Employees who suffer from illnesses or accidents are frequently eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation benefits can help people through their healing process and pay for their lost wages.
Unfortunately, employees sometimes miss out on their benefits and pay the price. This can happen for very simple reasons. Here’s how it typically happens:
1. Your claim was submitted too late
A workers’ compensation claim must be filed before the statute of limitations expires. The injury must be reported within 60 days of receiving it. To file a claim, you have one year from the date of your injuries. If you don’t submit a claim before the statute of limitations expires, you may not be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
2. Your accident happened away from work
Your injuries must have happened at work to make a workers’ compensation claim. For example, if you were in a car accident on the way to work, it is unlikely that you would be eligible for compensation since your commute is generally not part of your work activity. (There are some exceptions, however, if you travel as part of your job duties.)
3. Your injuries were intentionally created
Workers’ comp is a no-fault system, which means that the cause of the accident doesn’t usually affect the entitlement to benefits. You would not be entitled to any compensation, however, if it’s discovered that you purposefully caused your own injuries to qualify for benefits or for some other reason.
If you believe you were wounded or developed an illness while working, you may need to file a workers’ compensation claim. If you feel that you should have received benefits but were denied them, knowing your legal rights could be useful.