Injured on the job and wondering when you will receive payment of workers’ compensation benefits from the insurance company? This article outlines the timeline you can expect if the insurance company accepts your claim. If the insurance company denies your claim, you will not receive benefits immediately and need to file a claim petition.
After you report an injury to your employer, the employer has 10 days to send a First Report of Injury to its workers’ compensation insurance company. The insurance company then will investigate the claim to determine whether to deny or accept it.
The benefits payment timeline varies depending on whether you are totally disabled or partially disabled. Totally disabled means that you cannot work due to a work-related injury or you cannot return to work because your employer cannot accommodate your restrictions. Partially disabled means that you earn less money each week after you get injured because of your work-related injury.
If the insurance company accepts the claim and you are totally disabled, the company must start paying you wage-loss benefits within 14 days of the date you reported the injury to your employer. If you are partially disabled, you must send documents showing the wage loss, such as paystubs, to the insurance company. The company must start paying you wage-loss benefits 10 days after you send in the documentation. You can receive temporary total disability wage-loss benefits for 130 weeks and temporary partial disability benefits for 225 weeks.
As to medical benefits, the insurance company must pay all undisputed charges for medical care within 30 days of receiving the charges. If the company disputes a charge, it should request additional documentation to determine whether the charge was related to the workplace injury. The company then has 30 days from receipt of the documentation to pay or deny the charge. If the company denies a charge because it claims the charge is not compensable or is excessive, it must send you and the doctor a written notification explaining why it denies the charge within 30 days.
In short, it takes time for you to start receiving workers’ compensation benefits from the insurance company. If the company denies the initial claim for benefits, your timeline may become even longer. In that case, seek out the assistance of a knowledgeable workers’ compensation lawyer to help you get the benefits you need.
Still waiting to receive workers’ compensation benefits for your workplace injury? Joe Osterbauer, Esq. and the Osterbauer Law Firm stand up for injured Minnesota workers’ rights. Joe’s 27 years of workers’ compensation experience and his team’s speedy service combine to get clients the results they need. To schedule a free consultation, visit Osterbauer Law Firm online or call Joe’s office at (612) 334-3434.
