Many injured workers that I talk to have to perform repetitive tasks at work. The current workers’ compensation laws in Virginia do NOT cover work injuries that are caused by repetitive motion (with the exception of Carpel Tunnel Syndrome), so many work injuries are denied. To have a work injury by accident, in most situations, workers’ compensation laws in Virginia require a “specific immediate event.” However, a lot of the denials that I see are due to injured workers not knowing the requirements of the workers’ compensation laws in Virginia and, therefore, are not reporting their work injury properly. For example, if you work on a machine that requires you to pull al lever 100 times a day and you report that you have shoulder pain at the end of your shift, that work injury would most likely not be covered (this description is repetitive motion, not specific). However, if you do this same job pulling a lever 100 times a day but you can honestly report that you pulled the lever right around lunch time and felt a pop or a pull and immediate pain in your shoulder, then this work injury scenario could be covered under the workers’ compensation laws in Virginia because this is a very specific description of a particular incident!
Reporting Your Injury
Make sure that when you report a work injury to your employer, doctor, the workers’ compensation insurance carrier, or the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, that you are reporting it properly and with specific detail. This can easily be the difference between whether or not your workers’ compensation claim is accepted or denied! The potential to accept or deny your workers’ compensation claim altogether really does reside within the details! Talk to a lawyer who is familiar with the workers’ compensation laws in Virginia before you talk to a workers’ compensation insurance adjuster so your case is not improperly denied.
The Injured Workers Law Firm is a Richmond, Virginia based firm solely focused on serving clients with workers’ compensation claims in Virginia. If you have questions about your benefits or if you would like more information on the Virginia workers’ compensation system, order our book, “The Ultimate Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Virginia,” or call our office today (804) 755-7755.
The Injured Workers Law Firm is a Richmond, Virginia based firm solely focused on serving clients with workers' compensation claims in Virginia. If you have questions about your benefits or if you would like more information on the Virginia workers’ compensation system, order our book, “The Ultimate Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Virginia” , or call our office today (804) 755-7755.