If you are injured in a work-related accident, then you might be eligible to collect workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation is mandatory in Missouri, and it is a type of insurance that companies and employers take out to ensure that if one of their workers is injured on the job, they have the means to cover the cost of the injury.
Workers' compensation claims are different from personal injury claims in that you don’t have to prove that your employer was negligent. Since it’s not based on fault, even if you are responsible for being injured while working, you are typically still eligible to collect. The only stipulation is that you have to be able to prove that you were performing under the scope of your employment duties. It isn’t enough to be at work and hurt; you actually have to be at work, working, to be eligible.
If you are injured on the job, it can be alluring to post your injury to social media - but you have to be extremely careful. Just like other types of insurance carriers, workers' compensation companies are not in the business of making sure that everyone is paid to the maximum to make them whole. Their objective, like any other business, is to limit their costs and liability. If they are at all suspicious of the extent of your injury, whether it happened while you were working or if you are really injured, social media is likely the first place they will go to investigate what you are up to.
Don’t post any details
Even though you want to tell everyone about your massive fall at work, don’t post your version of events to social media. If you say one thing that indicates that you might have been doing something outside of what the scope of your duties are, then the insurance company may have the right to deny you eligibility. Save your stories for when you are with your friends; don’t post them for the world to see.
Don’t post any pictures of your injuries or activities
If you hurt your back while lifting in the warehouse, you are not going to want to post pictures of yourself that will allow them to question your injury. Whatever you post online is out there for everyone to see. If you are injured, you don’t want to give the insurance carrier any grounds to rescind your eligibility or call your injury into question. Also, if you have recovered enough to return to work, then you have an obligation to do so.
Social media is an excellent way to stay connected to those around you - just remember what you put out there is for the world to see, including the workers’ compensation insurer handling your case. To ensure that your injuries, how they happened, and their severity isn’t called into question, stay off of social media.
Law Office of James M. Hoffmann
Phone: (314) 361-4300
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