3 reasons that your employer might deny your workers’ comp claim

On Behalf of | Mar 23, 2021 | Workers' Compensation

After you get hurt at work, you need workers’ compensation benefits so that you can recover quickly and get back on the job. Your employer will typically benefit from workers’ compensation claims because they don’t have to worry about liability for your losses or the cost involved in hiring someone to replace you.

Workers who get hurt usually inform their employers and work cooperatively with them during the initial claims process. For some unfortunate workers, their employer will become hostile about their compensation claim. What are some common reasons that companies might deny a workers’ compensation benefit request?

They blame it on a pre-existing condition

If you already had a back injury when you started your job, you may have alerted your employer about your medical issues so that they could accommodate you on the job.

Companies sometimes have a black-and-white approach to medical issues. They think that it either existed before you worked for the company or started afterward. Some injuries fall into a gray zone in the middle.

You may have had the condition before, but your job has made it worse. Those with pre-existing conditions do generally deserve workers’ compensation if their job increases their symptoms.

They don’t think you have a medical issue at all

Some people will fake injuries or illnesses to claim benefits or get some time off of work. If your employer has had an issue like that in the past, they may be extra skeptical of any claims that people submit.

Adequate documentation of the condition and its impact on your health and daily functions can help you overcome this type of inaccurate perception.

They think that you got hurt outside of work

Your company might think that you staged an incident to make it look like an injury that you suffered at home or on your own time actually happened at work. While such circumstances are highly unlikely, they have been depicted on popular television shows, making this somewhat ridiculous scenario a common concern.

Workers facing a denial of benefits or questions from their employer will find that documentation is their best friend. Information from their physician, statements from co-workers who witnessed the incident and even security camera footage could help a worker convince their employer of the need for workers’ compensation benefits. Sometimes, workers will need to take legal action to get the benefits they need after they get hurt on the job.

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