Hurt on the job, or harmed by the work itself
Some work injuries have a date and a place: a fall from a loading dock at the port, a hand caught in a press, a lifting strain in a Baltimore County warehouse. Others build slowly, in a wrist, a back, or the lungs, and never have a single bad afternoon to point to. Cooper & Tuerk, LLP represents people who were injured on the job, or harmed in some way by their employment, whether the cause was one event or years of the same motion or exposure.
The first steps are small and they count. Tell your employer about the injury as soon as you can, and say it plainly, in writing if possible, so there is a date on it. Ask for medical care and tell each provider that the problem is connected to your work. Keep your own notes of who was told what and when. Strict deadlines apply to workers' compensation claims in Maryland, and a late start can cost you the claim, so call the office promptly.
Larry E. Jordan's practice in Baltimore from 1975 included workers' compensation and Social Security disability, after he began his career handling major felony cases at the Baltimore City Public Defender's Office. The firm's stated way of working is that you speak with an attorney directly, not through a paralegal, and the office at 201 North Charles Street can walk through the first steps of your claim with you by telephone or in person.
The claim, the employer, the insurer and the deadlines
A workers' compensation claim in Maryland is a filing with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission, not a lawsuit in a trial court. The employer reports the injury to its insurer, you file your claim with the Commission, and the insurer decides whether to accept it or contest it. Common grounds for contesting are that the injury was not work related, that it was not reported in time, or that it came from something other than your job.
When a claim is contested, the Commission sets it for a hearing before a commissioner. Medical records, the employer's accident report and your own account all go into the file. The insurer may also send you to a doctor of its choosing for an examination, and the report from that visit often becomes the centre of the dispute. An attorney can prepare you for the examination, gather the treating doctors' opinions, and put the evidence in the order the commissioner needs to read it.
A decision from the Commission can be appealed to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City or for the county where the case belongs, and those appeals have their own strict deadlines. The firm tracks each of them from the first meeting at Suite 2300, so none of them arrives as a surprise. Clients come from Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, and the same care goes into the paperwork as into the hearing.
Benefits, medical care and getting back to work
Maryland workers' compensation is built from several kinds of benefit. Medical care related to the injury is paid for. Temporary disability benefits replace part of your pay while you cannot work or can work only part time. If the injury leaves a lasting impairment, the law provides for permanent partial or permanent total disability. Vocational rehabilitation may be available when you cannot return to your old job. The firm explains which of these apply to your claim and what has to be shown for each.
Returning to work is its own stage. A doctor may release you for light duty or restricted hours, and the employer may offer a position that fits those limits. Whether the offer is genuine and safe, and how it affects your benefits, are questions to ask before you say yes or no. Refusing suitable work can affect a claim, and accepting work that your body cannot do can set your recovery back.
Disputes over medical treatment, over a lasting impairment, or over a settlement of the claim are common. The firm helps injured workers in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, and you can reach the office at (410) 539-0300 to set a time to talk through your own situation. Bring whatever you have: the first report, medical papers, pay records and any letter from the insurer.
