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November 01, 2020

What Triggers Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

Posted in Uncategorized

Business Lawyer

A job should be a place that provides you an income and hopefully some satisfaction. It should not, however, cause you harm or make you sick. Every day, thousands of workers across the country find themselves in the hospital due to an injury sustained at work. More may visit a doctor with an illness, only to find out the root cause is their occupation. Workers’ compensation insurance is something that many employers must carry to help care for hurt or ill workers. When do you get benefits from this kind of coverage? Learn about how benefits may work and when you may start receiving them from a workers compensation lawyer, like from The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt.

Medical Benefits

The first crucial step in the workers’ compensation claims process is getting a medical report giving the cause, condition and treatment for your injury. A doctor’s diagnosis is required before your employer can file the requisite injury report with the carrier. After the claim is started, even before the carrier decides that you qualify for full benefits, the insurer may begin paying for medical treatment as set out in the doctor’s first report of injury. The payments are made directly to the provider in many cases.

Financial Benefits

Some injuries make it impossible for you to work, either due to the body part affected or the severity of the damage. The nature of your job may make it impossible to work with almost any injury. When you miss work due to an on-the-job injury, the insurance carrier may start administering temporary disability payments to you. These are a percentage of your income and are paid weekly or biweekly. In some instances, you may have to miss work for one week before these benefits start.

Time Away

Rehabilitation may take quite a bit of time depending on the nature of the injury you sustained. Once the workers’ comp carrier accepts your claim and administers benefits, it may start doing them on a continuing basis. This occurs when you need to take a medical leave of absence to continue your recovery. The temporary disability payments may continue or they may be converted to permanent disability benefits. These payments work in the same way, but may continue for months and even years. The time period for receiving paychecks from the carrier depends on the nature and extent of the damage to your body.

Workers’ compensation is not federally mandated, and as such, your employer may not carry the coverage. Find out more about what your options are by speaking to a workers’ compensation lawyer in your area.

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