In the current business environment, all employers and insurance companies view all workers’ compensation claims with suspicion. Their default position is that workers’ comp claimants are trying to cheat them. If you file for workers’ compensation benefits, your employer and your employer’s insurance company may seek personal information about you in an effort to prove that you are not telling the truth.
If you make a false statement to collect workers’ compensation benefits, you can lose your right to collect any benefits, and you may be compelled to re-pay benefits you’ve previously received. Even if you’ve merely exaggerated the extent of your disability, lying to obtain workers’ compensation benefits is a felony.
An experienced workers’ compensation attorney cannot prevent insurance companies or employers from following you or looking at your Facebook photos. What a good workers’ compensation lawyer can do is to present your case honestly and forthrightly. When you seek workers’ compensation benefits, be entirely honest and keep your workers’ compensation attorney informed of any developments.
If you’ve had previous injuries, be honest with your attorney. For example, if you had a car accident injury to your neck and back, don’t try to claim that it was only a neck injury to bolster your current workers’ compensation claim for a back injury. The insurance company will obtain the records and expose your exaggerated claim. And if you are working in any capacity whatsoever, be sure to tell your workers’ compensation attorney; you will need to report earnings.
Follow these simple rules. Tell the truth, keep your attorney informed, and you will not have to worry about the insurance company making you look dishonest. If you need workers’ compensation benefits, and you believe that you may qualify for benefits, speak to an experienced workers’ compensation attorney at once.