Legal Help With Anchor Risk Claims Management | Texas Lawyers
If you suffered an injury while working for an employer that has Anchor Risk Claims Management as its insurer, you are probably wondering what the process of obtaining compensation looks like and the amount of benefits you are eligible to receive. Every company in Texas is required to obtain insurance to supply to its employees, whether it is private or government-owned, but not all insurance providers are the same when it comes to their coverage. In this article, we will be discussing who Anchor Risk Management is, what they do, and the steps you can take to secure the compensation you deserve.
If you need a lawyer to assist with a claim managed by Anchor Risk Claims Management, call 866-434-0014 today. On the job injuries can by scary, and often lead to lengthy recovery plans and medical costs, leaving injury victims worried about their bills, income, and job status. At Sneed & Mitchell LLP, our lawyers are able to assist you today in a free, no-obligation case consultation.
Who is Anchor Risk Claims Management?
Anchor Risk Claims Management is a full-service third-party administrator (TPA) of occupational injury claims for Texas companies that are either subscribers to worker's compensation, or non-subscribers. Anchor handles more non-subscriber claims than those of subscriber to Texas workers' comp, with other 200,000 claims handled for companies that have opted out of the State regulated workers' compensation program.
For more that 30 years, Anchor Risk's non-subscription program has handled a variety of Employer Benefit Plans, Medical and Disability Management and Litigation files. The list of insurance companies Anchor Risk provides operational services for includes American Fidelity, United National, Great American, Zurich Insurance, Republic-Vanguard, and more. Amazon, Sanders Farms, Gentiva, Clubcorp, Russell Stover Chocolates, and Circle K and just some of the large companies whose injured employees will have claims handled by Anchor Risk. These companies and many others prefer Anchor for their ability to save the company money. One of the practices that is very pro-business and less worker-friendly is Anchor's strict post-accident negligence investigations, which can result if claimants being denied all benefits if an adjuster determines that the employee's actions contributed in causing their own injuries. This denial of benefits forces many employees to retain legal counsel and file civil lawsuits in order to secure the full range of benefits they are entitled to under tort law.
The Importance of A Lawyers Assistance in Anchor Risk Management Cases
If you work for an non-subscriber company in Texas and your benefits have been exhausted or outright denied by an Anchor Risk insurance adjuster, obtaining legal assistance is crucial. Anchor Risk's occupational insurance plans have lots of limitations compared when traditional workers' compensation, and can also be denied if the investigation by Anchor determines you were partially liable in causing your own injuries. An improper denial often causes workers to face surmounting medical bills and financial pressures, but this doesn't mean that there are not additional options for employees. By hiring Sneed & Mitchell LLP, employees can pursue civil lawsuits against their employer to secure the economic and non-economic damages available to plaintiffs here in Texas.
The Difference A Non-Subscriber Program and Standard Worker’s Compensation
There are a few main differences between typical workers’ compensation and non-subscriber cases such as Anchor Risk. Workers’ compensation is regulated by the government, which allows employers to have fewer things to worry about since they receive more protection from the state from lawsuits. Although Workers’ comp is not mandatory, the ultimate goal of the state of Texas is to persuade non-subscriber employers to opt into it, so it has implemented unique requirements for those who choose to opt-out such as harsher restrictions and more liabilities.
Procedural Differences
The Texas Department of Insurance has established specific procedures for how workers’ comp claims are processed. There is a regulated system in place for appeals processes, informational forms, and benefits packages. Unlike workers' compensation, non-subscriber claims do not operate by standardized regulations and often vary in the number of benefits they give, the process by which they handle their claims and the informational forms they provide. Since non-subscribers are the ones who establish most of the terms and conditions of their claims process to reflect their company needs, their contracts are unique.
Appeals System
Workers’ compensation claims that are denied go through a court process that reevaluates them. Non-subscriber denial cases are much more complex, as they require an employee to gather evidence for their claim and file a lawsuit against their employer to receive an appeal.
Variances in Liability
While workers’ compensation employers can still be held liable for accidents, they are mostly protected from hefty lawsuits and are not held personally responsible for paying for employee medical treatments. Workers’ comp establishes a limit on the employer’s liability since it is purposefully created to make it harder for employees to sue them for things like special claim damages or negligence. Non-subscriber employers, however, have a much higher chance of obtaining substantial lawsuits due to the lack of protection from the state. Employers who are non-subscribers can be held liable for negligence, gross negligence, punitive damages, and pain and suffering. A successful lawsuit against a non-subscriber generally gives significantly more benefits to an employee than a lawsuit won against a workers’ compensation employer.
To determine whether or not employer is a subscriber to the State's workers' comp program, you can conduct a coverage verification search here on the Texas Department of Insurance's website.
Should I Hire An Injury To Review My Anchor Risk Case?
Yes. You should retain an injury lawyer to review your Anchor Risk case to if you are interested in learning about rights to additional compensation. Just because you were denied by Anchor Risk, does not mean you can't win a negligence lawsuit. If fact, being denied claim benefits by Anchor Risk is often a good indicator that you may have a viable case in District Court. Similarly, when claims are accepted by the third party administrator, the benefit amounts pay to victims are often minimal and not close to the actual claim value. A successful civil claim can pay workers far beyond what many may have expected. Her is a brief breakdown of the economic and non-economic damages recoverable through a personal injury lawsuit.
Economic Damages
An injured worker often incurs extensive expenses and financial losses. The economic damages through a personal injury lawsuit reimburse and compensate them for these losses, and include:
Medical treatment and care costs, including physical therapy, surgery, and future medical needs
Lost income, including wages and other missed economic opportunities
Personal care and household services
Any related out of pocket expenses
Property damage
In-home nursing care needs
If case where injured workers sustain a permanent disability or impairment, they can also receive:
Future lost wages
Future medical bills and related expenses
Long-term nursing and/or personal care
Our Personal Injury Attorneys will track your economic expenses and financial losses to strengthen the value of your economic damages evaluation. Our network of case experts includes economists and medical specialists to determine the extent of your permanent impairments and disabilities. Here in Texas, there not no cap on the amount of economic damages in a plaintiff can secure through a non-subscriber accident case.
Non-Economic Damages
Texas law also permits workplace victims to secure pain and suffering damages related to their injuries.
Examples of non-economic damages include:
Physical pain and related discomfort
Loss of enjoyment
Psychological suffering
Scarring damages
Disfigurement damages
Loss of happiness and overall wellness
Emotional distress
Impairment and disability
Determining the appropriate sum to compensate a victim for their pain an suffering can be challenging. Putting a dollar amount on pain and suffering is much different than the total amount of medical bills and expenses. Instead, a lawyer will review several other factors to help quantify the amount of psychological suffering a victim is facing.
Some of the factors that aid in calculating the value of non-economic damages include:
The type of medical injury
The degree of impairment and disability
Whether the victims can still work
The person’s physical appearance post-accident
The extent of medical treatment required
The disruptions in the person's life
The type of medical care needed, the degree of invasiveness
Other factors might also impact the value of damages recoverable and increase a settlement or verdict.
An experienced non-subscriber accident lawyer can help you secure compensation by investigating and gathering evidence, determining who is liable for the accident, negotiating compensation, and establishing the full worth of your claim.
How a Lawyer Can Strengthen Your Non-Subscriber Claim
All non-subscriber companies are required to uphold certain safety standards and continuously perform health inspections to ensure their workplace is hazard-free. If a non-subscriber employer fails to uphold these standards, an employee has the right to hire a lawyer to pursue a lawsuit against them if they have the evidence to do so.
You can prove your employer was at fault for your injuries by:
Keeping a record of your incident report
Taking pictures of hazardous conditions like spills or damaged products
Gathering statements from all who witnessed the accident
Taking clear pictures of any minor or severe injuries
Requesting safety inspection and training records from your employer
It is important to keep track of all evidence that can be used against an employer because every detail can contribute to how much compensation you will be able to qualify for.
Free Confidential Anchor Risk Management Claims Case Consultation
For a free and confidential Anchor Risk Management Claims case consultation, call 866-434-0014. Sneed & Mitchell LLP handle third party claims against employers insured by Anchor Risk Management Claims and can assist you in learning about your legal rights and options today. Our attorneys have a high rate of success handling complex non-subscriber accident cases and genuinely care about the health and wellbeing of our clients.
We Offer Bilingual Assistance
If you need legal assistance in Spanish, we will be happy to assist you. Our experienced Spanish-speaking attorneys have helped thousands within the Latino community throughout Texas.