You were injured at work, and you did everything that was expected of you: You notified your employer as soon as possible, sought emergency care when you needed it, followed up with a workers’ comp physician and followed their care plan to the letter.
Why, then, is your workers’ compensation claim being fought? You may have simply raised a “red flag” in your employer’s mind that leads them to believe your claim isn’t valid.
What kinds of things can lead to problems?
Even though workers’ compensation fraud by individuals is relatively uncommon, employers and their insurers regard every potential claim with suspicion. They may decide that your claim is invalid based solely on the circumstances. For example:
- There were no witnesses and it occurred away from your usual work area
- There are rumors among other employees that your faking your injury
- You had a difficult relationship with your employer because you had made a complaint with human resources or were on probation
- You simply didn’t get along with your main supervisor or boss
- You have a second job or a side-gig where you’re self-employed
- You educated yourself about the workers’ comp system and simply asserted your rights
- You questioned your care or sought a second opinion
- You were injured on a Friday and didn’t report the injury until the following Monday
- You were injured on a Monday first thing in the morning
- You were denied a vacation request or time off shortly before your injury
Essentially, employers are often primed to believe that their employees will try to pass off injuries incurred on their own time as something related to work or that they’ll make claims simply to get revenge for some perceived wrong. That causes them to view every claim rather suspiciously – and, quite often, unfairly.
Understandably, this leaves injured workers’ frustrated and confused – and without the benefits they need to recover or pay their bills. If you’ve been caught in this trap with workers’ compensation, find out more about your legal options.