Employees who suffer work-related injuries and illnesses may be entitled to financial compensation through their employer’s workers’ compensation insurer. They may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses such as hospital care and medication as well as part of their lost income. Unfortunately, recovering compensation through workers’ comp is not always straightforward. Many different issues may complicate the process. Employers and workers comp insurance companies may attempt to reduce or eliminate the employee’s workers’ compensation benefits. Sometimes, workers’ compensation insurance companies even conduct surveillance on injured employees, hoping to prove that the employee is not as injured as he or she claims to be.
Workers’ Compensation Surveillance Tactics
Insurance companies seek to minimize payouts to injured employees whenever possible. One way insurance companies may try to get out of paying workers’ compensation benefits is to question the validity of the employee’s injuries. The insurer may conduct surveillance of the injured person in an effort to “catch” the employee acting in ways that suggest his or her injuries are fabricated or exaggerated.
Investigators for the insurance company may follow an injured employee and watch where they go and what they do. The investigators may take pictures and videos of the worker. The purpose of these investigations is to look for evidence of workers’ compensation fraud. For example, investigators may witness someone lifting heavy objects even though he or she claims to be suffering from severe, debilitating back pain. The investigators may take a video of the person and use it to argue that his or her back pain is not as severe as he or she claims. Sometimes, investigators even talk to the injured worker’s friends and family to gather more evidence against the person.
You may be surprised to learn that this type of surveillance is completely legal. The evidence collected by the insurance company may be presented to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and used as justification for a denied claim.
Contact a McHenry County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Workers’ compensation provides injured employees with financial reimbursement for medical bills and lost wages. However, the process of recovering compensation is often complicated and frustrating. If you were hurt at work, contact Botto Gilbert Lancaster, PC. Our Crystal Lake workers’ compensation attorneys understand the tactics that insurance companies use to try and avoid paying employees what they are owed. We can advocate on your behalf and protect your rights. Call us at 815-338-3838 for a free consultation.
Source:
https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/iwcc/Pages/default.aspx