If you were recently hurt in a work-related accident or became ill due to conditions you experienced on the job, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should cover most—if not all—of the medical bills and other financial losses you will have to deal with during the recovery process. However, workers’ comp insurance providers are just like other insurance companies in that they often take every opportunity to minimize their financial liability.
Unfortunately, this means it is far from uncommon for workers’ comp claimants to have their initial claims rejected for reasons that may not be immediately clear—especially those who pursue their claims without help from a capable workers’ comp attorney. In this situation, guidance from a Webster Groves workers’ compensation denial lawyer at OnderLaw can be vital. Our dedicated legal team can determine what problems the insurance company has with your claim and fix those issues—or, if necessary, take your case before a court—so you can get the benefits you deserve.
Insurance companies are not on your side, but we will be. Allow our experienced team of lawyers at OnderLaw to protect your rights and demand the fair payments you need to move forward with your life.
Workers’ compensation is supposed to cover all “work-related” injuries and illnesses, meaning any harm that a covered employee sustains while performing job-related duties or tasks. Accordingly, one of the most common grounds for workers’ compensation claim denials in Webster Groves is the insurance company believing—or at least claiming—that a claimant’s injury or illness stemmed primarily from non-work-related activity. They might assert that the injury or illness resulted from horseplay or intoxication, which would disqualify them from coverage.
Small procedural errors during the reporting and application process, like waiting too long after initially sustaining harm to provide notice to an employer, can also lead to processing delays and even outright denials. Other denials may stem from an insurance company or even an injured worker’s employer arguing that the condition the claim is built around was a preexisting condition, or that the claimant’s assertion that their injury was work-related is not supported by available evidence or any eyewitnesses.
Insurance companies will use any possible excuse to avoid paying you what you deserve. But we won’t stand for it. Our experienced attorneys at OnderLaw are familiar with the insurance companies’ tactics, and we will not let them bully you into accepting less than what you need to recover. We know this is about much more than a claim, this is your life, and we are here to fight for what is right.
Occasionally, problems with workers’ compensation claims in Webster Groves that lead to denials can be resolved by correcting small mistakes or omissions within claim documents or by providing additional evidence to establish that an injury or illness was work-related. The Missouri Department of Labor also has a Dispute Management Unit to help mediate disputes between workers’ comp claimants and insurance providers. However, both parties involved in the dispute must agree to participate in the mediation process before it can move forward.
In some cases, it may be necessary for a claimant to request a hearing before an administrative law judge and potentially continue with the formal appeals process even beyond that. Guidance from qualified legal counsel can be crucial to identifying all possible options after a workers’ comp denial and pursuing the best one for a particular situation.
Having a workers’ comp claim denied for any reason can be immensely stressful as well as damaging to your whole family’s financial security. Needless to say, resolving a claim denial as quickly as possible can be vital to keeping your life on track. Assistance from capable legal counsel can likewise be essential to getting the resolution you want.
A conversation with a Webster Groves workers’ compensation denial lawyer at OnderLaw can provide clarity and confidence about your next steps. Call today to set up a free consultation with one of our committed attorneys.
