There are many reasons why you may be injured and not receiving workers’ compensation checks. Here are some of the most common:
- Your wage loss may not be properly documented.
Your employer may not have reported your injury to the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court and its workers’ compensation insurance. The insurance company might not know you have a claim. This is a frequent occurrence initially after a work injury. Document in writing (or email) to your employer about your work injury (date, time and what happened).
- Were you offered a temporary position and declined the position?
If so, your employer can deny ongoing disability benefits.
- Your doctor’s office may not have sent in your off-work slip.
If your adjuster does not receive off-work documentation, disability benefits often stop. You should leave your doctor’s office with a work slip you can send to your employer AND the insurance adjuster.
- Your nurse case manager may be meddling with your recovery.
You may think nurse case managers are there to facilitate your recovery, but they work for the insurance companies. Watch out. Always request to stay in the room if a nurse case manager wants to discuss your case with your doctor.
- Have you just had a defense medical exam?
You may think a defense medical exam is a just a second opinion, but it is often used as a tool to deny medical care or ongoing disability benefits. Talk to an attorney BEFORE you ever attend a second opinion exam!
- Have you reached MMI?
MMI, or Maximum Medical Improvement, means your medical provider has decided you are as well as you are going to get – even if you still don’t feel that you have recovered. Temporary benefits will stop at this point. For any additional benefits after MMI, you must prove you have a permanent impairment.
- Are you noncompliant?
Have you been following your doctor’s orders and attending physical therapy as prescribed? If not, your benefits may be cut off.
- Your case may not be accepted at all.
There are many reasons why a claim may be denied. They may not believe you were injured at work, or injured at all. You may not have reported the injury right away.
- Your adjuster may have issues that affect your benefits.
Adjusters often have too many claim files, they don’t know the laws in your state, are inexperienced, or just don’t care. Other times insurance company computer programs may automatically remove you from the system if the adjuster doesn’t manually update your claim.
Whatever the reason, if you have been injured at work and are not receiving benefits, call Putnam Law today.
