Workers' Comp Denials And Remedies
by Joan Bradley
If you get injured at work, workers' comp insurance "kicks in" and you are protected with some valuable benefits. If your claim gets approved, you can expect to never pay a cent towards your medical care for that work-related injury. Additionally, this employer-paid insurance allows recipients to stay home and collect a certain percentage amount of their usual salary. In some cases, however, claims get denied and you are left with an injury and enormous financial issues to deal with. You may be able to take action to get your claim reinstated if you make the right moves, so read on to learn more.
1. Drug or alcohol use was detected: Reporting for medical treatment is mandatory if you want to get your claim approved, and if you are seeking treatment for a work-related injury you will likely face drug and alcohol testing at that medical facility. These findings will be reported to the workers' comp insurance carrier, and a positive test could put a stop to any benefits. If you are taking a legally prescribed medication that caused the test to be positive, you may need to show proof of your prescription to have your claim reinstated.
2. Your claim had no corroboration: If your accident occurred without witnesses, you may face a greater challenge in proving your claim. You may need to revisit the scene of the incident and seek out other workers or anyone else that may have been there at the time of the accident. Additionally, look for the presence of video cameras, which could provide you with needed corroboration. If you are unable to come up with people or other evidence of your accident, you may need to count on statements from any medical personnel that gave treatment to you after the event.
3. Your accounts were inconsistent: Trauma does funny things to your memories, and those things may not be that amusing to the workers' comp insurance agency. You will likely tell the account of your injury many times: to your co-workers, to your supervisor, to medical personnel, to your family and more. If your various accounts are not consistent, you may be placing your claim in jeopardy. Take some time to put your memories down on paper, and make adjustments to the summary as needed. Resist the urge to put the details of your accident on social media, and limit who you talk to about it. If your claim is denied for inconsistencies, see if you can amend it and correct it.
If you are having trouble getting your claim approved, talk to a workers comp attorney right away.
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About Me
You walk into your favorite grocery store and right away, you slip and fall only to sprain your ankle. You can't perform your job because it requires standing on your feet all day, which means that you can't make any money to support your family while your ankle heals. There was no warning that the floors were wet after being cleaned in the store – so what do you do? It's probably a good idea to think about filing a personal injury lawsuit. Of course, anyone with experience with a personal injury case will tell you just how important it is to work with an attorney throughout the process. I'd like to share insight I've learned through three personal injury cases that I myself have had to go through in the past. I think the information on this website can help people like you, who need some personal injury guidance.