After being injured on the job, you need compensation to obtain financial relief until you can get back to work. After all, given your loss of income and expensive medical bills, your savings can be quickly eaten away. But even if you think you’ve presented a strong case for benefits, your claim could be denied. Although this can be disheartening to say the least, you shouldn’t give up on securing the workers’ compensation benefits you need. After all, you might be able to appeal your claim denial, which gives you another chance to advocate for yourself.
When can a workers’ compensation claim be appealed?
Unfortunately, you can’t appeal a workers’ compensation claim simply because you disagree with the denial. Instead, you’ll have to show that one of the following circumstances exist, thus warranting another look at your claim:
- New evidence is discovered that wasn’t available at the time of filing your initial claim.
- A legal error was made in the determination of your initial claim.
- The initial claim denial was not supported by substantial evidence.
- A procedural error occurred that could have had a negative outcome on your claim.
How to prepare for a workers’ compensation appeal
There’s a lot you can do to prepare for your workers’ compensation appeal. This includes:
- Scrutinizing the justification for your claim denial.
- Gathering additional medical evidence.
- Reading up on the law to understand why your claim was wrongfully denied.
- Submitting all paperwork in a timely fashion.
Fight to recover the workers’ compensation benefits you need and deserve
There’s a lot at stake when you’ve been injured at work and seek workers’ compensation benefits. If you want to maximize your chances of obtaining the financial support you need, then it’s best to learn as much as you can about your legal options and how to build a compelling and persuasive initial claim and, if that’s denied, a workers’ compensation appeal.