Hi! My name is Sam, and I started this blog to help other injured people. Before you start reading, let me tell you a little about myself. Ten years ago, I slipped on a slice of fruit in a grocery store. My leg slid out from under me, and in a freak twist, it was rendered useless. I could no longer work and struggled with intense pain every day. Luckily, I found an accident and injury attorney who was able to get me the compensation I needed to cover my medical bills and my lost time at work. However, while I waited for the settlement to come through, I had to get creative physically and financially. This blog is dedicated to anyone who is in that limbo position. I hope the posts here help you decide what to do while you wait for the results of your trial.
When you file for workers' comp, your claim gets reviewed by an insurance company and can either be denied or approved based on many factors. You may not realize how deep they go when it comes to investigating your case. If there is an indication that something is not right about a workers' comp claim, they will start looking into the true extent of your injuries to make sure that they are valid. Do not make the mistake of letting social media impact your compensation by following these steps.
Keep Everything Private
The best way to prevent others from going through your social media accounts is to keep everything private. While locking down those accounts from public view isn't completely foolproof, it is a good first step to take in making sure that only people you allow can see the things that you post.
Be wary about accepting requests from new followers, especially if you do not know who they are.
Do Not Discuss Your Accident
The openness of social media makes it tempting to want to discuss your injury with people you love and care about, and within a few moments, you can vent your frustrations to your circle of friends with relative ease. You should avoid talking about your injury, or keep discussion of it to the bare minimum. Don't post any details about your injury online, since it could potentially jeopardize your workers' comp claim.
For example, posting a status update about feeling better after an injury could be misconstrued by someone looking to see if you are healthy. The context may have only meant that you are feeling slightly better than the previous day, but to an insurance company, it may look like you are healed.
Be Aware of Your Online Perception
It's also common for people to want to show off how they are doing, proving that they are able to do activities that they weren't able to do because of the injury. Now is not a time to be boastful. If you are still injured, you shouldn't give off the perception that you have regained physical abilities that you have lost.
This can even include posting old photos of yourself, since when taken out of context, could be mistaken as a new photo of you doing a physical activity that you are not capable of.
The bottom line is that if an insurance company finds any proof online that you have recovered from an injury, your workers' comp benefits could come to an end prematurely. Your best bet for getting the most out of your benefits is to work with a lawyer—like those at Locklin & Mordhorst and other firms—that can guide you through the entire process.
Share29 February 2016
