Is Your Company Fighting Your Workers Comp Claim?

Mar 17, 2010

The average number of days an American worker was away from work because of a work-related illness was eight in 2008, according to federal officials. Usually, those days off work would be paid by workers compensation claims, so you don’t have to lose any money. But what happens if your company’s workers compensation insurance carrier denies your claim, or worse yet, your company fights the claim you filed?

You may think you don’t have any options, but think again. An attorney who specializes in workers compensation fights can help you get the money to which your entitled.

Workers Compensation

It’s important to first understand what workers compensation insurance is. Employers purchase this insurance, also known as workman’s comp, to protect themselves and their employees by providing coverage should an employee gets hurt or sick on the job. It also provides compensation for families of a worker killed on the job. All companies must comply with requirements mandated by workers comp laws.

Common injuries covered by workers comp claims include: back, knee, shoulder, legs, and arm injuries, not to mention Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In addition to lost earnings, workers can get money for medical expenses, permanent disability, and the loss of future earning capacity.

Filing a workers comp claim varies by state, but there are some common threads. For example, some states don’t make employers pay or are limited in what they have to compensate for injuries or death that result from a workers negligence, whether the worker is intoxicated or doing something he or she shouldn’t be doing.

Perhaps the biggest similarity lies in how you open a workers compensation
claim. You must tell your employer about the injury you sustained while on the job and it will be your employer who initiates the process for you and arranges for your medical care.

Who Looks Out For Me?

This process can be a little troubling for some people because it seems as though your company has control over everything, especially when your claim gets denied.

There are some things you can do to protect yourself from having a claim rejected, such as telling a co-worker or supervisor about the injury when it happens, even if you don’t think it’s a serious enough injury to report and go right away to a hospital or other healthcare facility to have the injury looked at.

Complete and file all necessary paperwork and make sure to follow all of your doctor’s instructions.

There’s a company called Lawsuit Hotline that can advance your expected proceeds from workers compensation in select states. The advancement can help you pay for your living expenses you pushed off because of lost wages resulting from your injury, or it can help pay the doctors’ bills you incurred.

A pool of money for these “lawsuit advances” is available. These advances can be as little as $500 or as much as $1 million or more for anyone that qualifies with a pending or settled lawsuit. Applying is as easy as filling out a 2-minute application.

This application, which can be filled out on Lawsuit Hotline.com, will be sent off to underwriters for the company’s investors who will decide if yours is a strong case. If they think it is, you’ll be approved and you can have money directed to your account within 24 hours of a signed agreement.