Setting Up Your Workers’ Comp Claim

Report Injury

It is important that if you are injured on the job to report your injury immediately to your supervisor, manager, or employer.  However, the nature of your injury and the need to seek medical treatment may prevent you from immediately reporting the injury.  In that case, you can certainly have a friend or family member call your supervisor to notify them of your injury.  Most importantly, you must provide written notice of your injury to your employer within 30 days of your injury.  The written notice should include a description of how the injury occurred as well as the date of the injury.  The best recommendation is to send your written notice via certified mail so you have proof that it was received by your employer.  You should also keep a copy of the letter for your own records.  Failure to promptly report your injury could jeopardize your ability to collect benefits.

Medical Treatment

If you have received a workers’ comp injury, you should seek immediate medical attention.  Your employer may have on-site health care which is appropriate for you to go to.  Otherwise, you should seek treatment at either an emergency room, an urgent care clinic or even your own family physician.  Make sure you tell the medical provider that your injury was received while working on the job so that your medical records are accurately documented.  Many claims have been ruined by failure to mention the work related nature of the injury to the medical provider.

Filing a Form 18

A Form 18 (Notice of Accident to Employer and Claim of Employee) establishes your legal claim of work-related injury.  It is filed with the N.C. Industrial Commission which is the governing agency over all workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina.  The Form 18 must be filed within 2 years of the date of the injury but can also serve as the required 30 days written notice if also submitted to your employer within that time frame. 

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