I've been injured on the job. What do I do next?

I've been injured on the job. What do I do next?

First, report the injury to your supervisor and make sure a written claim is filed with the insurance, or at least that you have proof of when you reported the injury (such as a note, email, text message, or letter) and when the employer received it. Keep texts, screen shots, emails, and voicemails. Any evidence helps.

Two, seek medical attention! If your employer won't send you to a doctor, go to the ER or your own doctor. Not only is this important for your health and recovery, documenting the injury early and often is important as medical evidence to prove both that you are hurt and how it happened. Make sure you tell the doctor the injury is work related, when it happened, and how it happened. A good attorney can help you find a doctor that will not only give good medical care, but document your claim properly with the insurance company and fight hard for treatments and testing to be approved in a timely manner.

Three, file a claim with the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation. This must be done within one year of the injury date. You can do this online. It is always wise to consider legal counsel before filing a claim because the wording of a claim is very important, and the insurance will always try to use the language in your injury claim against you.