It can be incredibly stressful when you have suffered a work-related injury. Your main priority should be getting better so you can return to work as quickly as possible. You shouldn’t have to worry about added pressures of how you are going to be able to pay all the medical expenses as well as your everyday bills and supporting your family.
Filing for worker’s comp claims can be overwhelming, so it is important to find the right doctors who will not only get you on the road to recovery but are experienced with handling the tricky details of worker’s compensation. While there are many systems in place to help you get the benefits you deserve following an injury on the job, the rate of approval for OWCP claims is alarmingly low.
There are 5 factors that most often result in denied claims:
- Employees do not understand the right course of action to follow once they are at work. This lack of knowledge can result in failure to even file a claim at all.
- Employers may warn an employee against filing a claim to avoid employment termination. For some, this may be too great of a risk.
- Some employers are hesitant and may even refuse to help the injured employee file for OWCP benefits which is their responsibility.
- Employees may be told that it is a requirement to see only certain doctors, which isn’t the case.
All employees are entitled to seek medical care from any doctor of their choosing, regardless of their area.
Some doctors, while excellent in their field, fail to be experienced in how to properly write OWCP claim reports resulting in cases being denied.
- More often than not, employees find it difficult to find qualified OWCP doctors willing to assist them.
A lack of knowledgeable doctors is, in fact, one of the top reasons OWCP claims are denied. Even if a doctor is willing to take on a case, often they aren’t trained to properly write the reports, leading to denied claims.
Employees facing OWCP claims must take the time to educate themselves on the proper steps to take if an injury occurs on the job to ensure their employers are abiding by the responsibilities and regulations set in place for the injured party’s best interest.
If a claim is denied, an appeal process can take place, but that could drag out over months, leaving you with mounting debt and unnecessary strain.
Be sure you know your rights if you have been injured on the job and find a doctor who has the experience to help write OWCP claim reports properly to help ensure your claim is accepted.