Working at Walmart can occasionally end in a hospital. Workplace accidents and injuries happen every day somewhere in a Walmart. Fortunately, injured employees can seek compensation for their workplace injuries through the company’s workers’ compensation insurance, a type of no-fault insurance claim. Not every claim is accepted. Insurers are never that happy to make compensation payments unless the evidence that the claim is for a genuine workplace injury is absolutely convincing. If you work for Walmart and have been told that your workers’ comp. claim has been denied, you have the option of filing an appeal. Make sure that there hasn’t been some simple mistake made first as once an appeal is under way it can be a challenge to keep pursuing it. Contact Walmart's Insurance Company You may need to contact Walmart’s workers’ comp. insurer directly first if you are not sure why they have rejected your claim. If a genuine mistake has been made before the claim was submitted or when information was not provided then you may have a chance of correcting the error and still obtain the compensation you have requested. If there is a more serious problem with the insurer and you are convinced that they have made the wrong decision or an unfair decision, you will need to file an appeal. Insurers tend to reject claims if: they think you were not actually injured at work; you failed to keep to the rigid time table for these claims; you haven’t provided enough information to justify your claim; the insurer thinks that your behavior contributed to the injury or you deliberately caused the accident. File Your Walmart Workers’ Compensation Appeal If you have tried correcting any mistakes on your claim but the decision is still to reject your claim, you will need to go ahead with a formal appeal. A workers’ compensation attorney can help you prepare the appeal. The appeal would normally be directed through the state body that deals with workers’ compensation in the state where the Walmart store was located. You may be asked to attend a mediation session before any formal hearing is scheduled. The mediation session is an attempt to have any misunderstanding or differences of opinion about the claim ironed out without having to take it any further. A mediator will be in attendance and it is advisable to have your lawyer present too. If mediation does not succeed in getting your claim reassessed, a formal hearing, sometimes called an administrative hearing, will be scheduled. All information concerning your claim and the insurer’s reasons for rejecting it will be examined by either an individual administrative judge or a panel. A decision will be made based on the hearing which may go in your favor or against you. You can still pursue the appeal at a higher level if the hearing is unsuccessful in overturning the denied claim. A Workers’ Compensation Attorney Can Help File an Appeal Filing an appeal can be a challenging and sometimes intimidating experience. You have to keep to time limits and be well prepared for any scheduled hearings or meetings. You are strongly advised to discuss your case with a workers’ compensation lawyer before deciding whether to appeal. Fill out the Free Case Evaluation today! *Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Walmart, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation. Additional Resources Do I Need A Lawyer If I Am Hurt Working at Walmart*? Workers’ Compensation Claim if Injured at a Walmart*
