Blog Post

Colorado Workers' Compensation System Conflicts

Posted by: Michael Sawaya
July 09, 2008
Topic: Workers' Compensation

It has been said that over 60,000 workers' compensation claims are filed in Colorado yearly and only 10% of whom seek an attorney's assistance with the same.

Unfortunately, the Colorado Workers' Compensation system is far from perfect; there is an inherent conflict of interest within the system. That conflict stems from greed. Big business is very concerned with its "bottom line" and covets as much control as possible in order to protect that line.

As the employer/insured has the right to select that injured worker's treating physician in the first instance, the workers' compensation carriers go to great lengths to make sure that the injured worker is treated by a physician that specifically has the carrier/employer's interest at heart.

This conflict of interest causes a dynamic, in the recent past, resulted in the injured worker being prematurely released from care 33% of the time. This is only one of the several reasons why an individual who is injured at work needs to consult with an attorney who specializes in workers' compensation.