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NE Nebraska | Is this a large or small employer? Are they required to carry work comp? Do they actually carry work comp (some industries and types of entities are exempt)? You can contact the state work comp board and find out who their carrier is.
Then contact that carrier to find out whether a claim has been filed regarding your case.
While you say it isn't the employer's problem, it is their responsibility if it was work related and not due to negligence on your part (there are legitimate reasons for WC denial).
Even if they don't carry work comp they should have liability insurance to cover a work related injury (although it might be capped).
Did you report the injury to the employer right away and did the employer file a "First Report of Injury" with their WC carrier right after the injury?
Was the medical facility informed at the time of accident that it was work related or a work comp issue? If work comp, that should have left you out of the billing process.
Is the physician's billing office aware it's a work comp issue?
As an employer we carry work comp and we've told employees if they are injured on the job requiring medical care, to tell the medical facility it's work comp- that alleviates the employee of billing worries and us of liability outside the realm of WC. But not all employers do that - some don't report it and want to take care of it themselves so their WC rates don't go up. We had one employee lose the tip of a finger (many years ago) and the employee received a decent settlement from WC (there are standard ranges for loss of limb, types of eye injuries, etc.
You may want to consult a lawyer - the first visit may be free. At least then you'll know their fee structure or percentage.
Is your employer aware of the bills that you're accumulating? Have a sit down meeting with them and let them know the immediate and future concerns.
Human nature is to "protect one's self" and your employer may try to minimize the situation. In that regard you may need to be proactive by contacting the work comp board or an attorney.
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Workers comp.
