How Long does it Take to Hear Back from Home Depot on a Workers’ Compensation Claim?

As an employee of Home Depot, you engage in many tasks that have the potential to cause injury. That’s why it’s important to understand your rights as someone that suffered a workplace accident. Thankfully, Home Depot employees can apply for benefits through the state’s workers’ compensation system if they sustain an injury while they’re on the clock. These benefits are not just for workers who are injured from an accident; you may have repetitive motion injuries like carpel tunnel syndrome, which also qualify you for a workers’ comp claim.

Most workers are understandably worried about the cost of medical treatments and lost wages during their recovery. This is particularly concerning if you have serious injuries that will cause you to be out of work for weeks or months. As a result, we receive quite a lot of inquiries concerning how long it should take to hear back from Home Depot’s insurance company on a work accident injury claim.

How Long Does it Normally Take to Approve a Workers’ Compensation Claim?

Home Depot’s insurance company has up to 90 days to approve or deny your claim for workers’ comp benefits. It’s worth noting that the majority of claimants receive a response within 30 days. In essence, there is a good chance that you will start to receive some or all of the following payments within a few weeks of submitting your claim forms:

• Coverage for medical treatments related to your injury
• Up to 104 weeks of temporary disability payments to make up for lost wages.
• Permanent disability payments if your condition is serious enough to keep you out of work on a permanent basis.
• Job displacement benefits if you can be trained for a new career
• Death benefits for surviving family members if the claimant dies as a result of a workplace injury.

Keep in mind that you will need to take the proper steps in order to qualify for worker’s compensation, which we will discuss in the upcoming sections.

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What Should I Do if I get Hurt at my Job?

If you are injured while working for Home Depot, make sure to inform your supervisor right away that you’ve been in an accident. You technically have 30 days to report the accident under California law, but this is not something you should wait on. For one thing, you will want your employer to notify the insurance company right away. You will also need to obtain the necessary paperwork in order to process your claim. California employees are given 1 year from the incident date to submit a compensation claim to their employer’s insurance provider. Of course, it’s best to complete the forms as quickly as possible so that you can begin receiving payments to cover your lost income and medical treatments.

If your injuries are severe, go to an emergency room before you speak to your employer. You will not be penalized for going to the ER before speaking to your employer, as it’s understood that life-threatening injuries require immediate treatment. Make sure to tell the treating physician that you were injured on the job, so there’s no confusion as to the cause of your accident.

If you are not in need of immediate medical care, you can talk to your employer first, who will notify you of the hospital / physician you should go to. Make sure to do this right away, as you want it to be crystal clear that your injuries occurred at the job site. Your employer should give you the claim forms the same day, or by the next business day, at the latest.

Though an attorney is not required, it’s a good idea to have someone who can educate you on your rights and legal options. Some of these claims are relatively simple, but there are plenty of Home Depot workers whose claims are rejected for unjust reasons. Or, they may be shortchanged on the benefits they are entitled to, like permanent disability for a severe injury. A Home Depot workplace accident lawyer can help you obtain the full range of benefits you deserve under California law.

Can I Receive Workers’ Comp if I Don’t Discover a Work-Related Injury Right Away?

As we’ve mentioned, the law requires you to report all work-related injuries within 30 days to your employer. But this can be difficult, if not impossible, in cases where the injury happens over a long period of time. For example, if you slipped and fell at Home Depot, you generally know right away that you’ve sustained some form of bodily harm. But if you are doing repetitive tasks that put significant on your body, it can take months or years before you become aware of a serious medical condition. We see this often with back injuries and carpel tunnel syndrome.

For health conditions related to cumulative trauma, your statute of limitations on a workers’ compensation claim is one year from the discovery of a workplace injury. This can be the date of diagnosis by a doctor in your employer’s Medical Provider Network (MPN), but it may be sooner depending on the type and severity of injury. This type of injury claim is more complex than straightforward accidents like trip and falls or lacerations from a sharp object. As a result, we highly recommend that you seek legal advice from an experienced California workers’ compensation lawyer.

What are my Rights if I Disagree with the Benefits I’m Entitled to?

Disagreements over the benefits you are eligible to receive can happen at any point during the claims process. In fact, we often intercede on behalf of clients who are already receiving payments, but the insurance company has decided that they are no longer entitled to certain benefits.

If there is a disagreement between you, your treating physician, and Home Depot’s insurance company, you can ask to be evaluated by a QME, or a qualified medical evaluator. This is a doctor who is specially trained to evaluate workplace injuries, meaning they have additional qualifications and participate in on-going education on how to conduct workers’ comp evaluation exams.

If you have an attorney, you may have the option of going to an AME (agreed medical evaluator), who is a physician that’s chosen with consent from both your attorney and the claims administrator. This option gives you greater control over who is going to evaluate you for an injury you sustained while working at Home Depot.

Legal Advice from a California Workplace Injury Attorney

Regardless of how you were injured during your job at Home Depot, it’s important to have a legal advocate that’s looking out for your interests. People take it for granted that they will receive just compensation from a workplace accident claim, but this is not always the case. You may feel powerless when your employer is a major corporation, like Home Depot. But we can assure you that justice is possible when you have the lawyers of Normandie on your side.

We provide all clients with a Zero Fee Guarantee, so all of our services are free to you from day one. That includes clients who decide to transfer their case to us after a free second opinion on their rights and legal options. Our fees are deducted from your settlement award at the end of your case, meaning that you owe us absolutely nothing if we fail to bring you compensation from a successful workers’ compensation claim with Home Depot.

To speak with one of our legal experts during a free initial consultation or second opinion, contact our law firm as soon as possible.

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