Have to Fight For Workers Compensation Benefits. Workers who suffer a work-related injury will need to get medical care for their injuries. They may not be able to return to work right away, so the injury can have a negative impact on their income. Workers’ compensation is meant to cover the medical care costs and certain other expenses related to the injury.
There are a few conditions that apply when an injured employee needs workers’ compensation coverage. The injury must have occurred at work or while doing work-related duties. You can’t get workers’ compensation coverage for something that happened at home.
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Are Cumulative Trauma Injuries Covered by Workers’ Compensation?
It’s possible to receive workers’ compensation benefits for cumulative trauma injuries. These are injuries occur over time, so the worker might not even realize that something is amiss. Oftentimes, they start out as a minor pain that goes away with rest. As time progresses, the pain becomes more intense and frequent. The worker will eventually realize that something is wrong and go to the doctor.
What Other Injuries are Covered by Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation covers any injury that occurs at work. This includes spinal cord damage and traumatic brain injuries. There’s no limit to what injuries are covered as long as they happened while the person was doing their job duties.
Even some illnesses are covered by workers’ compensation. For example, a worker who’s exposed to smoke as they do their job duties may end up with lung cancer. This could conceivably be a work-related illness that would be covered by workers’ compensation.
What Benefits are Provided by Workers’ Compensation?
One of the primary benefits of workers’ compensation coverage is that it pays for medical care necessary for the injury. This includes emergency care, as well as regular doctor visits, therapy appointments, medication, and similar treatments. It will also cover surgery if that’s necessary to treat the injury.
Workers’ compensation can also cover partial wage replacement for workers who aren’t able to return to work right away. While this won’t provide you with the same income you had before you were injured, it can help you to at least pay your basic bills.
Sometimes, workers aren’t able to return to their same job duties after the injury. Workers’ compensation will cover vocational rehabilitation that helps these workers to learn another job that they can do to support themselves. This is important so they can become independent again.
Get the Workers’ Compensation Benefits You Deserve
Workers’ compensation coverage is meant to provide benefits for injured workers without the employer having to come out of pocket. Unfortunately, workers don’t always get what they’re due. Instead, the employee sometimes has to fight to get what they should.
Working with someone who’s familiar with workers’ compensation laws in this state and who can help you to fight for what’s due to you can take some stress out of the process. You can read more here about some ways a workers’ compensation attorney can benefit your case.