You are covered by worker’s compensation the first day that you are on the job. It isn’t like health insurance, where you need to be with the company for a certain period before you are covered.
If you get hurt on the job your first day, you are still going to be covered.
That doesn’t mean that you won’t have a LOT of problems with your case.
Unless you suffer a really obvious injury (like a broken bone) in an accident which is witnessed by a number of other people, there will be a lot of speculation that you showed up the first day of work already hurt and that you are just trying to take advantage of worker’s comp. The overwhelming likelihood is that your case will be sent to the special investigations (aka the fraud) unit and you will have to fight for everything.
The other issue that you will likely have is that because you do not have an earnings history with the company, determining your Average Weekly Wage will be more difficult. Since this is the key number in your case for your weekly disability checks and for how your settlement is computed, this is an important issue.
Both of these issues say that if you get hurt on the job right after starting with a company, the best bet for you is to hire a well-qualified worker’s compensation lawyer.
If you have a current worker’s compensation issue which you need help on, please feel free to reach out to our office by calling our office at 312-263-1080 to discuss your issues and what options you have. There is no obligation to hire our law firm, and there is no charge for the call.
I hope this has been helpful, and if you know anyone who can benefit from this kind of information, please feel free to share this information.
We are here to help truck drivers after an on-the-job accident. Knowledge is power, and the first step in protecting your rights is to know what they are.
Stay safe!
