1. Working “light duty” with date of injury employer

When you sustain an injury at work and have been released to return to work in some capacity by your treating physician, you are able to return to work while continuing to make a workers’ compensation claim. The first place you will want to look for a job is with your date of injury employer. Your employer does not have an obligation to offer you a “light duty” job under the Workers’ Compensation Act, or any other law; however, Minnesota law expressly prohibit employers from discriminating or retaliating against an employee who has suffered a work injury or has made a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. In order to ensure that they do not violate Minnesota law, employers will many times look into making reasonable accommodations for an injured employee. In practice, this may mean that an employer may offer you a temporary, modified position, within your physical restrictions, until such time as you are released to full-duty work.

Do not let the cost of an attorney prohibit you from obtaining counsel. At Meuser Law Office, P.A. there is absolutely no fee to retain an attorney nor will you be responsible for hourly fees. At Meuser Law Office, depending on the type of case, we charge fees on a contingency fee or a flat rate.

We also front the costs of litigation, including the costs of medical records, court reports, and doctor depositions and reports.

Report, report, report your injury!

Let’s say you have been a St. Paul firefighter for 18+ years and you have lived through numerous explosions or a Minneapolis police officer who has wrestled numerous suspects or kicked in doors, that does not mean the lingering ache in your low back or sharp pop in your shoulder will go away. You must report your injury, even if you think your injury will heal with some rest and ice, the injury may become more serious. Trying to save yourself some paperwork might actually cost you thousands of dollars in the end.

Don’t lie to your attorney.

Holding back or editing out important details just makes the attorney’s job harder. We take the facts as we have them and it’s my job to take the facts and make a legal case. It’s not your job to massage the facts for me. If I know that you’ve treated with a chiropractor for the last 8 years before your low back injury, I can work with that! If you have a pre-existing condition, that doesn’t mean your injury is not compensable under Minnesota work comp, PERA or MSRS. What hurts your case is when you don’t disclose that to me or the court and I find out about it 8 months into your case from the defense attorney.

Use of social media has exploded over the last decade. It seems we have gone from a time when social media was limited to an organized grouping of college students’ selfies to now, when everyone—and I mean everyone—has a Facebook page or an Instagram account. Now when you log onto your Facebook page, your “newsfeed” is filled with Aunt Betsy’s latest cat photos and a co-worker’s most recent political rant. Social media can be a great thing (who doesn’t like a good cat photo?), it allows people to share their experiences and stay in touch with long-distance friends and relatives in a way that used to be impossible. So, why does the use of social media matter in the context of your injury claim? Well, it could actually matter a lot. In my experience, nothing can tank a claim faster than an ill-timed and unfortunately worded Facebook post.