When you’re injured at work, there are many things you need to do to ensure that you and your family are properly taken care of during your recovery period. Typically, your employer’s insurance company will require you to provide thorough proof of your injuries, as well as information regarding the extent of your medical costs and expenses.
You may be hospitalized or partially immobilized for an extended period of time, but your claim will need to be filed quickly to comply with the state’s requirements. That said, it is important for you to stay on top of all your paperwork and required dates of submission so that you don’t miss any steps that could compromise your workers’ compensation award.
Timeline
After your at-work injury, the insurance company that handles your employer’s business (or the employer, if he or she is self-employed) is required to start paying temporary disability benefits to you once you’ve missed more than three days of work. If you have missed 14 days of work, the employer or insurer has to pay you for the first three days, as well as continuing coverage.
By the 20th day of your injury, the insurance provider is required to either admit liability with a general admission of liability filing or refuse responsibility by filing a notice of contest.
This notice of contest does not necessarily excuse the insurance provider or the employer of blame, but it signifies that the provider needs more information or further investigation before they will be willing to accept liability in the accident. Once a notice of contest is filed, this means that your disability benefits and lost wages coverage will be placed on hold until the general admission of liability is filed.
What Do I Do with a Notice of Contest?
The notice of contest can be very confusing for injured employees, as it is one piece of paperwork in a sea of documents that often doesn’t come until 20 days after the accident has been reported. By then, the insurance company or the employer has probably already referred the injured party to the appropriate doctor or health clinic to assess the damages sustained and has already begun making payments to the injured person for missed work and medical bills.
Still, until that general admission paperwork is filed, the insurance company does not have to make those payments. They can continue to cover medical bills while they await further investigation, and usually, that is what happens because it gives the insurance company a chance to maintain control of which doctors work with the injured employee. However, the company does not need to keep paying for lost wages until they admit their liability — which can leave injured employees in serious trouble.
At Levine Law, we represent anyone who has been injured as a result of an at-work injury or an employer’s negligence. If you have suffered on-the-job injuries, and you just received a notice of contest, contact a Denver workers’ compensation lawyer at our firm immediately. Because you could possibly lose your medical coverage, you need to take action fast. Call us today for a free, no-strings consultation.
