South Carolina Workers Compensation Insurance Investigations
Workers’ Compensation is an essential government-mandated program that mandates employer-funded
insurance in the case of employee injury. Unfortunately, some individuals decide to take advantage of the workers’ compensation system and falsify the severity of their injuries. Commonly called workers’ compensation fraud, this circumstance occurs when an insurance claimant, employer, or health care provider lies to the insurance system to fraudulently gain money or savings. Incredibly, worker’s compensation fraud accounts for 25% of all insurance fraud.*
A worker can commit worker’s compensation fraud in a variety of ways. Some examples are claiming an injury that happened while not at work, delaying treatment, or filing multiple claims. Examples of employer worker’s compensation fraud include denying valid claims, misclassifying employees to change their available benefits, or refusing to pay for workers’ compensation insurance. It is also considered worker’s compensation fraud to misclassify contractors, and it is similarly illegal to pay employees off the books to avoid paying worker’s compensation claims.
Workers Compensation Insurance Investigations into potential cases of fraud in a variety of ways:
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Surveillance is used by insurance companies to verify that individuals were legitimately injured and are seeking treatment. Investigators might use audio, video, or other types of physical surveillance to check into claims of injury.
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Interviews with co-workers, friends, and family, are another way that insurance companies, as well as checking in with the claimant. These might be conducted with individuals close to you to verify that you are receiving treatment. Relevant HIPPA laws, however, prevent individuals other than patients from gaining access to restricted health information.
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Background checks are one avenue of investigation used by insurance companies. These checks can be conducted by checking credit history, employment records, and other public records. This can also mean checking on compensation claims from the past to see whether a company has been filed against multiple times.
If you file for worker’s Compensation, do not be surprised if the insurance company hires a private investigator to conduct a Workers Compensation Insurance Investigations to verify your claims of injury. Do not, however, let this discourage you from filing a workers’ compensation claim if you have been injured on the job. These types of injuries are common, and worker’s compensation insurance exists for an important reason. Contact us at 803-252-4800 right away if you need help defending your right to the compensation you deserve.
The Strom Law Firm LLC is proud to be the law firm individuals and families turn to after a work-related accident or illness. Our work injury attorneys are experienced in handling many different types of workplace injury lawsuits impacting many different vocations.
Your workers’ comp lawyer can analyze your case to determine if your workers’ compensation insurance company is making bad-faith attempts to delay, deny, or reduce the benefits to which you’re entitled. If so, your attorney may advise you to take the insurance company to court.
Also, third parties may cause some workplace accidents—a negligent equipment company that built, designed, or sold a defective product, for example, or another firm that’s working on the same job site. If that happens, your attorney may advise you to file a claim against those third parties in an attempt to recover additional compensation for the harm they caused you.
Despite lawmakers’ intention to create a simple system for the recovery of workers’ compensation benefits, these claims are incredibly complicated, as the above demonstrates. Calling an experienced workers’ comp lawyer can help you understand the process and how to work through it so you can recover the benefits you deserve.
Contact a Workers’ Compensation Attorney at the Strom Law Firm LLC and Ensure That You Get the Benefits You Deserve
The workers’ compensation attorneys at Strom Law Firm LLC are committed to protecting the rights of people who have a serious injury or work-related illness due to their job. Our goal is to get you the maximum benefits you are entitled to under the law.
Our worker’s compensation law firm is committed to maximizing the value of your case. We have experience with all types of workers’ compensation cases and will do what it takes to secure the most favorable settlement under South Carolina law. Contact us now for a free consultation with an experienced workers comp. Lawyer today.
