If you have been injured on the job, it is extremely important that you report your accident to your supervisor or employer as soon as possible.
After you get injured on the job, Missouri law states you must inform your employer in writing and mention the following details:
- Date, time and place of the injury
- The nature of the injury
- Your name and address
Your employer should have copies of the official form in their office, but if they don’t, you can use the online version here. Then, it is the employer’s responsibility to file the First Report of Injury with the Missouri Division of Workers Compensation.
Here is how the process generally goes.
What’s on You
By law, you are required to fill the official form within 30 days of your injuries. If you miss the mark, you may no longer be able to file for workers comp benefits.
The form contains all the relevant information you have to provide. Before you send in the form, you should make a copy of it for safekeeping, and keep a record of the date you mailed it. You also have the option of hand delivering the form to the employer, in which case you should also clearly record the date and time you handed it in, as well as the name of the person who received it.
Though on the form you don’t need to go into a lot of details about your injury or accident, there are some golden rules to consider:
- Don’t exaggerate your injury
- Be as specific as you can
- Tell the truth
This step is incredibly important, particularly in the event the form gets lost or your employer does not inform the division of your injury, which could potentially impact your benefits. You can call the Division directly to check if your injury has been reported.
What’s on Your Employer
Your employer generally must inform the worker’s comp insurance carrier within a maximum five days from the day of the injury if they are aware of it, or within five days of the date the worker reported the injury.
Then, the injury must be reported either by the employer or the insurance company to the Division within 30 days of gaining knowledge of the injury. This is called the ‘First Report of Injury’ which can be filed electronically.
As a worker, you can check if your injury has been reported to the Division sooner, but if the report is not sent within 30 days, you can inform the Division and they can step in to handle your claim.
Speak with an Experienced Workers Compensation Lawyer
If you have been injured at work, ensure your legal right to compensation is protected by getting in touch with St. Louis workers comp attorney as soon as possible. Small mistakes can hurt your claim and get it dismissed, and after that, it may be a lot more difficult to restart the process and get compensated. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4300 for a FREE case evaluation.