Under-Reporting Cherry Hill Workers’ Compensation Injuries

Injured employees often feel like they cannot report the harm they suffer at work. Employees commonly elect not to report or contact an experienced attorney about filing a workers’ compensation claim. Legal counsel is often contacted after the injured party attempts to communicate with an insurance company if they are unsatisfied with the claimant’s proof of medical treatment. If you have been harmed at work, do not hesitate to speak with legal counsel who can represent your rights.

Risk of Not Filing for Workers’ Compensation

When an injury happens on the job, there is nothing at that point that needs to be filed per se to create a claim. The process is simple. The injured worker’s responsibility is to report the injury to the employer. Then, the employer’s responsibility is to notify their insurance company on their behalf. At that point, the claim for Cherry Hill workers compensation injuries exists.

The carrier, at that point, would contact the injured worker to acknowledge that they are the company handling the individual’s personal injury claim. They will likely send this in the form of a letter. There is nothing else that the injured worker has to do to establish the claim. The actual filing comes at some point later where the attorney would file the Claim Petition that formalizes the claim and puts it into the court system.

Hindrance of Under-Reporting Injuries to a Claim

Under-reporting or delayed reporting creates problems because the more time that goes by, the more suspicious the employer and the insurance carrier get. The reason behind this is that they may question the validity of the report, especially if there are no witnesses to collaborate the employee’s claim.

It is a problem to delay the report and it is more of a credibility problem than anything else because these insurance companies are looking for any angle they can find to avoid paying benefits, and by not reporting or under-reporting, the person is just giving them the ammunition they are looking for.

If they have any suspicions at all, they are not going to actively and openly pay the claim. They are going to do a more thorough investigation, they are going to delay it and they may just outright deny it. There is nothing good that can happen from under-reporting.

Common Reasons for Under-Reporting Injuries

People often think that the injury is no big deal and that maybe it will pass. If someone has a very physical job they may believe their aches and pains are part of the job. If that is the case, they may believe getting adequate sleep and taking pain medication can help them. However, that is not always the case.

Some people are under the misconception that they do not want to upset their boss or have a fear of losing their job. That is a big risk to take. For those hesitant to report their pain, speak with an attorney about how to appropriately handle Cherry Hill workers compensation injuries.