Were you recently injured at work in Arkansas? You’re likely thinking about how difficult it’s going to be to return to work and how your injuries are going to cause you a ton of medical debt. That would be the case if your job didn’t provide its workers with workers’ compensation benefits, giving you the chance to earn lost wages and medical benefits from your injuries.
It’s important to remember that, when you are injured at work, your employer, supervisor, or manager needs to be notified of your injuries. Because Arkansas has a no-fault system for its workers’ compensation laws, it won’t matter who was the cause of your injuries, as long as the injuries weren’t purposefully self-inflicted, you’ll still be eligible to earn benefits.
However, you won’t earn your workers’ comp benefits immediately after your injury – you’ll have to apply for your benefits, and soon. Injured workers have to file a benefits claim within the state’s statute of limitations.
Most workers have 2 years
The statute of limitations is the time an injured worker can apply for benefits before becoming ineligible. For most workers’ comp claims in Arkansas, injured workers have two years to file. While that may seem like a lot of time, it can take a lot of time to gather the necessary documents for a claim.
For example, not only do you need to report your injuries to your employer but you have to seek medical evaluation for your injuries. Yet, you can’t just go to anyone to evaluate your injuries, instead, you’ll likely have to seek out a medical professional who is certified for workers’ comp claims. Then you’ll need to gather your medical records for the benefits claim.
This is just one part of gathering what’s needed for a workers’ comp claim. You’ll likely also need to know your legal rights and options when filing to ensure you gain the fullest extent of your benefits.