Even if you have returned to work or your injury has changed, you can still seek to have your workers’ compensation benefits reviewed and reinstated

Often times when you are first injured, it may appear that you did not injure yourself as seriously as you had thought. Perhaps you voluntarily returned to work at no loss of wages assuming that you had recovered. But sometimes the injury turns out to be more serious than you thought. Maybe that lower back strain is in fact a herniated disc that now requires surgery. Maybe you have sufferred post traumatic stress disorder or depression that you were aware of when you initially were injured. Often times the insurance will not voluntarily accept these additional injuries, and you will be required to file a Petition to obtain additional benefits. This is one of the situations that require hiring an attorney in most circumstances. In these circumstances, it is most likely that you will need to present medical testimony to prove that you sufferred additional injuries. Plus, the insurance company will have you examined by one of their own physicians to testify that these injuries are not related to the original injury. You cannot represent yourself in these situations because pursuing these additional claims requires the skill of an experienced competent workers’ compensation attorney to present medical evidence through a deposition and to cross examine the doctor selected by the insurance company.

Likewise, if you returned to work and were not able to continue working or have to reduce your number of hours or you pay is reduced to a layoff, you may need to seek to reinstate your benefits. For all of the same reasons listed above, in these situations, you will most likely need to hire an attorney.