later when the carrier claims it never heard about the accident. Write it down, state how and when it happened, keep a copy, and note the date you handed it over.
The clock does not always start on the day of the accident. For an occupational disease that built up over years rather than in a single incident, hearing loss, a back condition from repeated lifting, a lung condition from exposure, the two years generally run from when you knew or should have known the condition was work-related.
Where Bronx Claims Are Heard
A workplace injury in the Bronx is a Bronx County claim, which means it is administered through the Board’s Bronx district office rather than the Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan offices. Hearings are largely virtual now, so the location matters less for attendance than it once did, but the district office still determines which examiners and law judges handle your file. Our East Tremont office is in the same county as the district office that will hear your case.
If the carrier disputes your claim, that is where the hearing happens, and it is worth having someone in the room who has been there before.
Contact Our Experienced Bronx Workers’ Compensation Attorney
The bottom line is that if you are someone who has been injured on the job, you must retain the services of an experienced Bronx workers’ compensation attorney as soon as you possibly can. Our firm is ready to help you through every step of the legal process ahead, and we will use our decades of experience to your advantage. Contact The Law Offices of George Poulos today to learn more about what we can do for you.