As the typical employee, you will be injured on the job at some point in your adult working life. While many work accidents are filed and covered without a hassle from worker's compensation insurance, there are probably just as many cases in which the insurance company rebuts against the whole idea. If you find yourself in this situation when you know your injuries should be covered, it is best to talk to an attorney like Oxner + Permar, LLC right away. Take a look at these three telltale indicators that workers comp is going to deny your claim when you get injured on the job:
It is taking a long time for them to get back with you about a decision in your case.
If your injury happens on the clock, the first thing you will do is file an accident report with your employer, who then in turns files a claim on your behalf with their worker's comp insurer. Cases that worker's comp chooses to cover usually sail through the whole process and you will hear word right away about when you should expect your payment. However, if the insurance company is planning to deny your claim, you can almost always expect the process to take longer. You may even feel disregarded when you make follow-up calls or avoided.
The worker's comp representative or your employer tries to tell you the injury is your fault.
In workplace accident cases, if the employer or workers comp can prove that you are somehow at fault, even if it is just partially, it can mean that they can get out of paying for your injuries, time off of work, or not have to pay as much. Therefore, if you start to feel like someone is pointing the finger at you during your claim filing process, it is a good indication that worker's comp is trying to turn the tables so they do not have to pay.
A representative for workers comp tries to tell you your injury is not covered.
It is not at all uncommon for worker's comp representatives to try and sway your decision to move forward with a claim simply by telling you the injuries you have sustained are not covered by worker's comp insurance. However, this is not always the truth. Therefore, even if you are being blatantly told you have no claim and you have been injured on the job, reach out to a workers compensation attorney for advice.
Share3 June 2017
