How can I appeal a denied workers’ compensation claim?

Worker's Compensation
By Goodwin Como, P.C.

Becoming injured is expensive. In addition to the pain and suffering you have to endure, you may also find yourself needing to pay substantial medical bills and losing wages while you are forced to stay at home to recover. If you were injured at work, you should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance, which theoretically means that you will be able to claim back the financial damages that resulted from your injury.

However, if you made a workers’ compensation claim and it was denied, you will probably be feeling confused and frustrated. The following are things you should do if you intend to appeal a denied workers’ compensation claim.

Understand why your claim was denied

If your claim was denied, you are entitled to be given a reason why. It may be because you provided insufficient evidence to prove that the injury was work-related. Additionally, you may have been accused of engaging in horseplay by your employer.

Find a way to dispute this reasoning

When making your appeal, you will need to solve the issues relating to your initial denial. You may, for example, need to speak to your doctor to gain medical records that show the nature of the injury. They may also be able to provide a statement acknowledging that they believe the accident was work-related.

Take swift action

You should not waste time if you intend to appeal your workers’ compensation claim denial. Cases can be complex, and a wide range of evidence and documentation may need to be gathered before submitting your appeal.

If you want to appeal your workers’ compensation denial, you should start by considering whether you can provide additional information to successfully dispute the reason for denial. An attorney experienced in appealing workers’ compensation cases can be very helpful, too.