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Tucson Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
25+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
When you hire us, you're adding unmatched experience to your team, ensuring you get the best possible outcome.
99% WIN RATE
Our firm maintains an impressive 99% win rate, even while accepting difficult cases other law firms have turned away.
NO UPFRONT FEES
We are not afraid of trial, and insurance companies know this. If it’s in your best interest, we are always trial ready.
If you were injured while working and your employer or another third party was negligent, you may be eligible to recover compensation. Our team of Tucson workers’ compensation lawyers can help you understand your rights when you’ve been injured at work.
At Zanes Law, our personal injury lawyers in Tucson can help you file your workers’ compensation claim on time and recover compensation. With a 99% win rate, you can feel confident choosing our law firm to take on your case.
The Process for a Workers’ Compensation Claim
Workers’ compensation law is here to help and protect you as long as you can meet the legal requirements to be eligible for benefits. Workers’ compensation exists to help injured workers and give you some peace of mind, but first, you must follow the exact legal process:
- Reporting the injury to your employer immediately.
- Getting a medical diagnosis of your injury and evidence that it is work-related.
- Filing a workers’ comp claim within the one-year deadline.
While this sounds easy, the process is more complicated than you might imagine. There are no guarantees when you are applying for workers’ compensation benefits, and you should never take it for granted that the insurance company will grant the benefits that you deserve. Many people hit roadblocks in these cases, and you should not hesitate to contact a Tucson workers’ compensation attorney from our personal injury firm.
For a free legal consultation with a workers’ compensation lawyer serving Tucson, call 866-499-8989
Common Workplace Accidents
Whether you are working in an office or a factory, many types of accidents could lead to workplace injuries. Common hazards in the workplace may include:
- Slippery or uneven flooring
- Electrical wires
- Falling objects
- Heavy machinery
- Exposure to toxic chemicals or substances
- Explosions and fires
Regardless of the cause of the incident, injured workers who choose to hire a workers’ comp lawyer may have a better chance of obtaining damages. Our Tucson workers’ comp attorney has helped thousands of clients recover the compensation they qualify for, and we’ve got the case results to prove it.
Tucson Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Near Me 866-499-8989
How do You Prove You Qualify for Benefits?
There are only two things that you need to prove when you are filing a workers’ compensation claim. These include:
- You suffered an injury.
- Your injury was related to your job.
Your employer will have a workers’ compensation insurance policy, meaning that an insurance company is involved in the picture, and they will review your claim. Like any insurance company, they may deny your claim at first and force you to take additional steps.
What does Job-Related Mean?
The other major way that an insurance company may challenge your claim is by arguing that the injury was not job-related. For example, if you slipped and fell in the company cafeteria during your lunch break, that would not be considered job-related.
Generally speaking, if you are doing company activities on company time, your injury would be work-related and would cover your employment duties. It could also cover things like injuries at holiday parties and company outings. Usually, injuries suffered on your way to and from work are not covered, but there are some exceptions to the rule. For example, if you were driving the company truck to work, this could qualify as a job-related injury, and you could file a claim against the trucking company.
If you can prove that your injury is job-related, you can receive benefits from your company’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. These will not entirely replace your lost income, but they will provide you with payments for necessary medical care and some of what you did not earn from work. If you cannot work again, you may be eligible for a settlement.
Click to contact our Tucson Personal Injury Lawyers today
Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Tucson
The potential available to you depends on the severity of your injuries and the length of time you are unable to work. Under A.R.S. § 23-1062, a worker who suffers a disability that lasts over 14 days may receive back pay for their first seven missed days of work. On the eighth day, workers’ compensation benefits begin.
In addition to back pay, as an injured employee, you may be eligible to recover other benefits. Some of the benefits our Tucson workers’ compensation lawyer can help you recover include:
- Medical benefits: You are entitled to have all reasonable and necessary medical expenses related to your work injury. This includes doctor visits, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, prescriptions, and medical devices. There is no limit on the duration of medical benefits.
- Temporary disability benefits: If you cannot work due to your injury, you may receive wage replacement benefits starting from the day of injury. The benefit amount is based on your average weekly wage, up to a maximum set amount. Benefits are paid for up to a total of 180 weeks.
- Permanent disability benefits: If an injury causes permanent physical impairment or limits your future employment options, you may receive additional benefits. The type and amount depend on the level of permanent disability assessed.
- Vocational rehabilitation: For injuries that limit your work ability long-term, vocational support may be provided to retrain you for a new occupation. This helps you return to gainful employment.
- Death benefits: If a work injury results in death, your surviving dependents, such as spouses, children, or other family members may receive monthly benefits.
- Impairment benefits: A one-time payment is available when maximum medical improvement is reached, and a permanent bodily or mental impairment remains for you.
Negligence does Not Apply to Workers’ Compensation Claims
When you get injured on the job, you largely do not have to worry about the cause of the accident. If you were negligent yourself, it would not prevent you from receiving benefits. In most cases, the factual questions will involve other issues.
The only time that you may have an issue collecting benefits based on your actions is if someone accuses you of some intentional misconduct. Otherwise, even if you made a mistake in the eyes of your employer, you could still qualify for benefits.
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Why You Need a Tucson Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
As an injured employee, you need the benefits that workers’ compensation offers. Recovering compensation benefits is often the difference between making ends meet and struggling to survive while you are dealing with your injury. Even if it is not your full salary, it is still money coming in at your time of need.
Hiring one of our workers’ compensation lawyers from Zanes Law can help you build a strong case to recover benefits for your job injury. In addition to suffering a work injury, here are a few other occasions in which you’ll need to hire one of our Tucson workers’ compensation attorneys:
- Your employer has taken issue with your claim, and their insurer will not pay you.
- Your case is more difficult in that you need to work to prove the connection between your injury and your work.
- You need to negotiate a one-time settlement for a serious injury.
- You don’t know the value of your claim.
Contact a Tucson Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Today
At Zanes Law, our team of workers’ compensation lawyers can help you get the legal process started after you’ve suffered injuries at work. As your dedicated legal team, we can walk you through the process and help you recover the workers’ comp benefits you need.
Contact us to get a free case consultation after your work injury.
Call or text 866-499-8989 or complete a
Free Case Evaluation form
Tucson Personal Injury Blog Posts: 
Need Personal Injury Legal Advice? Listen to Our NEW Podcast by Doug Zanes! Behind the Scenes with the Intake Department- Zanes Law Personal Injury Attorneys Behind the Scenes with the Case Managers- Zanes Law Personal Injury Attorneys Behind the Scenes with the Litigation Department- Zanes Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Need Personal Injury Legal Advice? Listen to Our NEW Podcast by Doug Zanes! We are excited to announce that we have officially launched the Zanes Law Personal Injury Legal Tips podcast, featuring advice from Zanes Law owner and responsible attorney Doug Zanes. When
Behind the Scenes with the Intake Department- Zanes Law Personal Injury Attorneys One of the first departments a client comes into contact with is the Zanes Intake Department… In fact, the FIRST person you’ll likely speak to when you call into Zanes Law is one of the intake
Behind the Scenes with the Case Managers- Zanes Law Personal Injury Attorneys If you’ve been following the Zanes Law Blog lately, you know we have a mini behind the scenes series happening with all of our departments! Yesterday we got a little overview of the Intake
Behind the Scenes with the Litigation Department- Zanes Law Personal Injury Attorneys If you’ve been following the Zanes Law Blog at all, you know we have a mini behind the scenes series happening with all of our departments and today’s post ends that series! Yesterday we
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The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Process
The insurance company may deny your initial claim. Your claim may be missing some information, or the company may have additional questions to ask. When that happens, you are better off not leaving anything to chance. There are strict timelines to appeal and a process that you must follow. Any mistakes could mean the end of your quest to receive benefits.
A conversation with the insurance company can work out some denials. The company will give a reason why it denied your claim, which may reveal it to be the result of a misunderstanding. Other denials could be the result of an issue that simply cannot be worked out through a conversation.
Here is what you need to know about the Arizona appeals process:
- Once an insurance company denies your claim, you have 90 days to request a hearing from the Industrial Commission of Arizona, a strict deadline that you do not want to miss. In the meantime, there is nothing to stop your lawyer from speaking with the insurance company in an attempt to resolve your claim.
- The parties can exchange information through discovery. You may obtain additional evidence from your employer that could help with your case.
- Each side will present the evidence that they plan to use at a hearing in advance, including things such as medical records, witness statements, and photographs.
- An administrative law judge will conduct a hearing, a court-like proceeding where you will testify, and both your lawyer and the insurance company’s attorney will question you. The ALJ will issue a decision within 60 days based on the record and testimony. If you are successful, benefits will be retroactive.
- If you do not win at your hearing, you have the right to ask the ALJ to reconsider their decision in case they made a mistake. You would need to take this step, even though it is rare for an ALJ to acknowledge their own errors.
- Finally, you could file an appeal with the Arizona Court of Appeals within 30 days of receiving the review decision.
Insurance companies may not benefit when they deny your claim and lose in the appeals process. It often costs them a lot more money because claimants could receive even more than the average claimant when their denial converts to benefits.
What Else You Can Challenge in an Appeal
Not only can you contest a denial of benefits, but you could also challenge the calculation of your benefits. The insurance company calculates benefits according to a formula, and sometimes, they get it wrong.
In addition, you may have a dispute about whether you can work again. The insurance company may argue that you can work or retrain for employment in another field. In other words, establishing eligibility for benefits is far from the end of the story.
Can You Sue Someone in a Personal Injury Claim for a Workplace Injury?
Many workers ask whether they must file a workers’ compensation claim. In fact, they may end up financially better off when they file a personal injury lawsuit instead of a workers’ comp claim. Financially, they could recover fully for lost wages as opposed to a percentage, and they could receive payment for things such as pain and suffering. In Arizona, it is very difficult to step outside the workers’ compensation system when dealing with your employer. The purpose of the law is to encourage all employers to have this coverage so it protects them from negligence claims.
There are very limited exceptions to this doctrine. In Arizona, the only way that an injured employee can sue the employer is for willful misconduct with the direct aim of harming the employee. Otherwise, their only option is a workers’ compensation claim.
This is not to say that injured employees cannot sue third parties. While they cannot sue their fellow employees directly, they can file a lawsuit against another company or person that was responsible for their injury.
For example:
- A third-party contractor at your job site (and not your employer) is responsible for your injuries.
- You are a delivery person, and you are injured on someone else’s property while making a delivery.
- You suffer an injury due to defective work equipment and want to file a product liability claim against the company that made the product.
You should have an attorney who could quickly get to the bottom of your case and figure out the best course of action. At Zanes Law, we have experience in both workers’ compensation and personal injury law, so we understand how the two work together and whether you have a possible lawsuit. Either way, we will work to fight for your legal rights and advise you of all your options.
How Attorneys Help Your Tucson Workers’ Compensation Claim
There are many reasons why you would need a workers’ compensation lawyer.
An attorney can help you by:
- Negotiating a settlement with the insurance company.
- Communicating with the insurance company on your behalf if there are any issues with your claim.
- Representing you at all phases of the appeal, including arguing your case in front of the judge.
- Calculating your benefits correctly.
- Helping with your claim and ensuring that everything is done correctly.
- Educating you on the process and helping you keep track of all deadlines.
You Can Afford to Hire a Tucson Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Doug Zanes, Tucson Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
You may be wondering how much the services of an attorney would cost you. Zanes Law Injury Lawyers represent you on a contingency basis, meaning that we do not receive any payment upfront. Injured workers usually do not have the money to pay a lawyer’s hourly fees, and our compensation reflects that. We only receive payment if you win. Therefore, you do not need to worry about writing us a check out of your pocket with money that you do not have. However, if you are having difficulty with your claim, not calling a lawyer very risky.
The one thing that you often do not have in a workers’ compensation case is time. There are tight deadlines, and you need the money, so you are better off getting legal help at the first possible moment that you realize it may be necessary.
Contact Zanes Law Injury Lawyers today at (520) 777-7777 for your free case evaluation.
Tucson Office
4580 E Grant Rd #101
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520) 777-7777
Tucson Personal Injury Blog Posts:
Behind the Scenes with the Intake Department- Zanes Law Personal…
One of the first departments a client comes into contact with is the Zanes Intake Department… In fact, the FIRST person you’ll likely speak to when you call into Zane...
READ MORE Behind the Scenes with the Case Managers- Zanes Law Personal…
If you’ve been following the Zanes Law Blog lately, you know we have a mini behind the scenes series happening with all of our departments!...
READ MORE