Does your employer think you are faking an injury?

On Behalf of | Sep 26, 2017 | Blog, Firm News |

Injuries such as a broken arm, a sprained ankle or a dislocated finger are easy to identify. Many injuries show up on x-rays, after all, but many others do not.

While at work, you may have sustained a type of injury that is not visible to the naked eye. You are requesting workers’ compensation benefits, but does your employer think you are faking the problem?

Unseen workplace injuries

You might work on an assembly line or spend your day in front of a computer. You might be a carpenter or a tennis pro. If your job requires some sort of repeated movements, you could develop a repetitive stress injury, such as tendinitis, bursitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. These are examples of soft tissue injuries that, while not visible, are nonetheless painful. If such issues go untreated, they could eventually cause either temporary or permanent damage to muscles, nerves or ligaments.

Employer responsibilities

Your employer has a duty to report your work-related injury to the company’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier. If your medical expenses exceed $2,000, or if you must stay away from work for more than one day, either employer or carrier must file a report about your injury with the Industrial Commission.

Insurance problems

Even if your employer does the right thing and submits the appropriate paperwork despite his or her reservations, the insurance carrier may try to deny your claim, saying your injury was either not work-related or not sufficiently serious to qualify for insurance compensation.

What you can do

You can easily become frustrated when a very real injury is treated as non-existent or of no importance when it comes to the matter of a financial settlement. You can reach out for help to an attorney who is also a specialist in matters related to workers’ compensation. Whether you suffer a broken elbow or a ganglion cyst on the job, the law is there to protect you.

 

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