Salt Lake City Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

The Injured Worker

Getting hurt at work can be life changing. Most injuries are simple and the injured worker may miss little to no time from work. But there can be serious injuries as well that keep the worker away from gainful employment for months, years, or even never able to return to the workforce. These injured workers should not have the lives upended with additional burdens by having their claim denied. Many times the injury causes not only physical pain, but emotional pain as well that puts pressure on personal relationships as well. Having good representation from a lawyer in Utah that specializes in workers’ compensation claims can alleviate the strain and burden that oftentimes comes with a work comp denial of benefits.

Denied Claims

70% of workers compensation claims are approved and paid for by the workers compensation insurance carrier. These range from minor temporary injuries, to severe catastrophic injuries, to death. But any of these claims can also be denied. Pre-existing conditions can make it easy for the workers compensation carrier to say that the new injury is just the old injury. Poor notes from the doctor’s office can make it difficult to prevent your claim from being denied. Once a claim has been denied for whatever reason, it is difficult for the injured worker to fight it successfully to get those benefits to which they are entitled. This is when you need a qualified Utah workers’ compensation lawyer. At Rose Legal we offer free consultations in order to help the injured worker that has been denied. Of the denied claims, 67% are successful in becoming a paid claim either through acceptance of the claim or a compromised settlement. 90% of those successful claims were represented by an attorney. Call Rose Legal today for your free consultation to see if we can help you get your claim paid.

Pre-Existing Conditions

One of the biggest challenges with workers compensation claims is when the injured worker has documented pre-existing conditions in the same area of injury. This is where a large percentage of claims are denied. Having an attorney help you gather the proper medical documentation is critical to your success in overcoming these types of objections to your claim. We work with you and your doctors to ensure that the proper explanations are clear for everyone to understand. This will help you show that the new work injury is worse than any old pre-existing issue. This is a crucial step if you have been denied due to pre-existing conditions. A call to our office can get you started to getting the proper medical documentation in place to make your case as strong as possible.

Impairment Ratings

Once a workers compensation injury has been medically treated and healed and you are ready to return to work, you can be evaluated to determine if there is any permanent disability or restriction as a result of the work injury. This evaluation is called an impairment rating. One of the benefits you can receive from a work injury is called Permanent Partial Disability (PPD). The impairment rating is used to calculate the amount of money awarded to you for PPD. For instance, if you were to have a torn meniscus in your left knee and had surgery to repair it, but still have some lingering limitations as a result of the work injury, you would be assigned a certain percentage as an impairment rating. This percentage is calculated as a percentage of your whole body. A knee injury might be anywhere from 1% to 10% or so depending on the severity of the injury and the permanent limitations as a result. The percentage is then used to calculate a cash amount that is a one-time payment. There is no ‘pain and suffering’ award in workers’ compensation, but the PPD is a calculated amount that is used to compensate an injured worker for the lasting effects of an injury on the job. Having a Utah workers’ compensation lawyer on your side to help guide you through this process is crucial.

Settlements

Most disputed workers’ compensation claims in Utah are settled before going to a hearing. There are many advantages to settling your work comp claim instead of going to a hearing. A settlement allows for something certain (cash) and usually within a shorter timeframe. A hearing can be 6-8 months after filing an application and then a few months for the Judge’s decision and then it could go to a medical panel and you are 1-2 years later before you find out if you are successful or not. Sometimes you have to go to a hearing in order to get any type of relief. Most of the time the better solution is to resolve the issues through a settlement and move forward to get the care you need to be able to get back to work sooner. We can guide you through the pros and cons with your workers’ compensation case to make sure you understand the reasons why or why not to look at a settlement.

Our Office        

Rose Legal is centrally located along the Wasatch Front at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi right at point of the mountain. Easy access for Salt Lake City and all other Utah areas from the freeway allows for convenience when you come visit. We can do all aspects of your claim remotely by email, fax, phone, or video. We look forward to discussing the specifics of your case so that together we can guide you to the best solutions. Please call today.