Experiencing an injury at work in Pennsylvania may leave you feeling uncertain about your future. To minimize the impact of your injury, you should address your discomfort right away and work with your employer to find a solution that allows you to resume working as quickly as possible.
Multiple factors may influence the denial of your workers’ compensation claim and you must understand these factors to optimize your effort to receive benefits.
Reasons for denial
Your employer should provide you with workers’ compensation benefits in detail at the time of hire so you understand under what circumstances you are eligible to apply for assistance. According to Payscale.com, here are some of the reasons that your employer may deny your claim:
- You requested help from a doctor that is not within the network with your employer’s workers’ compensation plan. If you plan to see your own doctor, verify that it will not cost you the chance to get benefits.
- You leave out critical details along the timeline of events surrounding your injury. A lapse in communication or waiting too long to report your injury may be the reason for denial.
- You have an underlying health condition that puts you at a higher risk of suffering an injury at work.
- You participated in other activities or events outside of work that ultimately caused your injury, and your employer finds that your discomfort is not job-related.
Details are your friend
At the first sign of an injury or if you are the victim of a workplace accident, be forthright in contacting your employer and sharing the details of what happened. Keep a chronicle of what transpires from the time of your injury, throughout your medical treatment, during follow-up visits and during any required therapy. This information may protect you and the integrity of your story as you file a claim to secure workers’ compensation benefits.
