Dealing with a work injury can mean a long road ahead. You will probably not know for sure how long it will take for you to recover completely, or whether you will have any problems with your health in the future due to your injury. Therefore, it is important that you consider what the future may look like before you settle your workers’ compensation case.
If you have already settled a workers’ compensation case, then a flare-up of symptoms or a renewal of the issues that you suffered from as a result of the initial injury may be worrying and concerning. You may begin to wonder whether you will need to gain further treatment and suffer from further financial damages in the future and whether you will have the possibility to be compensated for these damages now that you have settled your workers’ compensation claim. In this case, the following are some things that you should consider.
Look at the terms of the workers’ compensation settlement
The wording and terms of your workers’ compensation settlement should be able to tell you whether you are able to get reimbursed for medical treatment relating to your injury in the future, including the possibility of surgery.
Consider reopening your workers’ compensation case
If your workers’ settlement does not offer you the possibility of reimbursement for future medical costs, you may need to reopen your case. This may be possible to do within a certain time frame after your case was closed.
Consider whether your injury could constitute a new workers’ compensation claim
If the reason for your injury is due to the fact that you were injured again at work, you may be able to make a new workers’ compensation claim.
If you are concerned about your future finances after closing a workers’ compensation claim, you should take action to better understand how the law will apply to your situation.