3 Things That Can Cause Your Workers Compensation Claim To Be Denied

Whenever someone is injured while on the job, most employers have workers compensation insurance to help cover the injured employee. You and your employer can file a workers compensation claim to help you pay for any medical bills or to supplement your income if you have to take time off from work because of the injury. However, not all claims are approved. Here are three things that can cause your workers compensation claim to be denied.

1. You were intoxicated when the accident/injury occurred.

If you are drunk or high on illegal drugs at the time of your workplace accident, your workers compensation claim will be denied. Injuries sustained while intoxicated are considered self-inflicted injuries, so they are not covered by workers compensation.

However, if you use certain medications (i.e. medical marijuana) that was prescribed to you by a doctor, you could still get your workers compensation claim approved. You will need to provide the proper documentation to prove you have a legal prescription for those medications.

2. You quit your job before filing a claim.

Quitting your job before you file a workers compensation claim can also cause problems. Whenever an employee quits their job, they are ineligible for unemployment benefits. Because of this, whenever someone files a workers compensation claim after they quit their job, the insurance company is likely to deny the claim because they think it's fraudulent.

In order to get your workers compensation claim approved after you have quit your job, you will need some type of documentation pertaining to the workplace injury prior to the day you quit. If you reported it to your manager, then that should suffice. However, if you didn't report it, and you have no witnesses or medical records to back you up, it's likely a losing battle.

3. You didn't report your accident/injury immediately.

It is important that you report your workplace injury immediately after it happens - for many reasons. Not only does it ensure that your employer knows of any possible dangers in the workplace, but it also helps back up your workers compensation claim.

If you wait a month or longer to report your injury and file a workers compensation claim, you will likely be denied. Some states have specific deadlines that workplace injuries must be reported to employers for workers compensation claims. If you don't report the injury in a reasonable amount of time, you likely won't get your claim paid out.

Speak to a workers compensation attorney for more help.

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