How to file for workers’ comp as a Home Depot employee in Montana
The national home improvement store Home Depot operates more than 2,200 locations across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Around the world, Home Depot employs approximately 500,000 people. In Montana, there are 6 stores.
Regardless of where you work, your employer has a responsibility to adhere to certain safety protocols to ensure no serious accidents occur. Even so, every year many employees are injured on the job.
If you are an employee of Home Depot and were injured on the job, you shouldn’t have to worry about paying for the cost of your medical care or worry about lost wages. Most Montana employees, including those who work for big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes, are eligible for workers’ compensation to cover these expenses for you.
Common workplace accident and injuries at Home Depot
Employees of Home Depot may be employed in a variety of different capacities. Some of the more common positions include:
- Lot associate
- Sales associate
- Cashier
- Freight associate
Each position has its own unique responsibilities; however, due to the warehouse-style layout of Home Depot stores, employees may encounter numerous risks as part of their employment. Even sales associates may need to operate various types of machinery as part of their job responsibilities.
For example, associates could be injured while working on a forklift. This could be particularly true if an employee didn’t receive proper training to operate the machinery or if the equipment was not properly maintained and inspected.
Associates might also fall victim to the following types of injuries:
- Falling from a ladder
- Tripping due to an uneven parking lot surface
- Slipping and falling due to wet surfaces in the garden center
- Back injuries due to heavy lifting
- Cuts and lacerations from cutting materials to order
If you are injured on your shift, you could be left facing expensive medical bills and the inability to work. Depending on the severity of your injury, you could be off from work temporarily or may not even be able to return to work at all.
Montana requires most employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance coverage for workplace accidents and illnesses. The benefits offered through workers’ comp can cover lost wages as well as injury-related medical expenses. In order to take advantage of these benefits, first you will need to file a claim.
Under the Home Depot injury policy and Montana law, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits whether you are a full- or a part-time employee.
Filing a Home Depot workers’ compensation claim
The steps you need to take following a workplace injury may depend on the severity of your injury. If it’s an extremely minor injury and all you need is some basic first aid, you may not need to miss any work at all. In this type of circumstance, you would not need to file a claim for workers’ compensation.
On the other hand, if you have been involved in a severe injury, such as falling off a ladder or being struck by a forklift, you may need emergency treatment.
After receiving treatment for your injuries, the next step is to inform your supervisor of the situation. Time limits apply when you make a workers’ compensation claim. Therefore, it’s crucial that you provide your employer with information regarding the incident, including the date and relevant details. There must be official documentation regarding the details. Ultimately, this information may prove beneficial in determining when to begin your compensation payments.
Be aware that your manager, supervisor or HR may require that you use a preferred medical facility or doctor. If you don’t use a preferred healthcare provider or facility, your workers’ compensation claim could be invalidated later on.
It’s always best to file your workers’ compensation claim as soon as possible. When filing your claim, you will need to provide some important information—namely, proof that you were at work when the incident occurred.
In fact, one of the more common reasons that workers’ compensation claims are denied is that the employee isn’t able to demonstrate that the injury was the direct result of a work-related incident. For this reason, gather as much information as possible, including witness statements from other employees.
You may not be able to receive benefits if the accident was the result of substance abuse.
As an employee of Home Depot, you deserve to receive compensation for lost work as well as your medical bills. Sadly, the process of obtaining those benefits isn’t always easy. Given the documentation and deadline requirements for filing a workers’ compensation claim, it’s not unusual to experience difficulties in filing a claim or even to have a claim denied.
By working with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney, you can receive the guidance you need. An experienced attorney at Murphy Law Firm will have the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the process and help you to obtain the benefits due to you.
