If you feel like the insurance company is ignoring your during your workers’ compensation case, you may need some tips on improving communication. In some cases, the insurance company’s failure to respond might even violate the law.
- Timely Liability Determinations
The workers’ compensation insurance company used by your employer has a legal obligation to make a timely benefits determination for your case. When you first report an injury, the employer is supposed to submit a First Report of Injury form to the insurer. The insurer has only a short time to evaluate your claim and send you a notice telling you whether benefits have been granted or denied.
If you have not heard anything from the insurance company and more than two weeks have passed since you reported the injury, speak up. Ask your employer for the insurer’s contact information or look it up online. If you have a lawyer, your lawyer can communicate with the claims adjuster or the insurer’s lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer, consider finding one to facilitate communication.
- Timely Benefits Payments
Further, when the insurance company grants benefits, it needs to pay them out in a timely fashion. If you qualify for wage loss benefits, you usually should receive those at the same intervals that you were paid paychecks from your employer. If you are requesting medical benefits, make sure you pass on any bills that you already paid to the insurance company. Ask the doctors to send new bills to the insurer too.
If you are not receiving your benefits payments or the payments are late, you should ask the insurance company what is going on. You may need to act preemptively in some situations – for example, if you need to receive surgery for your injury. Make sure that the insurance company knows and is going to cover your surgery before you receive it.
- Legal Help Can Prevent Communication Problems
When you have a lawyer, your lawyer handles most communications with the insurance company and its lawyers. This saves you a lot of time and trouble, and it can even help your case. Insurance companies are always trying to find reasons to deny you benefits. You may unwittingly say something when talking to the adjuster that leads to a denial. Workers’ compensation lawyers have seen these traps before and can avoid them. And finally, when a workers’ compensation lawyer is familiar with the major insurance companies, he or she may know how best to reach them and work out disputes in your favor.
Are you struggling to receive workers’ compensation benefits due to poor communication from the insurance company? 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.
