State employees in North Carolina who had suffered injuries while on the job recently went approximately a month without getting their workers’ compensation checks, but the state assured them the problem would be corrected soon. Eileen Townsend, chief of insurance for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, said the department is aware of the issue and has been working diligently to correct it.
According to reports, the department recently was made aware that there were hundreds of checks still in limbo that should have been sent out to workers’ compensation recipients weeks ago. The problem began on July 1, when the DPI awarded a contract for administering workers’ compensation claims to a different third-party administrator.
A data entry problem
The North Carolina DPI receives more than 6,000 new claims for workers’ compensation every year. While data was being transferred to the new third-party administrator, some data apparently fell through the cracks, meaning people sending in new claims were getting left out. Many people with more severe injuries rely on their workers’ compensation checks to get by, and people who did not receive their checks were understandably furious about the error. One teacher who receives workers’ compensation was unable to pay his bills and received final notices on his utilities.
Townsend also said the DPI would not be able to provide additional compensation to people who suffered hardships as a result of the error.
If you have problems getting the workers’ compensation checks you are owed, seek legal representation from the skilled North Carolina attorneys at Lanier Law Group.