Phone: (360) 876-4123
219 Prospect St
Port Orchard, WA 98366
If you have never endured a work-related injury, you probably assume that those who have are able to relax at home and recover without worry. While it should be that way for all people that suffer a workplace injury, unfortunately it isn’t always that simple. In most cases, workers just like you that get hurt while doing their work may run into a long and tedious struggle to receive compensation for their injuries. This can cause a lot of stress since they are constantly wondering when or if they will be able to return to work. And, thinking about how they will pay their bills or support their family in the meantime only adds to the ongoing anxiety.
Reck Law – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys is a Port Orchard workers’ compensation law firm with several offices in the Greater Seattle area. Every Port Orchard workers’ compensation attorney and paralegal at our office is here to help injured workers get the money they need during this troublesome time. Depending on the injury, a worker who was hurt in an on-the-job accident may need to consider a different line of work. Or in the most severe cases, they may not be able to return to work at all due to their injury causing a permanent disability.
Can a workers’ compensation attorney help me?
Our legal team is here to help injured employees and workers get the payments, benefits, and full spectrum of compensation they deserve subject to Washington State workers’ compensation law. We can help you seek out fair and legal compensation by taking on your case and representing you in front of the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) or in a court of law. Our legal team has many years of experience in the area of workers’ compensation and it is the only type of law we practice, allowing us to focus deeply on your L&I claim details.
We helped protect people just like you in Kitsap County, Mason County, Jefferson County, Pierce County, Thurston County, Lewis County, Clallam County and other nearby counties including Grays Harbor County in Washington State. We do our best efforts to obtain justice when workplace injury victims are treated unfairly by L&I or by their employers in case of self-insured workers’ compensation claims. Anyone who has endured an on-the-job injury, needs help with their L&I claim, or has experienced issues with a self-insured provider following an accident at work should give our team a call. We will be happy to set up your initial appointment for a free consultation when you call.
Our workers’ compensation law firm in Port Orchard helps people in Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Port Townsend, Port Angeles, and Sequim. To the south, we have clients in Gig Harbor, Tacoma, University Place, Aberdeen, and even cities like Forks in Washington State.
What are the duties of a workman’s compensation lawyer?
Injured workers often do not get the fair treatment they deserve. That is because L&I or the employer’s insurance company will often deny your claim for workers’ compensation benefits or parts thereof. For example, we see many cases where people try to file an L&I claim after a work injury and the claim gets rejected. We saw other cases where the claim is allowed but then it gets closed a few days later. In other unfortunate cases, a claim gets allowed but then the medical conditions arising out of the work injury is not allowed as part of the claim.
Luckily, we live in Washington State, which upholds the rights of injured workers. Those rights are governed by workers’ compensation laws that are designed to protect injured workers from unfair treatment. The laws were written to give people with work injuries the best chances to recover and go back to work if they can. And, our legal team here at Reck Law – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys understands those laws and how to use them to get you the treatment you deserve, both medically and financially.
L&I attorney for fierce L&I claim representation
If your L&I claim or workers’ compensation claim is denied, you have the option to move on or to file an appeal. This can be a very long and grueling process, especially if you attempt to face the appeals system on your own. That’s why we always recommend that injured workers hire a top workers’ compensation lawyer to help them with their L&I claim appeal.
The representatives from your employer’s insurance company are not going to have your best interests in mind when making claim-related decisions or when showing up in court. Neither will claim managers from L&I, or from a third-party administrator (TPA) that represents your employer. These individuals are always going to make a decision that follows their standard procedure and process, often with disregard to your medical and financial status.
Workers’ comp attorney and legal services in Washington State
Your workman’s compensation attorney will go over all the documents and proof associated with your claim and come up with the best strategy to represent you in a court of law. By allowing a lawyer to take over the most complex areas of the workers’ compensation claims process, it will help you eliminate a large amount of stress that you’re currently dealing with. For instance, here are a few of the tasks your workers’ comp attorney will take on for you when hired:
- Communications: Depending on the type of your claim, a workers’ compensation lawyer will communicate with your employer’s insurance company and your employer’s attorney or other representatives, or with L&I in the event of a state-funded claim
- Evidence: Your work injury attorney will collect all the evidence needed to support your claim
- Negotiations: They can negotiate a fair outcome for you with L&I or with your employer’s insurance company, as applicable
- Appeals: They can push back claim rejections and handle all areas of the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals so that you don’t have to
- Litigation: Your L&I attorney can also take the case as far as needed to ensure you receive compensation for your injury as required by law
- And more…
Here at Reck Law – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys, we are proud to represent injured workers in the best way we can. After an on-the-job injury, you need to take time to heal to ensure you can get back on your feet once again. Dealing with the ongoing stress and aggravation associated with a workers’ comp case makes it difficult to get the rest that you need to feel better. When you choose to hire one of our workers’ comp lawyers for your claim, we will take on the difficult areas of your case by locating expert witnesses and gathering important evidence to strengthen your case.
When to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer?
Anyone can file a workers’ compensation claim on their own. If you get hurt at work, make sure you see a medical doctor immediately and have your doctor help you file the claim. Most people also manage their claim on their own. As your claim progresses, if L&I or a third-party administrator pushes back, declines benefits, or puts you in an unfair position concerning your claim, then it’s probably a good time to hire a workers’ compensation attorney. At the very least, pick up the phone and call a workers’ comp attorney so that they could advise you on how to take the next steps in your claim, even if you are managing the claim by yourself.
L&I attorney for L&I claim help after work injury
More explicitly, we ask that you consider hiring a work injury lawyer whenever you run into the following situations:
- Your claim was denied, or has been allowed but then closed shortly after allowance
- L&I or the third-part admin is not allowing your medical condition to be included in your workers’ comp claim
- You have a workplace injury that requires ongoing medical treatment
- There are complications with your claim due to a preexisting injury or health issue
- Your injuries are likely to result in permanent disability or partial permanent disability also known as PPD
- Your claim is getting closed while you are still receiving medical treatment
- You think your claim manager is treating you unfairly so that you’re not receiving the benefits you should be getting under the law
A workers’ comp attorney or an L&I attorney is available to help you sort out anything that may seem confusing to you about your case. If you think your claim is too complex and you need assistance getting the claim moving forward, then please call us. We can help you assemble a case that will likely provide you the best possible outcome given the facts and circumstances around your claim.
Putting together a strong strategy for an L&I claim
A strong case strategy for a workers’ compensation claim requires time and patience to gather all valuable information. You may be able to access some of the resources needed on your own like medical records from your doctor. However, in order to drive your claim in the direction it should go, there are certain expert medical providers, vocational counselors and entities that can help you get there. But it takes the skills and expertise of a qualified lawyer to get all the information you need to build your case.
When we take over your case, we do our best to position your claim towards the most favorable result for you, and we leverage resources such as:
- Statements from non-medical witnesses regarding your abilities following the accident
- Medical reports from doctors that saw you before, during and after your work accident
- Expert or professional witnesses that understand the workers’ comp system who will speak on the aspects of your injury
- Information from vocational experts regarding your ability to complete job duties, or vocational services that may be able to help you retrain to pursue a new profession
- Medical panels inputs and opinions
- Other resources we may need to call upon, as they case may be
Gathering evidence is one step of the process. Positioning and timing the evidence to help your claim produce the best results is another. Timing is a third factor. When we handle and manage your workers’ compensation claim, we take all factors into consideration and work hard to get you the medical benefits and financial benefits that you should be receiving.
Allow your L&I lawyer to manage your claim
When you contact a workers’ compensation attorney to help you with your work injury claim, you can concentrate on healing instead of worrying about how you are going to prevail in your claim. At Reck Law – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys we specialize in negotiating these types of claims. Our workers’ comp attorney and legal staff work diligently to build a strong case for our clients.
On top of the duties and tasks mentioned above, be aware that your workman’s compensation attorney will represent you fairly in a trial or hearing in front of a Workers’ Compensation Board judge. It is the job of the L&I lawyer to handle everything during the case from gathering evidence to assisting with appeals. For more information on how we can assist you with your case, get in contact with us today for a free consultation.
What to expect when you hire a workers’ comp lawyer
The time that follows an on-the-job injury can be a scary and intimidating experience. You may not be sure if you will need to change careers due to your injury or disability, or if you will even be able to work at all. If your current employer or the employer’s insurance company (or L&I) refuses to acknowledge your claim, or is giving you hard time with your claim or not providing the benefits you deserve, then you need the assistance of a professional workers’ compensation lawyer to help you. Get in touch with our team today for more information on how we can help you manage your claim and fight on your behalf.