Legal Question in Workers Comp in Maryland
Penalties for not complying with WCC ruling
In February, I had a WC hearing. In the beginning of March the ruling/judgment was passed, in my favor, by the WCC for reinstatement of benefits with retroactive reimbursement, medical bills and a few other things. I was told that the insurance company had 15 days to comply, but it has now been 24 days that have past with no signs of any sort of benefits. And there has been no appeal from the insurance company. What penalties can be assessed to the insurance company for not complying with the WCC's ruling? Should another hearing be filed? What are my rights and/ or options?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Penalties for not complying with WCC ruling
The workers' comp law requires the insurer to pay the benefits awarded within 15 days of the award OR within 15 days of when the benefits are due, whichever comes later. There is a 20% penalty for failure to comply within 30 days of the due date. You should first contact the claims adjuster to check the status and get an explanation of the seeming delay. They do have 30 days to note an appeal, and that time is not up yet, so perhaps that is under discussion.