Workers’ Compensation Basics: Trials

Posted on by

judgeIf your workers’ compensation claim has been denied or if there are any disputes involving your workers’ compensation claim, your lawyer may file a Petition with the Workers’ Compensation Court. This Petition is a lawsuit against your employer and the workers’ compensation insurance carrier, seeking benefits to which you are entitled but are not properly being paid.

Once a Petition has been filed, the case will be assigned to one of the seven workers’ compensation judges in Nebraska. Then, the case will eventually be given a trial date; this date is usually less than a year after the petition is filed (nine months is a good estimate).

The trial will then be held in the county where the accident occurred. If the accident occurred out of state, then the trial will be held in Lincoln. However, the parties may agree to have the trial anywhere within the state if another location is more convenient for those involved. In situations where it may be difficult for a witness or party to attend trial in person, the parties may agree to conduct the trial via videoconference with the judge.

When it comes time for trial, the judge assigned to the case will hear all of the evidence (including the testimony from all witnesses). The trial usually takes about a half day or sometimes a whole day, depending on the number of witnesses. Rarely do workers’ compensation trials go beyond one day. After the trial has concluded, the judge will issue a decision in approximately one to six months. At times, however, issuing the decision can take even longer than six months on more complicated cases. The decision will be either an Order of Dismissal of the case or an Award of Benefits for the case. In either instance, any issues that were presented at trial will have been addressed by the Court in the decision, which is a final order. Although the decision is final, either party may choose to appeal the decision to the Nebraska Court of Appeals and/or eventually to the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Today’s blog post is a part of a continuing series that explores the basics of workers’ compensation. Please read the previous blog posts in the series by clicking on these links, and be sure to consult an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer with questions:

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Nebraska, Trial, Workers' Comp Basics, Workers' Compensation and tagged , , , , , .