If you recently filed a workers’ compensation claim in Illinois and received a denial, you probably have a lot of questions about your case and where to go from here.
While Illinois workers’ compensation law exists to benefit employees like you, sometimes things do not go as planned. Here are several potential reasons for your claim denial and some courses of action you can take in response.
Why was my workers’ compensation claim denied?
You are not alone in this. Denied workers’ compensation claims are, unfortunately, quite common. Illinois workers’ compensation laws require you to report your injury within 45 days of when it happened. If you reported the injury outside of this window, your employer was legally allowed to deny your claim. Similarly, if you failed to complete an injury claim within three years of the reported injury, this may be the cause of your denied claim. Your claim denial may also have resulted from a failure to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that your injury was work-related or if your employer disputed that it was.
How can I appeal my claim decision?
If you believe your workers’ compensation claim was wrongfully denied, there are a couple of actions you can take. In some cases, it is appropriate for either you or your attorney to reach out to your employer to eliminate miscommunication as a possible source for your claim denial. If the issue does not resolve, you can appeal the decision with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Disputes can be lengthy and confusing, so you should not tackle this process alone.
If your workers’ compensation claim was recently denied, you can still take action to challenge the decision.