Ohio is home to many blue-collar employees who work extremely hard for a living. Manual laborers like those who drive the state’s economy are particularly susceptible to injury due to the physical nature of their work. These workers are so dedicated to their jobs that they often try to ignore an injury so that they can continue performing.
In many cases, what seemed at first like a minor injury worsens to the point that an employee can no longer continue working without treatment. Naturally, filing a workers’ compensation claim is the solution injured employees need. However, waiting too long to file can result in a claim denial, which is something many state workers do not realize. Other common yet often surprising reasons for a claim denial include the following.
- Not following a doctor’s orders or failing to show up for scheduled medical appointments
- The injury is not casually related to the employment
- Waiting too long to report the injury to an employer
- The injury occurred while violating company safety policies or engaging in horseplay
- The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) decides that the injury is not severe enough for benefits
- The employer disputes the claim and appears to have evidence that the claim is invalid
- Inability to uncover the true cause of a worker’s injury
Sometimes, a workers’ compensation claim denial is based on sound evidence, even if the worker disagrees. Other times, however, the injured employee rightfully deserves the benefits he or she has been denied. In the latter case, an attorney knowledgeable about the state’s workers’ compensation laws can help employees find an effective solution.