Most of the time the biggest problem people face when filing workers compensation claims and receiving any benefits they may be entitled to is knowing and understanding the rules and regulations and following them to the letter of the law. Failure in complying with these rules on your part could easily result in your claim at the minimum being delayed or at worst being denied completely. Do not delay in familiarizing yourself with the regulations. The HR department where you work should be able to supply you with all the relevant information.
Compensation claims can be denied for a good many reasons. Do not be one of those that did not act and pursue their rights. Below is the list of the most common ones.
Now for sure everybody is aware of this; breaking or not following company procedures. Not all but most companies will spend a lot of time finding reasons to deny a claim. By not complying with company regulations; you are making it very easy for them to reject a compensation claim. If you are found to be at fault for the accident through negligence, or filing a late claim, ignoring a doctor's advice or in some other way not following company safety policies then expect your claim to be readily denied.
It is your responsibility to prove that an accident in the workplace was caused either by a hazardous environment or by faulty equipment. Any claims for compensation due to an injury that has occurred outside the workplace and not in your normal work routine will not be considered.
Also it is important to keep in mind that when filing workers compensation claims there will normally be a time limit in which to submit said claim. A compensation claim is not open-ended and there will be a time constraint. Therefore, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer a workplace injury, do not hesitate to inform your employer as soon as physically possible and that you adhere to their policies and procedures when filing the claim. Remember that even if you should engage a personal injury lawyer, any claim should still be filed within the time frame.
This one may seem odd but be aware that some companies' worker compensation plans do not cover each and every employee. Most company insurance plans insist that the employee be a full-time worker meaning that part-time, freelance or contract workers are not covered. If you do sustain an injury at work but are not deemed to be an "employee" you may still be able to make a compensation claim but this will not be through the workers compensation plan.
