« Are federal employees covered by the Indiana Worker's Compensation Act?
How do I cover my loss of income if my worker's compensation claim is denied?
If your claim is denied, you will not receive lost wages from worker's compensation for time off work, even if your personal doctor has ordered you off work, unless you are successful later on in winning your contested claim.
In order to prove you are entitled to lost wages, you will need to make sure that you obtain an off work slip for each of the days that your doctor orders you off work as a result of your work injury. This is especially important to do if you treat with different doctors each time you receive treatment particularly at facilities such as a veteran's hospital or a public hospital.
Further, in order to not jeopardize your job, you should consider using paid vacation time, sick days, or personal days when you need to be off for the work injury, or you can file for short-term/long-term disability benefits if this is offered by your employer. You can also request up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off through The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) if both you and your employer qualify for FMLA. Please note that if you use FMLA and do not return to your job at the end of 12 weeks, you may be fired.