If you have a work injury, then you might find yourself unable to work the same schedule you had before, or perhaps, not able to work at all. However, you likely depend on that income, and now that the weekly paychecks are rolling in, paying the bills are suddenly becoming a major issue. Even if you are receiving weekly benefit checks, you will still likely be looking at your shiny new medical bills and wondering how you are going to make all this work until your worker’s compensation settlement comes in. However, there are a few tips you can employ to make your bills a little easier to handle when you are off for your work injury.
Arrange Medical Bill Payment
Luckily for you, hospitals cannot legally send your outstanding medical bills to a collection agency while a worker’s compensation claim is still pending. However, they still need to be paid. Hopefully, you will get a large settlement that can cover them, but if your worker’s compensation claim is denied, you will still need to get them paid off.
If denial is the case, you should submit them to your personal health insurance to get assistance. Just because your worker’s compensation was denied, doesn’t mean your personal health insurance won’t cover some of the cost. As for the rest, it would be worthwhile to call up the hospital and ask about some sort of arranged payment plan. Even if it is small, most hospitals will likely work with you because so many people just skip out on the bill all together. Fill them in on what is going on, and you will find that they will be quite flexible with payment.
Seek Assistance
If only your medical bills were your only problem, right? If you have been left unable to work and are waiting for a worker’s compensation settlement, then you might have trouble paying all your bills from the big ones like your mortgage to the small ones like buying groceries. This is something that you shouldn’t have to handle alone.
If you have friends and family that you can ask to help, then that should be your first stop. However, not everyone has such people, or they are living just above stable themselves. If that is the case, you should look for other groups in your area such as your region’s General Assistance organization or the United Way charity funds. These are created to help people who can’t make ends meet.
However, no matter where you get assistance from, be it a charitable organization or friends, don’t forget it when your settlement does come in or your find yourself in better straits.
Do Not Take Out a Financing Loan
There are a number of options available to help you pay your bills, but one option should never be to take out a loan against your worker’s compensation settlement. Hidden deep inside the fine print is always a part where the companies charge a ridiculous interest rate. They can legally make you pay 50 percent interest, meaning your entire settlement – and more – could be completely gone by the time you actually get it.
If you are having trouble getting your bills paid and can’t seem to find any options, this is a problem that you should merit contacting your worker’s compensation lawyer. Worker’s compensation lawyers help people everyday get the settlement they deserve, but they also know that more people need a little help until that day arrives. If you are in Minnesota and need help, contact the Law Office of Joshua Borken today. We can provide you knowledgeable representation in your worker’s compensation case and provide you with the resources you need to get by until your settlement comes in.
