An employee comes in to work with their arm in a sling, and they tell you that they got injured the day before when they slipped and fell off of a ladder. They didn’t report it right away because they didn’t realize how bad the injury was, but they’re not going to be able to work, and they want to learn about their workers’ compensation options.
Here’s the catch: You talked to this employee the day before, and they seemed fine. You’re not sure why they would have been using a ladder, and you can’t find anyone else who saw them fall. You start to wonder if they actually got hurt at home and if they’re now just making up the story about getting injured at work so that they can get workers’ comp.
You can dispute a claim if a worker was not injured on the job
First and foremost, one of the main reasons for disputes over workers’ comp claims is that employers suspect that injured employees were actually injured outside of work. If that’s what happened, you are within your rights to contest the claim.
But how do you prove it? That can be tricky. One of the best things to do is to look at the employee’s medical records and/or get an opinion from a trusted medical expert. They may be able to quickly tell whether the type of injury the person has does not really line up with their story about how they got that injury.
A situation like this can be very complicated. Nobody wants to deny a valid workers’ comp claim — but you also don’t want the system to be abused. Make sure you know exactly what options you have if you end up in a legal dispute.
