Workers' Comp Surveillance in Colorado

01Why it matters

Why Colorado Claim Professionals Order Activity Checks

Most workers' compensation claims are legitimate, and surveillance should never be routine. It earns its cost when there is a specific, documented reason for concern: a coworker's tip that the claimant is roofing on weekends, public photos from a hunting trip, a restriction against lifting that conflicts with a home remodel, or an injury that improves dramatically on the days nobody is watching. In those situations, objective footage can resolve a dispute faster than competing medical opinions. Our Colorado employee surveillance team handles related employment questions.

Colorado law takes misrepresentation seriously. Under C.R.S. § 8-43-402, intentionally making a material false statement or representation to obtain benefits, for oneself or someone else, is a class 6 felony, and the person forfeits all right to compensation. That makes accuracy essential in both directions: footage must be precise about dates, times and conditions, and it must never be edited to suggest more than it shows. Our Colorado fraud risk audits help employers and carriers review the controls behind repeated problem claims.

02The work

What a Colorado Workers' Comp Activity Check Captures

Activity checks focus on physical capacity that relates to the claimed injury. Investigators document whether the claimant walks, lifts, bends, climbs, drives or carries objects, how long the activity lasts and whether the claimant shows visible discomfort or uses a brace, cane or crutches. Every clip is time-stamped, and the report notes location, weather and conditions so reviewers can judge the footage fairly. When a claimant appears to be working elsewhere, the report identifies the business and the activity without guessing at pay. Our Colorado surveillance investigations use the same logging standard across every case type.

Context matters as much as footage. A claimant carrying groceries for thirty seconds may not contradict a lifting restriction, while a claimant unloading lumber for an hour may. Our reports say what happened and for how long, and they leave medical conclusions to physicians and legal conclusions to counsel. When the claimant's identity or address needs confirming first, our Colorado skip tracing service can verify it, starting at $102 for a basic database and records search.

• Lifting, carrying, bending and climbing, with duration
• Use or non-use of braces, canes or crutches
• Driving, yard work and recreation
• Work at another business while on benefits
• Weather, location and lighting noted for every clip

03Legal limits

Trespass, Recording and Pretext: Lines a Lawful Activity Check Never Crosses

Footage is only useful if it was obtained lawfully. Our investigators work from public roads, sidewalks and places open to the public, and they do not enter yards, driveways, posted land or private businesses without permission. Third-degree criminal trespass under C.R.S. § 18-4-504 covers simply entering or remaining on another person's premises unlawfully, and on agricultural land it can become a felony in certain circumstances. We also never photograph into homes or other places where a person reasonably expects privacy. Our guide to what Colorado investigators may do summarizes the rules.

Audio and pretext are off the table. Colorado's eavesdropping statute covers recording conversations without the consent of a participant, so our video is captured without sound, and we do not pose as customers, neighbors or delivery drivers to provoke activity. Inducing a claimant to lift something they otherwise would not can taint the evidence and the claim. Repeated, excessive surveillance can also raise stalking concerns, which is another reason we use limited, targeted shifts. Our Colorado recording law guide explains why audio stays off.

04Colorado claims

Construction, Energy, Ski Resorts and Warehouses: Where Colorado Claims Come From

Colorado's injury claims track its economy. Construction crews building out the Front Range suburbs, oil and gas workers in Weld County, ski resort and hospitality staff in the mountains, warehouse and distribution workers along I-25 and I-70, and health care workers in every major city all file claims for back, shoulder and knee injuries. Each setting suggests what to watch for. A former framer may be doing side jobs, while a resort employee's claimed limits may conflict with a ski season. Our Greeley energy-sector investigators know the Weld County roads well.

Geography affects every plan. A claimant in Summit or Eagle County can be reached only across the I-70 mountain corridor, where chain and traction rules apply from September through May, and rural claimants on the Eastern Plains or Western Slope may live miles from the nearest public vantage point. We plan around those realities, quote travel in writing and tell the adjuster when weather or terrain limits coverage. Our Pueblo claim investigators and Grand Junction surveillance team handle southern and western files.

05Timing

Timing Activity Checks Around Colorado's Seasons and Schedules

Good timing saves money. Many claimants are most active on weekends, during hunting season, on powder days or in the weeks before a scheduled medical evaluation. Coverage aimed at those windows produces more useful footage in fewer hours than random weekday shifts. We review the claim file, any public social media and the claimant's known schedule before recommending dates. When a claimant travels to a lake, trailhead or resort, our out-of-state surveillance coordinators handle trips that leave Colorado.

Colorado's outdoor culture produces common patterns. A claimant with a reported back injury who loads a camper, carries a kayak to the water or spends a day skiing in Summit County may be documented lawfully from public areas such as parking lots, trailheads and resort plazas. We record what is visible, note conditions and avoid characterizing the activity beyond what the footage shows, consistent with the approach our Colorado legal guide on recording describes. If the claimant stays at a resort or hotel, our Colorado hotel surveillance methods cover arrivals and departures without approaching any room.

06Reports

Reports, Footage and Testimony for Colorado Claim Disputes

Every assignment ends with a written report and the original footage. The report lists each observation with date, time, location and duration, notes when the claimant was out of view and describes conditions such as snow, darkness or distance. Footage is preserved in its original form with a record of who handled it, the same chain-of-custody practice our Colorado insurance investigators use. Adjusters can share the report with treating physicians or evaluators, and defense counsel can decide whether and how to use it. Our Colorado attorney support explains how we work with defense firms.

When a claim goes to hearing, the investigator who shot the footage may need to testify about how it was obtained and what it shows. We prepare for that from the first shift by keeping notes contemporaneous and factual. If the footage supports the claimant's reported limits, the report says so plainly, which is a legitimate and useful result for carriers trying to close a file fairly. When the claim overlaps with an auto or liability claim, our Colorado insurance claim surveillance team can coordinate the files.

07Vetting and price

Choosing a Claim Surveillance Vendor in Colorado and What It Costs

Colorado has issued no state private investigator licenses since its program ended after the 2020 veto, so carriers, TPAs and employers must vet vendors themselves. Ask how a firm avoids trespass and pretext, whether it records audio, how it preserves original footage and whether its investigators have testified. Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee private investigation firm, insured, and it applies that standard to Colorado claims. Our Colorado investigator vetting checklist lists the questions worth asking.

Activity checks are billed at $100 per hour, the same rate we use in Tennessee, with mileage and travel to rural or mountain claimants disclosed before work begins. Most assignments start with two or three targeted days rather than open-ended coverage, and we report after each day so the adjuster can stop or continue. Locates and background research are priced separately. All standard prices appear on our Colorado investigation pricing page, or you can request a written quote for a specific claim.

Services

Workers' Comp Surveillance Services in Colorado

• Claimant activity checksTargeted surveillance documenting physical activity that relates to the claimed injury, with time-stamped footage and a neutral narrative for adjusters and counsel.Learn more
• Second-job verificationDocumentation of claimants who may be working at another business while receiving benefits, identifying the business and the observed work without speculation about pay.Learn more
• Medical evaluation timingCoverage scheduled around medical appointments and evaluations, showing activity before and after the visit compared with the restrictions the claimant reported.Learn more
• Recreation and travel coverageObservation of claimants at trailheads, lakes, resorts and campgrounds, including trips out of Colorado, with travel costs approved in writing before booking.Learn more
• Claimant locatesAddress and identity verification for claimants who moved or cannot be found, starting at $102 for a basic database and records skip trace.Learn more
• Public social media reviewReview of information claimants have made publicly available online, preserved and dated, without friending, messaging, using fake profiles or accessing any private account.Learn more
• Background and claims historyPublic-records research on prior claims, lawsuits and court history where permissible, from a $102 basic check to a $300 deep-dive history.Learn more
• Fraud control reviewsReviews of employer and carrier claim processes when repeated questionable claims suggest a control weakness, with practical, written recommendations for prevention.Learn more
• Defense counsel supportSurveillance, written reports, preserved footage and investigator testimony prepared with defense counsel for Colorado claim hearings, depositions and settlement negotiations.Learn more

How it works

How a Colorado Workers' Comp Activity Check Works

1. 01

   File review and referral

   The adjuster, TPA or counsel shares the claim, restrictions, address, vehicles and reason for concern. We review public information and recommend whether surveillance is likely to help.

2. 02

   Written plan and dates

   We propose specific days and hours tied to the claimant's likely activity, then confirm investigative time, travel and the total price in writing before anyone is assigned.

3. 03

   Lawful field coverage

   Investigators document visible activity from public places without audio or pretext, note conditions throughout, and send a short update to the client after each day of coverage.

4. 04

   Report and original footage

   The client receives a dated report with observations, durations and conditions, plus preserved original footage, and the investigator remains available to testify if the claim is contested.

Compare

Typical Injury Claim Activity Checks in Colorado

Statewide coverage

Injured-Worker Activity Checks Throughout Colorado

We cover claimants in every county. Metro files are handled by our Denver claim investigators and the Thornton investigators in Adams County, while El Paso County claimants are covered by the Colorado Springs surveillance team. Northern Colorado and Weld County files go to Greeley and Loveland, southern files to Pueblo, and Western Slope claims to Grand Junction. Mountain and Eastern Plains claimants are scheduled as planned field trips with travel and weather margins quoted in writing, and every report follows the same format regardless of where the claimant lives.

• Denver
• Colorado Springs
• Greeley
• Pueblo
• Grand Junction
• Thornton
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado