For most workers who are injured on the job, if days go by and they don’t hear anything from human resources, they start to worry. Sometimes people say no news is good news. However, your Laurel workers comp lawyer will tell you that when it comes to your workers compensation claim in Maryland, the opposite is true. If your employer and their insurance carrier has no questions or doubts about your claim, they will approve it rather quickly and you’ll start to receive your benefits in 10 to 15 days. If, on the other hand, a lengthy investigation is taking place, it means that something doesn’t smell right to the insurance company. This is when you know that there’s a better chance that they’re going to deny your claim then there are that they’re going to approve it.
If you suffered a legitimate workplace injury, then you deserve workers compensation benefits. If you were injured to the point where you can’t work at all, the last thing you need is to have your workers comp claim be denied. You won’t have any income coming into the house and you’ll have no way to cover your medical care. Even if you have private health insurance, they’re going to ask you if your treatment is related to a workplace injury or motor vehicle accident. You can’t lie to the insurance company because then you could owe them back any money they do payout.
Because cases like this get so complicated so quickly, we suggest you contact one of our Laurel injury lawyers as soon as possible after your workplace accident.
Were There Any Witnesses to Your Workplace Accident?
One thing that stands out to insurance adjusters and your employer is the fact that nobody witnessed your accident. Very few workers these days work all by themselves. Most companies try to squeeze as many employees into his little square footage as possible.
This means that if you don’t work from home, there’s a good chance you’ll be in plain sight of at least half a dozen people at any given time during the course of the day. So, when your employer sees that not one person saw you fall or get hurt, they’re going to suspect something’s not adding up in your workers compensation claim.
Employers Suspect Workers Who Get Injured on a Monday Morning
Another red flag when it comes to workers compensation cases is when you report your injuries on a Monday morning. As soon as your human resources director sees that you submitted your claim hours after the weekend ended, they’re going to naturally assume that your accident probably took place over the weekend and not at work.
If this is the case, your Laurel workers comp lawyer is going to have to find some way to prove that your injuries did take place on the job and not at home. They will look to see if any witnesses saw you fall or get hurt at work. They will also ask to see if your employer has any video cameras that may have caught footage of you getting hurt. The problem is that just by reporting your workers compensation claim on a Monday morning, you raised a lot of doubt in your employer’s eyes.
Do You Have a History of Filing Workers Compensation Claims?
Anybody who has a history of filing workers compensation claims, or any other type of insurance claims will always be a suspect in their own workers comp case. Our attorneys have handled cases in the past where a client systematically suffers a workplace injury once a year. Sometimes they suffer two or three injuries in the same company before anybody raises any suspicions. When we spot a case like this, we usually don’t want to get involved. Not only will it be very difficult and time consuming to handle a case like this, but the odds of us being successful in getting our client benefits are slim to none.
If You Refuse to Take the Drug Test, Your Employers Will Likely Deny Your Claim
Almost every employer requires their workers to take a drug test moments after they report a workplace accident. Legally, your employer has the right to know whether you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of your workplace accident. If you refuse to take this test, it’s going to make it look like you’re afraid that it might come up positive.
Maybe you were smoking marijuana the week or two before the accident and you’re afraid that that’ll show up. Or maybe you are a recreational drug user, and you don’t think it’s any of your employer’s business. Just know that if you refuse to take the drug test it’ll be hard for your Laurel injury lawyer to help you get any workers compensation benefits at all.
You Should Call One of Our Laurel Workers Compensation Lawyer Immediately
If you were recently injured at work and have a feeling that your claim is going to be denied, you should contact our office immediately. It’s better to get a Laurel workers comp lawyer involved at the beginning of your claim then at the end. When clients wait too long to hire one of our Laurel injury lawyers, it makes it very difficult for us to change the outcome of their case. At least if we get involved from the beginning, even in a complicated matter, we can be involved at each stage of the process. If you wait until the last minute to hire an attorney, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
In our experience, the relationship that your Laurel workers comp lawyer can create with the insurance adjuster will make all the difference in the outcome of your case. As long as we are very upfront and honest with the insurance company, we have a much better chance of getting you workers compensation benefits. If you don’t hire an attorney, there will be almost no chance that the insurance company will answer your phone calls or speak to you personally. If you’re really serious about getting your workers comp claim approved, you’ll retain our firm sooner rather than later.
We do offer new clients a free, initial consultation, so you don’t have to pay anything to meet with us. We also don’t require clients to pay anything in advance, so you won’t pay our office a dime until we settle your case.
