Ever get suspicious when an employee reports an injury long after it supposedly occurred?
Well, the courts do. And that’s good news for employers looking to keep insurance premiums down.
That exact situation caused a court in Illinois to deny a claim for workers’ comp benefits.
What happened
A man claimed he was injured three different times (on three separate occasions) at work. However, he reported the injuries 15 weeks after the first alleged incident, seven weeks after the second and a week after the third.
Two other problems:
- Throughout those 15 weeks the worker saw his primary care doctor and chiropractor several times — and never mentioned anything about a work injury, and
- His manager said he couldn’t link his medical condition to a specific work incident when he finally did report the injury.
Case closed: The man’s request for workers’ comp benefits was denied.
Have you every come across a situation like this? Tell us about it in the Comments Box below.
Cite: Hosteny v. IL Workers’ Compensation Commission
