Colorado Department of Labor and Employment: fair warning

Feb 21 2015

When a Denver construction worker is injured on the job, one of the first things he or she might do after receiving medical treatment is to go to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s website. The site is crammed with useful information tailored to various audiences, including injured workers, employers, doctors, insurers and workers’ comp attorneys, among others.

One very important group of people in the “among others” category is those who decide to represent themselves in critical disputes with insurers, employers or physicians over workers’ compensation benefits.

As the Department of Labor and Employment states, most claims are resolved without any lawyers. The worker is hurt on the job and then files a claim, which is then honored by the employer’s insurer. The worker gets the needed benefits and the insurer does what they were paid to do: cover the costs of medical care and wage replacement.

However, the state notes that there are exceptions involving “resolution of some of the more complex issues” in disputes. In those situations, it makes sense, the state says, to realize that resolution of the dispute might well require “the technical expertise provided by an individual who is well-versed in Colorado workers’ compensation law.”

Because so much is riding on workers’ comp cases — especially those involving serious injuries, surgeries, long periods of rehabilitation, and the like — and because the law is so complex, it makes sense to have an attorney at your side as you fight for needed benefits. That’s where Alverson & O’Brien Attorneys At Law comes in.

We join your fight, putting to your use our knowledge of the law and our experience helping injured workers get their benefits. Please see our Workers’ Compensation Benefits and Rights page to find out how we can help you.