If a worker is injured in the workplace or has contracted an illness due to undertaking work related tasks it can prove very costly, especially if the worker is the household’s main income earner. Fortunately, there is normally workers’ compensation available in these circumstances. In most cases as long as a workers’ compensation claim is filed with the relevant authority in the state where the incident took place claiming workers’ compensation rarely becomes an issue. This means loss of earnings while recovering and medical costs will make up the workers’ comp claim. Most employers take out workers’ comp insurance cover with a company like Chubb Inc; however, there are times when a claim is denied. Chubb Inc. - Company Profile The Chubb Corporation originated in NYC and was founded by Thomas Caldecot Chubb and Percy, his son, in 1882. Its role at that time was to provide insurance for ships and freight. It wasn’t incorporated until1967 and by 1984 was part of the New York Stock Exchange listings. It has won much praise and was awarded Best Admitted Casualty/Property Insurance Company in 2007 by Business Insurance. In 2010 it was ranked 5Th for best place to work by Chicago Business. Last year, at the beginning of July, ACE acquired Chubb Inc. for a massive $28.3 billion in stock and cash which now has its headquarters in Zurich. Tips to Help You Make a Decision After a Workers’ Comp. Claim Has Been Denied There are a number of reasons often given that explain why a workers’ comp. claim has been refused. You aren’t left in the dark as the reason or reasons will be presented in the letter you receive from your state workers’ comp. board. These are usually quite straightforward reasons. It is often the sort of explanation that can quite easily be refuted if an appeal is filed objecting to the decision. Tip #1: Check through the denial letter carefully to ensure you have been able to extract the precise reason for the denial. You typically have to decide if you have any grounds of your own that could reverse this decision. If you are not too sure it won’t hurt to contact a workers’ comp attorney who may have answers to the issues highlighted in the denial letter. Tip #2: The first thing you should look at is whether the denial is to do with the employer or with the insurer. Sometimes it’s only a matter of a typo on a document that may turn around the whole meaning of the claim. This would immediately be pounced upon by the employer and insurer. This is the sort of mistake which probably won’t take too much to reconcile. Tip #3: If you filed your claim by the deadline and you had told your employer that you were lodging a workers’ comp claim and no simple mistake has been discovered in the claim, you may need to contact a workers’ comp attorney as quickly as possible. This is so that grounds for an appeal can be discussed and an appropriate claim can be filed. Tip #4: Your attorney will probably want you to gather together some more information to back up the claim. What this is likely to be will be dependent on the reasons given for denying the claim in the first place. It might be that your employer could not find any conclusive evidence that the accident actually happened at work. It’s your job to put the ball fairly and squarely in your court and that might mean looking for more irrefutable evidence. You may have failed to furnish adequate proof of the costs of medical treatment. This has to be done properly and that means getting sufficient evidence from medical centers, doctors and hospitals prior to filing an appeal. Tip #5: When the date for the administrative hearing has been announced you will have to go that extra mile and gather together all the documentation that will heavily weigh in your favor at the appeal. A judge will be present to listen to your grounds for asking for a reversal of the decision and will scrutinize new evidence you provided. Use an Experienced WC Attorney if You Are Set To Appeal a Denied Claim Generally it’s not difficult to file a workers’ comp claim as the parties involved usually co-operate. But there are times when a claim is denied and this is when it’s important to talk to an experienced workers’ comp attorney who will study the facts and ensure that the appeal has sufficient evidence to support repealing the claim denial. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Chubb Inc., or any other company, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
