Oops! I didn’t report my injury at work right away and now my claim is denied!
Have you been injured at work but not timely reported the injury or filed a claim form with your employer? This happens more often that you might think and can be a serious problem. But the Law Offices of Marc Francis, Sonoma County workers comp lawyer, can help.
Failure to report your work injury may well result in your claim and benefits, including temporary disability and medical treatment, being denied. There are a number of common situations that cause claims to go unreported or to be delayed. One common scenario is the worker who ‘pulls a muscle’ in her back on a Friday at work, thinks “Oh, I’ll just rest over the weekend and be OK on Monday,” then on Monday morning she realizes she can’t get out of bed because it’s a lot more than just a pulled muscle, perhaps a damaged disc in the spine. So she calls in sick and tries to self-medicate with over-the-counter remedies and ice. Then a few days go by and she tries to return to work, has problems performing assigned tasks, and then tells the supervisor about the work injury. The supervisor replies, “What work injury?” Claim denied. No temporary disability check, no medical treatment. What should she do? Call the Law Offices of Marc Francis, that’s what. Don’t simply accept the insurance company’s denial without getting legal help. That case is a problem, yes, but with proper legal representation such cases can be turned around and benefits paid. There may be a requirement for your deposition or special medical examinations, and even a trial before a Workers Compensation Judge.
Another situation we see all too often is “My supervisor told me I will be fine and if I report the injury it will increase the employer’s workers compensation costs and they won’t like it!” This fact situation raises the additional issue of the employer, through it’s supervisor, violating California law by illegally trying to discourage you from reporting your injury. Of course the result is the same with any late-reported claim: denial of benefits. Again, we can help get the true facts before a Judge so you receive the benefits to which you are entitled as a result of your work injury.
So phone the Sonoma County workers comp lawyer with three decades of experience helping injured workers recover their benefits: the Law Office of Marc Francis.