Let’s face it—the modern workplace can be a dangerous place. According to most estimates, nearly five million workers’ compensation claims are filed annually by workers across the country. Nearly one of every ten of those claims is initially denied, and employers and workers’ compensation insurance companies often use a variety of tactics to delay or diminish a claim. Filing a work comp claim is not a responsibility that you want to handle on your own. You want an experienced and proven attorney to help you through the process, someone who knows the system and has helped others get the benefits they need. You want the Lee Law Firm, LLC.

Attorney Edward Lee brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience to people across New Jersey who have suffered personal injury, including men and women who have been hurt on the job. Ed has been certified as a civil trial attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court since 2005. He’s also been recognized among the “Top One Percent” by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, and as a New Jersey Super Lawyer. He maintains an Excellent rating with Avvo and he’s a Top Lawyer Lifetime Member of the Global Directory of Who’s Who.

There’s no charge or obligation for your first consultation.

Workers’ compensation is a legislatively enacted program, intended as an substitute for civil lawsuits for work-based injuries. The New Jersey legislature put the workers’ compensation system in place to benefit both injured employees and their employers. In many situations, it serves as the “exclusive remedy” for injured workers, providing them with quicker access to benefits than they would have through a personal injury lawsuit. An injured worker can typically expect to start receiving benefits within a couple weeks after the approval of a claim.

To successfully recover workers’ compensation benefits, an injured employee does not need to prove that the employer was negligent. The only requirements to qualify for benefits are that you were injured and that the injury occurred during the course of your employment.

The New Jersey workers’ compensation system also helps employers, as the amount of benefits paid is based entirely on the worker’s prior wages. A business owner doesn’t need to worry about a jury returning a sympathetically high damage award.

When you’ve suffered an injury on the job, the first thing you should do is contact an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer, so that your rights are protected at all times. You’ll need to notify your employer as soon as possible, but no later than 14 days after the accident. Your employer will then submit your claim to the workers’ compensation insurance provider. If the claim is approved, you’ll start receiving benefits within a couple weeks. Either your employer or the insurer may challenge your claim, though, either sending out investigators or initially rejecting your application for benefits. You may then request either a formal or informal hearing with the Division of Workers’ Compensation—this request must be made within two years of the date of injury or your last payment of compensation.

When you file a claim for workers’ compensation, you’ll need to submit a number of documents in a timely manner. If those documents are not correctly filled out or are not filed by the due date, your benefits could be delayed or denied. In addition, you’ll be required to submit to an examination by a doctor chosen by your employer or the work comp insurance company. To ensure that you don’t say or do anything that will jeopardize your claim, and to be certain that all the necessary paperwork is filed in a timely manner, you want a lawyer who has successfully helped other clients secure the workers’ compensation benefits they need and deserve. Your attorney can also be your intermediary with your employer, the insurance company and all workers’ compensation referees or personnel, so that you can focus your efforts on getting healthy.

Your initial notice to your employer must be within 14 days of the accident, or of the discovery of any injuries arising out of a work incident, whichever comes later. To appeal the denial of a claim, you must make your request for a hearing within 24 months of your injury.