Yes! If you’re hurt at work and do not report the claim, because you think you are doing your employer a favor, or don’t want to be a bother, you are jeopardizing your health and possibly your ability to work at your full capacity in the future. If you need medical treatment because of an injury, it is the responsibility of the workers’ compensation insurance carrier to provide that treatment at no cost to you. If you have private health insurance, they will not pay a claim for treatment needed for an injury that happens on the job. Going without proper medical treatment may adversely affect your health and ability to continue working. And if you wait too long to report that injury and need for treatment, your injury may be called into question. As I often tell my clients, you have one body to get you through your working life. If you need medical treatment to preserve that body, which should be paid by the workers’ compensation insurance carrier, it’s in your best interests to pursue it.
