If you are a fireman, you see some horrific events and go through a lot of stress. All of this can lead up to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If a traumatic event occurs while you are at work that caused you to have PTSD, you should be covered by your employer's worker's compensation plan. A mental health condition is just as serious as a personal injury, and your employer should look at it this way. Below is some information about PTSD, as well as tips on filing your worker's compensation claim.
PTSD Symptoms
If you have PTSD, you can suffer from a wide variety of symptoms. Some people have mild symptoms, like depression or anxiety, which can be easily treated with medication in most cases. These people can likely return to work very quickly. Other people, however, have severe symptoms that can affect their job performance, and keep them from returning to work at all. If you have severe PTSD, some of the symptoms you may have include:
PTSD can also have negative effects on your body, which include:
The amount of money you will be awarded generally depends on how severe your symptoms are. For example, if you have severe PTSD, you will likely be out of work for a long period of time, so you will receive more benefits.
Filing Your Worker's Compensation Claim
It is important that you let your employer know immediately, as there are deadlines when making a worker's compensation claim. If you are past the deadline, you may not be able to submit your claim. Your employer will provide you with the proper forms to fill out. Your doctor may also give you some forms. Besides paying you for time off work, your worker's compensation benefits will likely cover your treatment, such as if you need to see a psychologist or other type of therapist.
In some cases, it can be difficult to win a stress-related worker's compensation claim. For this reason, you should hire a worker's compensation attorney immediately. They can ensure everything is done correctly, and can make this process go much easier on you. Because you are suffering from PTSD, you do not need the extra stress of dealing with this claim yourself.
Contact a worker's compensation attorney at a firm like Gilbert, Blaszcyk & Milburn LLP.
Share18 April 2016
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