Before You sign, Contact A Worker’s Compensation Attorney
At the Law Offices of Marc Francis, one of the first things I advise new clients is to NOT sign any documents provided by the insurance carrier. These might be medical releases, injury reports prepared by the employer or insurance company, or waivers to your rights under California workers’ compensation law.
I routinely receive calls from injured workers informing me that they received a document of some sort, and asking if they should sign it and send it back to the carrier. My advice remains the same: NO!
If you are represented by a workers’ compensation attorney, the insurance company should be directing all communication through that attorney. However, they might still send items to the injured worker in the hopes that the injured worker will simply sign and return the document without seeking legal assistance.
So what should you do? If you receive a request from the insurance carrier (or your employer) to sign and return any document, you should send that document to your workers’ compensation attorney for further handling. Your work comp lawyer will review the documents and advise you as to what you should sign and what you should ignore, and then he or she will return any signed documents to the carrier on your behalf.
If you do not have a workers’ compensation lawyer, you should gather any document requests from the carrier you have received thus far and take them with you to your initial appointment with the Law Offices of Marc Francis. As a specialist in workers’ compensation with over 25 years helping Sonoma County injured workers get the benefits to which they are entitled, I can help you quickly sift through these documents and return ONLY the ones that help your case.
As a Sonoma County workers’ comp attorney I am dedicated to getting you the benefits you deserve. I am a certified legal specialist in workers’ compensation law and look forward to your call.