What to Do If You Cannot Work Due to Injury

No matter how careful you are or what safety measures might be in place, accidents can still happen. Sometimes an accident can mean that the victim is unable to work, and if that is the case, they will need to have a plan in place to help them both financially and mentally. Whether you are going to be away from work for a short time, a long time, or you’re never going to be able to go back, you will need to ensure you get the help you need and know what to do. Here are some useful pointers on the steps you will need to take.

Claim on Your Insurance

Your insurance will be able to help you financially, depending on the situation you are in due to the accident you suffered. If you have been used to a regular wage and have little to no savings, and you cannot work because you are injured, your insurance could help you hugely. This might be specific Long Term Disability insurance, or it could be a part of your overall life insurance; if it is the latter, then you’ll need to check the terms and conditions to ensure you are eligible.

How much you can claim will depend on what happened, how much you pay for your insurance each month, and what the overall conditions are that you signed up for. This is why, although you will, of course, hope never to have to use your insurance, it is always worth research the best policy for your needs before paying out for something that might not work for you.

Speak to Your Employer

Never make assumptions about your work or the status of your employment without speaking to your employer first. Although you may not be able to do the job you initially were hired for, there might be something else you can do – this will mean you can stay employed, and you might not need to make any claims or worry about too much at all. Working in a different department may require additional training, so bear this in mind because you will potentially need to spend some extra time learning.

Alternatively, it might be possible to do your old job, but have some special measures put in place – you might need a chair because you have to sit down a lot more than you used to, or you might need someone to help you, or you might need additional breaks. Speaking to your employer about this and making the arrangements can help you – and them – greatly.

Get Therapy

Just as it is essential to look after your physical health, it is also essential to take care of your mental health; an accident that results in serious physical injuries might also result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, or depression and anxiety. The mind needs to be looked after just as much as anything else to help with healing.

To do this, therapy can be used. Speaking to someone about what happened and how you are feeling can make all the difference, and even get you back to work – or at least back to normal life – much more quickly.