So you were injured in a work-related accident and lost at least a week’s worth of wages and gained a hefty medical bill or two, as a result of a work injury. In Nassau County, you could be paid out financial support through your employer’s worker’s compensation policy.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to the New York Worker’s Compensation Board if you think that you might have a case. You deserve to be financially compensated by your employer. This compensation is for any pain and suffering that you had following an incident resulting in any type of work-related injury.

Keep reading below to learn about Nassau County, NY workers’ comp and information specific to finding the right worker’s compensation doctors for you.

What is Worker’s Compensation?

So, worker’s compensation is a policy that every employer is required to fulfill in the event that an employee is injured while on the clock at work. This policy reimburses the injured employee for lost wages and medical bills. The amount that is paid out varies depending on where you are located. Worker’s compensation protects the employer from lawsuits brought about with claims of negligence due to work-related injuries.

Nassau County, NY Workers’ Comp Policies

While worker’s compensation laws are pretty consistent across the board, there may be some variations from state to state.

The Nassau County Bar Association explains that the Worker’s Compensation Laws require that employers provide reasonable compensation to employees that are injured on the job, regardless of fault. This doesn’t require that employers pay the entire amount of lost wages or medical bills acquired by a work-related injury.

Employees can still be terminated from their job even though they filed a worker’s compensation claim and are unable to work because of a work-related injury. They just can’t be fired because of the worker’s compensation policy. As long as the employer can prove that the employee is being fired because of their performance at work, budget cuts, etc., it’s legit reasoning. If the employee cannot function in the work environment, they are not protected via the worker’s compensation case that they are going through.

An injury that happens at the workplace isn’t automatically eligible for the worker’s compensation policy. This is where the worker’s compensation doctors come into play. You need to see a worker’s compensation doctor in order to prove that your injury was a direct result of the workplace.

Work-related accidents in Nassau County

In Nassau County, there is a huge range of work-related accidents including the catastrophic accidents that you hear about on the news. Work-related injuries can also develop from repetitive stress or repetitive motions at work. Because there are so many work-related accidents, there are always doctors that provide coverage through worker’s compensation laws.

What injuries are classified as work-related injuries?

Work-related injuries are any injuries that are caused as a result of an accident or incident that occurred while an employee was on the clock at work. These can be any number of injuries. So what exactly does this entail? What jobs are at risk of injury? What jobs are considered safe? Are ANY jobs considered safe?

Worker’s Compensation Injury Caused by High-risk Jobs

The first thing that people usually think about work-related injuries are these terrible, catastrophic events that result in serious injury or death of the employee:

• A crane is transporting metal beams from one side of a worksite to the other side. It malfunctions and pushes a construction worker off of some scaffolding from two stories. He lives but is now paralyzed.
• A powerplant explosion causes severe burns to 80% of an employee’s body. The injury requires several surgeries and intensive treatments (that are very expensive) to recover even some small semblance of a quality of life.
• An employee unknowingly inhales toxic fumes when her Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) fails her. She followed all of the precautions to the letter. She is now suffering from chemical-induced pneumonia, and she’s struggling to make ends meet while the extended, month-long absence from work.

But this isn’t always the case. Worker’s compensation injuries cover so much more than just these horrific accidents that cause a detrimental effect on the employee’s quality of life. There are so many more injuries that need worker’s compensation to get through than you would think. There are tons of injuries that can be considered for worker’s compensation.

Low-risk jobs can cause injuries, too.

Even working a desk job, there is a chance that you slip and fall and break your elbow. There’s a chance that the piece of the ceiling can fall from over your cubicle and hit you on the head. These job risks need to be recognized as a potential worker’s compensation cases as well as the more tragic ones.

They might not seem like a big deal because they aren’t as violent as the ones that come from riskier jobs, but they can cause pain and suffering just the same.

Work-related injuries caused by repetitive movements, like carpal tunnel syndrome or cubital tunnel syndrome or chronic back pain, can also be compensable under your employer’s worker’s compensation policies.

And the only thing that happened to these employees was that they were physically going through the motions of their jobs. They were doing the very task that they were being paid to perform.

The court stenographer could have been typing out court documents every day for twenty years and developed arthritis so bad that they had to retire early because they were no longer able to use their hands or they could’ve had a genetic predisposition to a pinched nerve in their wrist and developed carpal tunnel syndrome.

A factory worker could have developed a bad back from picking up heavy boxes on an assembly line and the strain on their back was too much. Now they are in constant pain, even though they followed the steps to properly picking up heavy items.

They bent at the knees and lifted with the muscles in their legs. They used a handcart when it was necessary. They didn’t lift heavy boxes above their heads.

The possibilities of how worker’s compensation cases develop are pretty much endless. The only thing that is the same in every case is that it leads to needing a worker’s compensation doctor to diagnose a work-related injury to get worker’s compensation.

So What Do Worker’s Compensation Doctor Do? How Can They Help You Get Well?

Worker’s compensation doctors have multiple roles. Initially, they are there to diagnose your injury and whether or not it is considered under worker’s compensation coverage.

Worker’s compensation doctors continue to work with you after the diagnosis to help you recover from your injury and get you back to normal. They’ll do everything that they can to get you ready to go back to work.

Types of Worker’s Compensation Doctors

There are several different types of worker’s compensation doctors (and the services that they offer) who are available to help you throughout your worker’s compensation claim. Each type of doctor treats a different type of health condition.

Diagnostic Testing:

• Diagnostic testing is crucial to a worker’s compensation claim.
• Tests that could be run for diagnosis are MRIs, CTs, EMGs, or x-rays. The tests that are used for the diagnosis depends on what the injury is. You wouldn’t need an electromyography/nerve conduction test for a torn rotator cuff.

Orthopedics:

• Orthopedic surgeons focus on the injuries caused by repetitive motions and/or overextension of musculoskeletal systems.
• These injuries may include but are not limited to, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tears, and neck strains.

Neurology:

• Neurologists treat injuries that involve the entire human nervous system.
• Migraines, dizziness, balancing problems, and tingling in the extremities are all conditions that a neurologist would focus on.

Chiropractics:

• Chiropractors specialize in work-related injuries related to the back.
• Overextending your back or a pinched sciatic nerve are just two conditions that could be treated by a chiropractor in your area.

Spine specialists:

• Spine specialists treat any issues involving the spine and surrounding structures.
• Herniated discs, soft tissue, and facet joint injuries, and spinal fractures are treated by spinal doctors.

Psychiatry:

• Psychiatrists are available to help you through any mental injury developed during a work-related accident
• PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia can be treated if it can be proved to have been caused by a work-related accident
• Psychiatric issues are difficult to prove to be worker’s compensation cases

Physiatry:

• A physiatrist is a doctor of physical medicine and rehabilitation (or PM&R) and their main focus is on traumatic muscular injuries.
• They treat a variety of injuries, such as chronic headaches, sprained ligaments, and muscle strains, like whiplash.

Pain Management:

• Pain management doctors treat chronic pain that is caused by work-related injuries. Pain management doctors may also work with other types of worker’s compensation doctor’s to provide you with the best plan of action to get you back on your feet after a work-related incident.
• These chronic pain conditions could possibly include back pain or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Physical Therapy:

• Physical therapists coordinate with any number of the other doctors mentioned above to create a treatment that is the most beneficial to you.
• Physical therapy promotes pain management, assists in regaining mobility and flexibility, and working on getting the range of motion back in a body part that is healing from a work-related injury.

When Should You See a Worker’s Compensation Doctor?

As soon as you think that you have a work-related injury, you should make an appointment to see a doctor that is qualified to diagnose it. The sooner you get in to see a worker’s compensation doctor the better.

How Do You Get Started with Filing for Worker’s Compensation?

As a workers’ compensation claimant, you have several responsibilities. There are a few things that you can do immediately so you don’t get stuck in an unnecessary situation.

Step 1: Find a Worker’s Compensation Doctor

Finding the right worker’s compensation doctor is crucial to the success of your worker’s compensation, but how do you know where to start?

There are a number of resources available out there, we make it our mission to be the best. You can find any number of worker’s compensation doctor’s through our website (link). We have the most comprehensive list of qualified doctors in the Nassau County area.

We’d be more than happy to assist you in any way that we can to help you find a qualified worker’s compensation doctor in Nassau County, New York.

Step 2: Go to the Initial Appointment

The whole purpose of the first appointment is to diagnose the work-related injury. This appointment is time-sensitive. The sooner you get it out of the way, the sooner you can get back on your feet following your injury. The doctor will run a bunch of tests including CTs, MRIs, or x-rays depending on the type of injury.

The first appointment with the worker’s compensation doctor will not only diagnose the injury, but it will set up the rest of your case. It will provide you with documentation of the injury. It will also determine whether you will have work restrictions or if you will be taken out of work while you heal.

Step 3: Keep Up with the Doctor’s Course of Treatment

The doctors that you see have your best interest in mind when they help you come up with the plan of action to take in regard to your injury and getting you back to your best self.

Follow doctor’s orders and you’ll be back to normal before you know it.

For a more in-depth look into filing a claim, the New York Worker’s Compensation Board explains it really well. This refers to what to do after you touch base with a doctor.

Injured At Work in Nassau County?

Don’t delay, call (888) 590-4030 or fill-out the fomr below to find an experienced workers’ comp doctor in Nassau County, NY.