After suffering a serious injury at work, many people rely on workers’ compensation benefits to help cover necessities as part of recovery. While these benefits may not be as much as regular work wages, they allow an injured individual to heal without experiencing undue financial burdens in the process.
A number of injured workers in the greater Provo, UT area have contacted Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton asking about delays in their workers’ compensation benefits. Given these questions, we’d like to consider when your workers’ compensation benefits kick in and what you can expect regarding payment schedules and so forth.
When Do Workers’ Compensation Benefits Start?
According to Utah state lawn, insurance carriers have 21 days after learning about your work injury to either a) begin workers’ compensation payments, b) deny your workers’ compensation claim, or c) inform you that additional investigation is required. In cases in which further investigation is necessary, the insurer will have an additional 24 days to determine if they will accept or deny your claim.
Given the timeframes involved in Utah by law, it’s always best to initiate this process as soon after your injury as possible.
Reporting Your Injury and Filing Your Claim
Once you have sustained an injury at work, be sure to inform your employee as soon as it happens. This will get the workers’ compensation process moving sooner rather than later. The proper work can be filed, you can undergo a doctor’s exam with proper documentation of your injury, and this will help you receive benefits sooner.
Interview from the Claims Examiner
A claims examiner will interview your employer, you, and other witnesses about your injury claim. This is part of the typical process for all workers’ compensation filings. Medical records and accident reports will also be consulted in order to determine if your claim should be approved or denied.
How Long Will Workers’ Compensation Benefits Last?
This will depend on the nature of your injury. In the state of Utah, the maximum amount of time for temporary partial benefits and permanent partial disability benefits is 312 weeks. Obviously not all injured workers will use the maximum amount of time allotted by Utah state law.
What If There Is a Denied Claim or Delay?
If your workers’ compensation claim is denied, you can appeal the denial. The appeals process will add time to the overall start of receiving benefits, however.
Since it can take 21 days for an initial response, 24 days after that in cases where additional investigation is required, and even more time for the appeals process, a person can be months away from their injury without receiving any workers’ compensation benefits.
How Our Lawyers Can Help
If you’ve had your workers’ compensation claim denied or require legal assistance with these issues, our attorneys are here to help. We can go over the reasons for the initial denial of your claim and suggest actions to receive your rightful injury benefits. Having experienced litigators on your side in this process can avoid unnecessary delays and numerous headaches regarding the process.
Contact the Attorneys of Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton
To learn more about workers’ compensation benefits and other issues related to workplace accidents and recovery, be sure to contact our team of work injury lawyers. The attorneys of Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton are here to help you in your time of legal need.