Workers’ Compensation Appeals

It is not at all unusual for a Florida workers’ compensation claim to be initially denied. But benefits applicants are allowed to appeal decisions of the Florida Workers’ Compensation Division, even decisions that provide benefits that are not adequate.

If you are attempting to appeal a decision about your workers’ comp claim, you may find you are facing a complicated or even intimidating system. Appeals are heard by judges in a courtroom setting, and will likely involve lawyers who represent your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier.

You can level the playing field in a Central Florida workers’ compensation appeal by hiring Orlando Workers’ Compensation Lawyer, Frank M. Eidson, P.A. Frank Eidson has helped many injured workers obtain the workers’ comp benefits they are justly entitled to, including many final settlements worth tens of thousands of dollars in deserved payments.

If you have been injured at a construction site or another workplace, contact the law office of Frank M. Eidson, P.A., today. We will evaluate your workers’ compensation application to ensure that your appeal presents a full picture of your injury and expenses to ensure that you recover benefits to properly assist with your medical expenses, rehabilitation costs and lost wages.

The Workers’ Comp Appeals Process

All too often, workers’ compensation providers wrongfully deny or delay payment of benefits for claims that are valid. If your application for workers’ compensation benefits is denied, or if your benefits are unexpectedly reduced or discontinued, you have the right to appeal such an order.

The first level of appeal is to the Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims. A Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) can dismiss the claim at that point even for a discrepancy in the paperwork itself, though the JCC may ask the Employee Assistance and Ombudsman Office to assist a claims applicant who does not have an attorney.

If the JCC’s decision once it is rendered is not appropriate to your needs, you may then appeal to the First District Court of Appeal, which has statewide jurisdiction over workers’ compensation claims and prior decisions by any JCC.

To obtain this hearing, like the JCC hearing, an applicant must comply with many complicated and arcane rules for filing notice of the appeal and identifying what benefits are being questioned, and do so within prescribed time constraints. The hearing itself will be conducted according to rules of evidentiary procedure, as are other court cases in Florida.

You and your employer (or your employer’s attorney) will be allowed to present evidence as to why your workers’ compensation claim should be approved as you request or denied as your employer asks. Each side will be allowed to counter the other’s claims and evidence, and the judge will rule.

While retaining an experienced lawyer will not guarantee that appeal is approved and your workers’ compensation claim is accepted, your chances are greatly increased with the help of experienced legal counsel who understands the Florida workers’ comp system.

Frank M. Eidson is a workers’ compensation lawyer who has helped Orlando, Winter Park and other central Florida workers obtain proper workers’ compensation benefits for more than 24 years. He can represent your best interests in a workers’ compensation claim appeal. He and his legal staff can review your existing claim application and fill in any shortcomings so that it presents a full picture of your injury or illness, including the expenses you face now and are likely to face in the future. He will be ready to act as a strong advocate for you, and make a clear and convincing case on your behalf.

Contact Our Workers’ Compensation Appeals Attorney

The Orlando law office of Frank M. Eidson, P.A., can help see to it that you get the workers’ compensation benefits that you deserve if you have suffered a work-related injury or illness in Florida. We can make sure your workers’ compensation appeal is accurate and complete, and that it is presented before a Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) or Florida’s First District Court of Appeals in a convincing manner.

Frank M. Eidson has more than 24 years of successful experience pursing workers’ comp appeals for work injury victims in central Florida. Because he is the only lawyer in his practice, clients of Frank M. Eidson, P.A., quickly come to know him and learn that they can trust and rely upon their workers’ compensation attorney.

If your Florida workers’ compensation claim has been denied or your benefits are not what they should be, contact Frank M. Eidson, P.A., to put an experienced Orlando workers’ compensation appeals lawyer to work for you. Experience counts when appealing government decisions about benefits programs, and with Frank M. Eidson on your side, you have that experience. Call now.

Sources:

• Online Sunshine