Workers’ Compensation claims are nothing more than insurance claims. Nobody would get in a car wreck and wait to make a claim. If a person did wait to claim wreck damages, the insurance carrier would suspect the damage to have occurred in some other way. Same with Workers’ Comp.
After an injury at work the employer’s Workers’ Comp carrier must be notified at once. This can be confusing because the employer must also be notified and bad employers often do not send in the claim or deny coverage.
If an employee suspects the employer has not turned in the claim, they should file it themselves at the Workers’ Comp Commission or get a lawyer to do it.
An employee can be sure their claim has been filed when they get a claim number from the employer’s Workers’ Comp insurance carrier.
Just like a car wreck. Don’t wait get your claim filed. Everyday that goes by calls your claim into question.