Has your job been making you sick lately in the literal sense? Well, health issues from your workspace are not just a bad day but an occupational disease that can slowly impact your health and overall life. What is often mistaken is that occupational diseases are like regular injuries. In contrast, occupational diseases are work-related illnesses that can potentially impact one’s health in the long term.
Such diseases account for a worker’s compensation. However, the entire filing and compensation claim process can be annoying. It is when speaking with a worker’s compensation lawyer becomes necessary. This blog aims to give you an overview of occupational disease claims that can be targeted through the help of Delventhal and guide you through the consultation of an attorney.
What are occupational diseases?
Before we get into the details, let’s understand what are occupational diseases. Occupational diseases are health issues that arise from handling hazardous materials during your job.
These health issues typically progress over time as a result of frequent exposure to the same environment. Having a knowledge over what the diseases are you can make the decision of when to consult an attorney.
Some common types of occupational disease are:
- Asbestosis
- Silicosis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Occupational dermatitis
- Repetitive strain injury(RSI)
Understanding these occupational diseases and their causes is essential to get your work compensation.
Recognize the symptoms of work-related illness
To understand occupational disease, you must look for the symptoms that signify whether your condition is work-related. It is important to pay close attention to this point, because if the disease is not work-related, you may not be able to claim for it.
Here’s how you can recognize the symptoms of such work-related illness:
- Monitoring changes in your health
- Looking for patterns such as worsening of your health on work days and vice versa
- Documenting symptoms
- Recognizing specific illness that correlates with exposure to allergens in the workplace
Hence, by recognizing the symptoms, you can understand if your health complication is an occupational disease and take the necessary actions to improve your health.
When should you consult a worker’s compensation attorney?
When to consult a worker’s compensation attorney can be decided by being aware of the types of occupational ailments. Ailments related to the workplace that impact your health are caused by exposure to dangerous substances.
- When your compensation claim is denied
- If you end up having a complex medical case
- If the compensation you get isn’t enough for the disease you suffered
- When you are struggling to prove your case to the authorities
- When you are confused with the overall legal process of filing a compensation
In addition to these, if you have multiple complications and need a combination of compensations which might seem complicated for you then it calls for a worker’s compensation attorney consultation.
Proving occupational disease claims: Challenges faced
Worker’s compensation is quite a challenging step, with occupational diseases being of various types and complicated in itself.
Here are all the challenges that you might face while filing a worker’s compensation in case of occupational diseases:
- Proving the causation
- Long latency periods
- Complex medical evidence
- Multiple contributing factors
- Inadequate worker’s compensation coverage
Moreover, depending on your workplace, you may face additional challenges specific to your condition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, occupational disease claims might seem challenging initially, and knowing when to consult a worker’s compensation attorney is essential for getting you fair compensation.
Be it the complexities of filing claims or understanding the various occupational diseases, we hope this blog helps you understand the compensation factors and the overall role of an attorney in that case.
