Idaho Law Blog
By Fred Lewis and Mckaid Shepard
Worker’s compensation cases are all about getting you fair compensation. There are ways you can really hurt your own claim. Don’t do it! There are three things that you should avoid in relationship to your worker’s compensation claim.
The first is inconsistency. Your creditability is key in your worker’s compensation case. Dates and descriptions of accidents are important. Not knowing how or when you got hurt can severely hinder your worker’s compensation case and cause you to settle for less. I’m sure you can see how reporting a date for your accident and then later changing it looks really bad. Mistakes happen, wrong dates can be reported. That necessarily won’t be your Achilles Heel if you described the accident accurately, but it can hurt. Be honest with your employer. Never exaggerate to make your injury sound worse. Doing this can come back to bite you. The best way to ensure that this doesn’t happen is report an injury right away. Don’t wait until it gets worse or say you will do it next week: report it right after the accident. Doing this will avoid a potential drop in value to your worker’s compensation case.