Getting hurt on the job puts people in an awkward position. The person you report the injury to is often the same person who decides your schedule, and that makes speaking up feel risky.
This is general information about how the system works in Arizona. It is not advice about your claim. An attorney can tell you what applies to you.
Retaliation is not allowed
Arizona law prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee for filing a workers' compensation claim. That means firing, demoting, cutting hours or punishing someone specifically for making a claim is not permitted.
That does not mean retaliation never happens. It means there is something to be done about it if it does, and an attorney can tell you what.
Reporting the injury
- Report it to your employer, and do it in writing if you can, even a text or an email.
- Keep a copy for yourself rather than relying on the employer's file.
- Be accurate and complete about what hurts, including the parts that seem minor. Injuries left off the first report are harder to add later.
- Ask for the paperwork the employer is required to give you.
The company doctor question
People are often sent to a clinic chosen by the employer or the insurer and assume they have no say at all. The rules about medical care and about changing doctors are specific, and they depend on the circumstances of your claim. This is one of the most common things worth asking an attorney about early.
What the system does and does not cover
Workers' compensation is generally designed to cover medical treatment for the injury and a portion of lost wages, on a schedule set by the system rather than by negotiation. It works differently from an injury claim against a driver who hit you. An attorney can explain which one your situation falls under, and whether both could apply.
Immigration status
We collect only what an attorney needs to evaluate your matter. What bearing your status has on a workers' compensation claim is a legal question, and it is one to put to an attorney rather than to us. Our Privacy Policy sets out what we collect and who sees it.
Deadlines exist
There are time limits in the workers' compensation system, and missing one can end a claim that would otherwise have gone ahead. We will not tell you what your deadline is because we are not attorneys. Ask early rather than late.