Steer Clear: Activities to Avoid While Your Workers Compensation Case is Pending

Dangerous occupations of varying degrees exist, implying that working could pose potential risks and hazards. Depending on the degree of danger involved, the employee may risk being involved in a workplace accident that could result in a workers’ compensation claim. No matter what your job is, physical harm while at work and accidents do happen. Workers’ Compensation claims cannot be entirely prevented.

If you engage in certain activities before your case is resolved, an insurance company may have grounds to deny your claim or provide you with less compensation than you were entitled to have.
Here are activities we suggest you avoid entirely during your Workers’ Compensation claim process:

Secondary Job/Alternate Employment

Taking another job or alternate employment may indicate that the severity of your claimed injuries is not as significant, thus serving as a potential source of evidence weighed against your claim.

• The potential implications of the said injury may extend to one’s entitlement to benefits. It’s possible then the insurer of the respective employer will argue that the injury sustained is not significant enough to warrant absence from work.
• It is important to note that insurance companies often contact investigators to conduct surveillance on employees seeking workers’ compensation benefits.
• Even in instances where individuals believe that they can rightfully engage in alternate or secondary employment, it is possible that an investigator is monitoring their activities without the individual’s knowledge.

Missing Medical Appointments

Medical treatment and documentation of injuries are crucial to a workers’ compensation case.
Not attending scheduled medical appointments may indicate an insufficient commitment toward treating one’s injury or non-adherence to the specifications outlined in one’s workers’ compensation claim.

Physical Activity

Participating in physical activities that fall outside one’s prescribed medical management plan may indicate a perceived lack of severity regarding the reported injury.
It is imperative to adhere to the guidance provided by both medical professionals and physical therapists to safeguard one’s health and avoid jeopardy to their workers’ compensation claim.

Sharing Information on Social Media

Social media communication is a popular way of sharing information and ideas online.
Insurance companies and legal practitioners may monitor an individual’s social media accounts to obtain substantiating proof to bolster their case. It is essential to refrain from publishing any content that may be perceived as a confirmation that the extent of one’s injury is not as severe as what has been declared. Be mindful about what you share online.

The Kenton Koszdin Law Office team in Van Nuys has decades of experience navigating the complex California workers’ compensation system and federal Social Security disability denial system. Our attorneys are on a mission to help injured workers avoid becoming victims of companies and their insurance providers. Call 818.293.4980 for your initial free consultation.