If you have been injured on the job, it is an excellent idea to speak with a work injury lawyer to protect your legal right to workers comp.
If you own and operate a company in the state of Missouri that employs more than five workers, then you are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. For those businesses in the construction industry, having any employees means that they are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance.
Although not based on the doctrine of negligence like some other insurances, workers’ compensation requires that the injured person was engaged in work-related activities when injured in order to collect benefits.
In most instances, workers’ compensation can be handled by making a claim at your place of employment. If you make your employer aware that you are hurt, file a claim and have the appropriate medical documentation to prove your injuries, things should (in theory) go off without a hitch.
However, in the real world, things don’t always go as smoothly as they should. If any of these things are happening to you, it is critical that you speak with a workers’ compensation lawyer to protect your legal rights and get you the compensation you are entitled to.
Below are a few reasons having a workers’ compensation lawyer is critical.
the Insurance Company Is Asking You to Submit to an IME
The insurance company may request that you submit to an IME, or an independent medical examination. An IME is something that an insurance company can ask you to submit to if they believe that the accident didn’t happen the way that you claim, that you aren’t as injured as you claim, or that you aren’t injured at all. If they can get an IME to describe a different diagnosis than what you claimed or were told, then it might affect your eligibility to receive benefits.
The Insurance Company Is Insisting That You Return to Work
If the insurance company is requiring that you return to work before you believe that you are capable, you should speak with an experienced attorney. If you aren’t healthy enough to return to the job, even with modifications, then a St. Louis workers’ compensation lawyer can help you defend your eligibility.
The Insurance Company Is Questioning What You Were Doing When You Were Hurt
Since you are only eligible to collect workers’ compensation if you were engaged in work-related activities as dictated by your job description, if the insurance company is questioning exactly what you were doing when you got hurt, it is a good idea to speak with an attorney. The insurance company is likely looking for a way to deny your claim.
Have You Been Injured on the Job?
In an ideal world, workers’ compensation insurance should work smoothly and justly benefit those who make claims. In the real world that is rarely the case. If you are having problems collecting your workers’ compensation benefits or are being threatened about losing them, it is an excellent idea to speak with a work injury lawyer to protect yourself and your eligibility.