Anyone who performs any kind of manual labor for a living knows how it feels to have sore shoulders after a hard day on the job, and even people who work mainly behind a desk have likely gone home after work more than once with a sore neck. No matter what your job duties are, suffering a tendon strain, muscle tear, or bone fracture in your upper torso can be debilitating in a way that interferes with both your professional career and your personal life.
Fortunately, you have help available from a Reno workplace shoulder and neck injury lawyer if you have suffered this type of trauma and want to enforce your right to receive workers’ compensation benefits for it. From start to finish of the claims process, our dedicated attorneys here at Shook & Stone will work tenaciously to get you paid what you deserve while minimizing additional stress for you and your loved ones.
What to Do After Suffering a Work-Related Shoulder or Neck Injury
As soon as possible—and no longer than seven days—after suffering an injury of any kind on the job, you should fill out a Notice of Injury or Occupational Disease form and give a copy to your direct supervisor at work. If your injury is a chronic one that has built up over time rather than an acute one that happened due to a single traumatic accident, you should notify your employer of the injury as soon as possible after first discovering your injury.
If you need any kind of medical treatment for your injury or miss any days at work because of it, you will also need to fill out the “Employee” section of a Claim for Compensation/Report of Initial Treatment form. Then, give that form to your employer no later than 90 days after first suffering or discovering your injury. Taking both these steps within the stated deadlines is the only way to legally start a workers’ compensation claim over a shoulder or neck workplace injury in Reno.
What Benefits Can Workers’ Comp Provide for Shoulder and Neck Damage?
Workers’ compensation claims work on a fault-free basis in Nevada, which means that as long as you can directly connect your injury to a specific workplace accident or hazardous working condition, you can receive benefits for that injury without needing to prove anyone was at fault for causing it. Since most shoulder and neck injuries are soft-tissue injuries like muscle strains that will heal completely over time, workers’ comp benefits for these injuries typically focus on:
- Reimbursement for short-term medical expenses and
- Occasionally, temporary disability benefits to account for a few days or weeks of lost work income
However, if you have suffered a debilitating shoulder or neck injury in your Reno workplace that will permanently reduce your working and earning capacity, the lawyers at Shook & Stone can help you seek permanent disability benefits through workers’ comp. You may also be eligible for benefits like:
- Reimbursement for the costs of job retraining services if your injury prevents you from ever returning to your old job even after you have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI)
Contact a Reno Workplace Shoulder and Neck Injury Attorney for Help
Even if you do not need medical care right away for a work-related shoulder or neck injury, you should still report the injury to your employer by following the instructions mentioned above. If your injury ends up getting worse over time, failing to take this initial step could prevent you from receiving any benefits whatsoever.
A Reno shoulder and neck workplace injury lawyer can work on your behalf to streamline the entire claims process and give you the best possible chances of success. Call Shook & Stone today to learn more.
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