Reasons Why Your Work Injury Claim May Be Denied

Workers’ compensation benefits are often denied, even when they are legitimate work injury claims.

Whether you’ve already had a claim denied and are working with a St. Louis work injury attorney to file an appeal, or you are simply curious about the reasons that workers’ compensation claims can be denied, you’re in the right place. Here are a few reasons why your claim has been denied.

Incomplete or Inadequate Application

This is one of the most common causes of workers’ compensation denials in Missouri. If you failed to complete your application completely or did not attach the required documentation and fill it out correctly, your claim may be denied.

In this case, it’s usually possible to simply correct the errors and re-file, but you may need the help of a St. Louis work injury attorney to file an appeal in some cases.

Employer Is Not Required to Provide Coverage

It may be possible that your employer is not required to carry workers’ comp insurance. Under Missouri law, most companies with less than 5 workers do not need to carry workers’ compensation insurance. However, this is not the case for employers that work in the construction industry and have one or more employees who “erect, demolish, alter, or repair improvements.”

You Are Not a Covered Worker

Though almost all workers in Missouri are covered by workers’ compensation, there are legal precedents that cause some workers to not be covered. These categories of workers include:

• Real estate agents
• Domestic servants
• Farmworkers
• Commercial carrier owner-operators (truckers)
• Any worker covered by another workers’ compensation system like the federal system
• Independent contractors

Your Injury or Illness Is Not Work-Related

If you injure yourself at home or any other place that is not at work and then try to file a claim for workers who compensation, you will likely be denied benefits for filing a fraudulent claim.

Your work injury or illness must be provably work-related, and you must provide documentation like incident reports, see a doctor, and take other steps to show that your illness or injury happened at work. If you are unable to do so, you may be denied workers’ compensation.

The Accident Was Caused By Your Intoxication

If you were intoxicated due to the use of drugs or alcohol during a workplace injury, you will be denied workers’ compensation benefits.

Note that this does not apply if you are injured due to another person being intoxicated at work and causing an accident. As long as you were not intoxicated, you will likely be approved for workers’ compensation in St. Louis.

Work With A St. Louis Work Injury Attorney

Workers’ compensation benefits are often denied, even when they are legitimate work injury claims. The goal of an insurance company is to pay out as little as possible. Therefore, a workers’ compensation lawyer is your best ally if your claim has been denied for any reason in St. Louis. With the help of your attorney, you can build a case, file an appeal, and get the work injury benefits to which you are entitled in St. Louis.