Workers' Compensation

Injuries at Work

There are many terms for an injury that you get at work: workers' compensation, work comp, workers comp, workman's comp, work-related injury or workplace injury. They all mean the same thing -- that you were hurt while you were on the job working or were in the workplace. Whatever name you call it, if you are injured at work or on the job, you may be entitled to benefits under Minnesota's workers' compensation statutes, since Minnesota law requires that most employees be covered by the workers' compensation regulatory framework. Your work-related injury generally will be covered even if it was partly or completely your fault. Also, even if your employer does not have workers' compensation coverage, you may still be eligible for benefits.

Frequently employers deny employee claims for work comp benefits even when the injured employee has a clear claim to benefits. When this happens getting work comp benefits from your employer can be uncomfortable, confrontational and upsetting. That's where Nelson Law Office can help. We can step in to advocate for you and advance your claim when you can use help jumping through the hoops necessary to obtain benefits. We have successfully handled work comp claims of all kinds over the years, including, but not limited to:

• Amputation injuries
• Ankle and knee injuries
• Auto industry workers' injuries
• Back and neck injuries
• Carpal tunnel injuries
• Catastrophic injuries 
• Construction accidents 
• Hand and wrist injuries
• Health care workers' injuries 
• Manufacturing workers' injuries
• Office workers' injuries
• Repetitive work injuries 
• Transportation workers' injuries  

Tips for Injured Workers

If you are injured at work:

• Immediately report your injury verbally or, better yet, in writing to your supervisor and/ or a member of your company's human resources department (or risk management department, if they have one), and obtain a copy of your employer's work comp rules.
• Seek medical care from your usual treating doctor, or, if it's an emergency, from an urgent care center or emergency room. You have the right to seek medical care from a doctor of your choice. There are very few situations in which your employer is allowed to choose your doctor for you, such as when a managed care plan has been selected and implemented by your employer. Your employer must provide you with a list of approved physicians and other information if a managed care plan applies.
• Read "An Employee's Guide to the Minnesota Workers' Compensation System," which is provided by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and is available on the DOLI's website. It contains a lot of information that will be helpful to you.
• Depending on the type, severity and length of your injury, you may have a right to the services of a Qualified Rehabilitation Consultant (QRC). You have the right to select your own QRC and Nelson Law Office can help you choose one. If your employer or its insurer assigns a QRC to you and you wish to change QRC's, you can, but you must do so within a statutory 60 day deadline.

Our Fees are Contingent

Our fees are contingent, which means that we do not charge you a fee for our services unless we win or settle your case. Our fees are paid out of the benefits that are paid to you.