How a Team of Riverside Workers Compensation Attorneys Can Help With a Denied Claim

Workers compensation originally came into being in order to protect employees who were injured whilst doing their job. This type of claim is a 'no nonsense, no blame' payout and is handled by the insurance carrier for the company usually within a time frame of 72 hours. Claims are by all intent and purpose straight forward, and do not require the service of a team of Riverside workers compensation attorneys. However there are times when an employee might need to call upon a lawyer and one such time is when a legitimate claim seems to have been denied. So with this in mind, how can an attorney help?

Workers comp review board

There are some occasions when what an employee believes is a legitimate workers comp claim has been rejected and in this instance claims can be disputed. In most circumstances a disputed claim has to be reviewed by the workers compensation review board, who make their final decision based upon the facts presented to them. This can be quite daunting for an employee who hasn't had to experience this before and this is when a highly skilled team of Riverside workers compensation lawyers can step in to represent you, and to prepare your case.

Disputed claims by employers

In an ideal world, upon the event of an accident, a compensation claim should be filed by the injured party and passed as soon as possible to the employer. The employer should then pass it up to the insurance carrier, who will make the necessary payments based on the information given. In some cases however, the filed claim never gets to the insurance carrier. This could be because of a number of reasons as follows:

Not kept up premium payments

In California State, it is law that every company owner who employs one or more personnel has to carry workers compensation insurance. This is a 'necessary evil' for employers and can work out quite costly. Some unscrupulous employers will try to cut corners by not keeping up premium payments on their insurance and therefore letting the compensation cover lapse. For this reason they would not want the claim to be passed. If you think that this might be the case with your employer, then a Riverside County workers comp lawyer can investigate.

Fear of high premiums

Workers compensation insurance policies can be just like your car insurance, whereby if you are in the unfortunate position and have to make a claim, then your premium just might increase. This can happen with workers comp also and for this reason, an employer might feel reluctant to pass on a legitimate claim. Clearly this is against the law and affects your rights as an injured party. Therefore the services of a skilled team of RC workers compensation attorneys can help.

Insurance company oversight

As it is down to the insurance carrier to allow or deny claims, it may well be that a loss adjuster has looked at a claim from an injured party and missed a vital piece of information. This has in turn caused the claim to be denied. An oversight by the insurer may mean the difference between the injured party getting the full and fair compensation that they deserve. Again a lawyer can step in and depending upon the instructions from the review board, can instruct the insurer to make a payment.

Insurance bad faith

Insurance bad faith is a term used when an insurance company don't fulfil their contractual obligations, and this can mean denying claims based on bias, or underpaying on claims to save money. An experienced firm of Riverside workers compensation attorneys can appoint a lawyer to investigate. If the insurer is found to be in breach of contract, then not only will they be made to deliver the full amount payable to the injured party, a skilled lawyer may also file punitive damages directly against the insurance company, for inconvenience, suffering and financial loss caused to the victim, whilst the claim was in dispute.

As you can see, a skilled team of workers compensation attorneys Riverside can make the difference for anyone who finds themselves in the position of suffering a legitimate claim that has been denied. For this reason it's vital to call as soon as possible.