A lot of reasons can result in a delay of your claim. Sometimes the insurance company or the employer simply refuses to allow your claim because they don’t want to pay. It may have nothing to do with the merits of your case—they can just deny it. Or they may have questions or legitimately dispute some part of the claim. That doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to benefits, but it does mean you may have to fight to get them, and it’s wise to consult a lawyer to help you do that. For support, our Rhode Island workers comp lawyers can guide you through the process from the beginning. Other reasons for delay—and one of the most important things to understand—is that under the system, the insurer can delay, hold off, or even start paying you without properly granting your claim. To avoid this, it helps to consult an attorney quickly so they can take steps to memorialize your claim and make sure your rights are formally protected. You can also review our RI workers’ comp benefits to better understand how approvals and denials work. Because again, workers’ comp insurers can start paying you right away and make you feel like your claim must be approved—when legally, it may not be. The law gives them a 13-week period in which they can pay you without accepting the claim, and during that time they can stop your payments, deny the claim, and leave you scrambling for income and medical treatment. Learning more about related issues such as claim denials or how long approval takes can help you prepare for these situations.

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• What’s the step-by-step process for filing a workers’ comp claim?

• Can Workers’ Compensation Be Denied?

• Can a Workers’ Compensation Claim Be Reopened?